Matthew Hranek
Q: So, tell the truth: Were you a Star Trek fan growing up?
Not at all. I hadn’t seen any of them and still haven’t! When I got the call to go in and meet for it, I was like, “I don’t think I’m going to get this. I don’t know anything about Star Trek.” It ended up turning out to be to my advantage because [director] J.J. Abrams wanted to have a new fresh take on it.
Q: You play Captain Kirk’s mom—what’s it like playing the mom of a guy’s greatest hero? Have die-hard fans stopped you on the street?
I don’t think I comprehended what this meant. [Laughs.] Guys have come up to me and said, “You don’t understand, this is like being the mother of Jesus!” and I’m like, “Whoa, slow down, that’s a little extreme!”
Q: You’ve been playing Dr. Cameron on House M.D. for five years. What do your doctors think of the show?
I hear a lot of, “Gosh, House says a lot of things I wish I could say but can’t!”
Q: Does playing an MD affect how you approach your own health?
Medicine, in general, scares me a little bit more. It’s made me realize how you have to take your health in your own hands on some level. You should be in tune with your own needs and body, because mistakes do happen.
Q: You’ve said you feel stronger now than you did five years ago. What led to the change?
I’m so used to having been physically active my whole life and feeling that strength. And I remember being on a plane and reaching to put my roller bag above the seats, feeling like I could barely lift it. I just felt so fragile, and I was like, Oh, I don’t like this feeling. That was the moment that made me start prioritizing my time in a new way. I hired a yoga instructor for early in the morning, so at least I knew I was going to get an hour in before I went to work. Plus, I have been boxing. Now I can put 10 bags up there!
Q: What’s your secret to staying slim?
I never eat past being full. At a restaurant, if I’m full from my appetizer, I only have five or six bites of my main meal and I’ll just take the rest home.
Q: Do you have a favorite splurge?
My vice is chai soy lattes at Starbucks. I don’t know if it’s good or bad for me, and I don’t want to know! I’m assuming it’s probably bad for me.
