Actor William Shatner rose to prominence with the role of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. Because of his association with the sci-fi franchise, Shatner remains a revered pop culture figure to this date. However, Shatner is known for sometimes making controversial comments, and X-Men star Olivia Munn allegedly got a first-hand experience of the same.
During an interview, Olivia Munn spoke about her first meeting with William Shatner. However, the meeting resulted in Shatner allegedly giving Munn a back-handed compliment that was borderline offensive and sexist. Nonetheless, Munn humorously retold the anecdote while recalling her first encounter with the Star Trek actor. Here is what William Shatner said to Olivia Munn on their first meeting.
Olivia Munn Recalled First Meeting With William Shatner
Olivia Munn gained recognition for her role in The Newsroom. However, she is known among sci-fi and superhero genre fans for her portrayal of Elizabeth Braddock / Psylocke in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. In 2011, Munn made an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
While introducing Munn, host Craig Ferguson joked that the show’s team was unable to get William Shatner. Consequently, Munn spoke about her first interaction with Shatner. During the conversation, Munn revealed that when she met Shatner for the first time, he greeted her warmly before making a crass comment to her friend.
Munn said the following about Shatner’s alleged reaction to meeting her for the first time:
“You know if she were an escort she’d be an expensive one.”
While Munn narrated the event jokingly, she admitted she was a bit baffled by Shatner’s alleged comment and decided to take it as a compliment. Furthermore, host Craig Ferguson joked that he had a similar thought regarding Munn before stating that Shatner’s comment was most likely meant as a compliment given his personality.
William Shatner Has Allegedly Made Controversial Comments About Women
Munn recounted her first meeting with Shatner with a humorous undertone but his alleged comment aimed at the X-Men actress could come off as offensive if taken in the wrong context. Moreover, Shatner has allegedly made some controversial comments about women in the past.
Back in 2016, Shatner was present at a panel at Montreal Comic-Con with some of his Star Trek co-stars. During the interaction with fans, Shatner allegedly made several remarks about women that were perceived to be sexist, as reported by Mary Sue. Similarly, in 2017, Shatner made a series of tweets about feminism and how he finds terms such as toxic masculinity offensive.
Shatner also had a controversial take on the Me Too Movement. During a conversation with DailyMailTV, Shatner’s comments about the movement received a negative reaction on Twitter (now known as X).
I’m offended that you used that without even understanding my issue. It shows ignorance. My issue is that women use me too as a weapon when they don’t get an autograph, when they don’t get their way, etc & the circus that ensues is comical and sad. aka hysterical.🙄 https://t.co/7AJgNcJCfY
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 22, 2018
Shatner made the above tweet defending his comments during the interview. As a result, Shatner’s take on several feminist ideas has proven controversial in the past.
Star Trek: The Original Series is streaming on Paramount+ and PlutoTV.