William Shatner, 95, Shares Advice on Embracing Pain and Staying Active

William Shatner has no plans to slow down as he ages.

The 95-year-old actor discussed his approach in a recent Fox News Digital interview, explaining why he keeps active when many others his age have slowed decades earlier.

"That's why they're old," he said. "Shatner's law is speed up, do more and forget the pain, take a pill if it hurts. You get older, you hurt more. Two things. One is a weightlifter who told me, 'When I lift three, four hundred pounds, it hurts. I've learned, to make the hurt my friend. Welcome, friend. The pain is here, welcome.'"

Shatner, who is preparing for his live stage show "The Universe is Absurd," said his advice to older people is to befriend and embrace the pain.

The Star Trek actor added a second tip for aging: never stop moving. "If you stop moving, all you've got is the hurt," he said. One passion is riding horses and competing in reining, an equestrian event he called very physical.

"The older you get, the difficulty is really getting on the horse. You have a mounting block, and you try to lift your leg up over it," he said. "If I would have stopped that, half my life would disappear. So I don't stop. I just go slower."

Shatner continues riding despite a shoulder injury from falling off a horse. He will host the annual William Shatner's Hollywood Charity Horse Show later this month.

His schedule also features "The Universe is Absurd," an unscripted stage show with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It explores cosmic themes through banter and storytelling on May 10 and 20 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

Tyson and Shatner connected while recording an audiobook, leading to 20 hours of conversation.

"I had to spend two days, 10 hours a day talking to a wonderful man who has become a good friend of mine now," Shatner said. "Those 20 hours have given us a foothold into conversation and that's what we'll have on stage. But in order for it to have energy, I have to disagree with them on many points, if not all."

The worst outcome for the show, in Shatner's view, would be the audience walking out.

Looking ahead, the Boston Legal star has no bucket list. He wants to keep doing what he values, like spending time with his dogs, riding horses with his wife and visiting favorite coffee shops.

"I'm busy, and I'm vital and I'm riding horses and I'm taking care of business. And I just sold a horse," he said. "I did a job on Friday and Saturday...I'm busy doing concrete valuable things, I don't want to go anywhere. The least of all I want to do is die."

Shatner said he feels thrilled to see the world each morning, a feeling that has grown over the years. He described how mindset shifts with age. At 20 to 25, people focus on building a future, self-energized by their needs. Later, at 70 and 80, they notice the magic of Earth and life's beauty.

"No matter if you're hurting, welcome hurt. You're alive, for God's sake. In no time at all, you'll be interred with turds and so relish as much as you can of your life because it's over," he said.

He added: "I'm here to testify. One truth I know. It goes by so quickly. When I hear somebody utter the number of my age, I'm tempted to look around to see who he's talking about, because that doesn't seem real. It seems like some bad dream. I'm how old? No, I'll wake up momentarily. That's how I feel."

On his 95th birthday, Shatner tweeted the secret to his longevity: "At 95, I'm still smokin'! I've learned two things: Never waste a good cigar. Never trust anyone who says you should 'act your age.'"