It’s been a little more than six months since Leonard Nimoy died, but friends of the beloved “Star Trek” actor are still struggling to live long and prosper without him. Zachary Quinto, who took on the role of Spock in both of J.J. Abrams’ film adaptations and became friendly with Nimoy, said that losing the actor “has been really hard.”

“Our relationship took on a life of its own and we became close,” Quinto told Hamptons Magazine. “I became close with his wife and his family. Losing him has been really hard, but also, in a way, beautiful. To be with someone, to experience someone at the end of his life, and to have that life be so well lived and fulfilled, he really left this earth just surrounded by love. I’m not afraid of exploring stuff like death and what life adds up to in the end, so he was a shining example of how to do it right. I feel now like my connection with him is just on a deeper level. It’s much more spiritual.”

Nimoy is said to have handpicked Quinto to play Spock, which Quinto will do in a third “Star Trek” film slated for 2016. The 38-year-old actor said he was the only person to audition for the role, giving him further incentive to “[carry] the torch fully for the role.”

“I have felt very embraced by fans, and people seem to be on board with what I’m bringing to the role,” Quinto said. “Some of my favorite moments in this film for Spock are some of the quietest and most intimate ones. In the big, huge landscape of action, of fighting, there’s some real depth in these quieter moments that I’m looking forward to bringing to this process, so that’s cool.”

Read Quinto’s full interview at Hamptons Magazine.

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