For the first time since being cast as Captain Lorca of the U.S.S. Discovery, Jason Isaacs is talking about Star Trek: Discovery. In an interview with GoldDerby focusing primarily on his role as the bad guy in the Netflix series The OA, Isaacs was also asked about Discovery. After first making some jokes about the severity of his non-disclosure agreement, he said there were a few things he could confirm:

I can tell you I have started shooting and it is absurdly cool. I feel like a five-year-old when I say those known words from the past that you have seen in shows. Anything I tell you would just ruin it for you.

The actor also offered this tiny tidbit describing the show:

I think it’s out in the public domain that it is Star Trek, but not as we know it. They’ve changed a bunch of stuff in it. It’s a new and yet familiar experience.

Appreciating work of Shatner and Nimoy

Isaacs did give some background on his familiarity with Star Trek, saying he watched it with his family growing up and he has been re-watching it lately, which has given him a renewed appreciation for the actors on the original show:

Watching William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, I realized what geniuses they were and how they elevated the prosaic into the epic. And also, they had no money and no budget, so each week was this stunning morality play that they made somehow, universal. William Shatner could imbue the most prosaic lines with Shakespearean high stakes. It’s not that easy. I’m finding it a challenge. There are big boots to walk in, but I am doing my best.

For more from Isaacs, including video, check out GoldDerby.com.