We speak with actor and artist Bruce Horak, who played Hemmer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, on his new crowdfunded documentary Boldly Going.
Bruce Horak is a legally blind actor, best known for his ground-breaking role as Lieutenant Hemmer in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Playing the Aenar, a species who is genetically blind, Horak’s role marked one of the few times where a blind actor plays a blind role in the Star Trek universe. A steadfastly devoted engineer and friend to his crewmates on the Enterprise, Hemmer was a standout character for both his caring personality and representation he offered.
Now Horak, a painter, is directing and starring in a new feature documentary, Boldly Going, in which he travels across North America to meet and paint portraits of artists, musicians, and performers who are disabled like him, or have otherwise gone through trauma or systemic exclusion and forged their careers.
“This film is not just about telling stories,” says Horak in a press briefing. “It’s about telling them differently. With a brush. With heart. With boldness.”
“Masks are a powerful part of theatre and identity,” he adds. “But Boldly Going is about taking those masks off. It’s about seeing people as they really are — and showing how creativity can cut through the noise and bias.”
We spoke more with Horak about the documentary, being cast in Star Trek, where he sees disability representation in Hollywood going, and much more. You can check out our conversation below, and find a link to the Indiegogo campaign here.
