'Star Trek Beyond' director Justin Lin feared Idris Elba wouldn't sign up to the film because he had to sit through four hours of make up.
Idris Elba
The 44-year-old filmmaker is thrilled the 'Beasts of No Nation' star was happy to undergo the dramatic transformation for his role as Krall.
He said: "When I talk about deconstructing the federation, obviously a big part of that is to have an opposing view. I wanted to create an antagonist that had not only that view but a valid view. Idris was my top choice by far. Because a lot of the times antagonists don't really have a lot of screen time. So you need someone who can command a presence and be able to fully commit and carry that through very surgically.
"We had a great first conversation. But at the end he paused. I was like, 'Aw, s**t.' He goes, 'It's gonna be four hours of make-up every morning, right?' I said, 'Yup...' It was four hours every morning, and he was awesome. He's delivering 100 per cent every time."
And Lin has been seeking advice from J. J. Abrams, who urged him to be "bold".
He told SFX magazine: "I sat down with J.J. and he said, 'Look, I don't want you just to make a movie. I want you to be bold and I want you to take this and make it your own.' "That meant a lot to me. It was kind of the perfect fuel, to be able to have that kind of set up and that kind of respect."
Meanwhile, Simon Pegg - who wrote the script for the hotly-anticipated movie - previously revealed the 'Star Trek' Wikipedia was "so helpful" when it came to penning the new movie.
He said: "I've got to say the Star Trek Wikipedia, Memory Alpha, which is online, has been so helpful. If you need to know what's inside of a photon torpedo, there it is online, because there are so many dedicated fans out there who have such a vast knowledge of the universe and the minutia of it."
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