Bana calls 'Star Trek' role irresistible

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NEW YORK, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Australian actor and "Star Trek" fan Eric Bana said he couldn't resist the opportunity to play a villain in the new installment of the sci-fi franchise.

"I couldn't resist. I read it and I know (director J.J. Abrams) pretty well and there was just no way to say no; it's just too much fun," Bana told reporters in New York recently.

"I liked the original (show) as a kid. I loved it. I haven't seen a lot of the movies since, but I was a fan of the original series," the actor replied when asked if he was a "Trekkie." "But even if I was crazy about the original series, it wouldn't have been enough to make me sign on to a film I didn't want to do. I just read the script and I just went, 'That is an awesome script,' and it's J.J. and it'd be a good time to play a character like that. It was a very easy decision."

Bana can now be seen playing Henry VIII in the big screen period drama "The Other Boleyn Girl."