Star Trek actor Karl Urban says there aren't too many parts of the body he hasn't autographed.
His portrayal of Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the smash-hit Star Trek film has earned him a legion of fans and they're far from shy.
So the New Zealand-born actor is braced for a boisterous encounter next week when he fronts Trekkies at a sci-fi, fantasy and gaming convention in Australia.
Urban, who stars in director JJ Abrams' new take on the cult series, says he's been humbled by fans' response to his portrayal of the character originally played by DeForest Kelley.
"I've managed to keep tabs of the fan response online and it was so overwhelmingly positive," said Urban who will appear at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney and Perth.
Since the world premiere of the film in Sydney in May, Urban has undertaken an incredible journey around the globe.
And pressing the flesh with fans has been a huge amount of fun.
"I don't think there is a body part I haven't signed," the 37-year-old laughed from Wellington. "Well no, actually there are a few, I take that back!"
A dedicated fan of the original series for many years, Urban appreciated the pressure-free environment Abrams created on set, trusting the cast to develop the characters themselves.
"There certainly was no mandate that we had to ... closely adhere to what had gone before us," Urban said.
Playing the role of the belligerent ship's surgeon allowed Urban to show audiences a different side.
Traditionally many of his international roles have been action oriented or fantasy, including Eomer in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick, and Kirill in the Bourne Supremacy.
Urban relished the chance to explore the more comic side of the character, giving fans something new.
And it seems that Hollywood has taken notice, with Urban receiving scripts for a broader range of characters.
In the meantime Paramount Pictures is working on the script for the next Star Trek instalment, with filming expected to start in the middle of next year.
The Supanova Pop Culture Expo will be held in Sydney from June 25 to 28, and Perth from July 3 to 5.
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