Star Trek Scoop: A Romulan Speaks!

Thu., Aug. 14, 2008 2:05 PM PDT by Marc Malkin

CBS, Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images

Learning to speak a foreign language for a movie is one thing, but how about perfecting a made-up language from outer space?

Clifton Collins Jr. said that's exactly what he and Eric Bana had to do for J.J. Abrams' much-anticipated Star Trek movie.

“Me and Eric are the new Romulans,” Collins said of their space alien characters in the flick. "They had a linguist come in and invent Romulan!”

We caught up with Collins last night in downtown L.A. at a party for the limited-edition movie posters celebrity tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon has designed for the upcoming Robert De Niro and Al Pacino flick, Righteous Kill.

Want more about Star Trek? Read on to find out what else Collins revealed...

Collins said his and Bana's Romulan look could have been somewhat inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean. “We’re space pirates,” Collins explained. “Think of Johnny Depp as a Romulan.”

And get ready for some surprise appearances in the movie. "There is, but I better not say," Collins said of possible big-star cameos. "There are certain things that as kids growing up, whether it's Star Trek or other shows at the time, all you got to do is really just hear their voice and your heart warms."

Asked if he was referring to characters and actors from the original television series, Collins simply smiled and said, "Maybe."

Meanwhile, Mr. Cartoon said über-producer Brian Grazer is developing a biopic about his life. He will not, he said, be playing himself. "Maybe I'll be a security guard in the background, but that's it."

—Additional reporting by Alexis Brunswick