Trivia

William Shatner originally turned down the role as himself. In the original script, Shatner was written as an imaginary mentor who would appear to Mark in times of trouble. But Shatner requested his character to be flawed and more human, which is why he portrays himself as a pompous, lonely drunk in the film. The writers used several anecdotes told by Shatner. The original idea was kept in one scene, in which he appears to Mark as a child. See more