Patrick Stewart Says Ian McKellen Advised Him Against 'Star Trek' Role
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- Опубліковано 10 гру 2017
- Patrick Stewart recalled his biggest career highlights, including "X-Men," "Logan," "Star Trek," and the Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Variety Studio at the Dubai International Film Festival.
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Regardless of how he may feel about sci fi, he has played one of the most memorable characters not just in trek, but in the entire sci fi genre!
He didn't say he hates sci-fi. He said he wanted to do something really different after seven seasons and four films of Trek, as well as starting doing X-men. His problem from what I understand wasn't sci-fi in general, but rather being tyecast, and wanting to do something different. After all, sir Patrick always talked positively about his Trek expirience
mancubwwa I never said he did?
That's because he is a great actor in everything that he does.
Indeed he is. I remember when I first saw TNG, I was about 9-10 and was really hooked from then on. I loved the original trek and movies, but a new series and incredible looking new ship really got me hooked. The fact the captain was being played by a British actor made it all the more interesting. Now the character of Picard is Patrick Stewart in many ways, and vice versa. Plus I love the parts he's played since with Xmen. Would have been great to see him in LOTR alongside Ian Mckellan and not just in Xmen, but we can't have everything I guess. Actors of their caliber are sadly dying out now.
Joseph McDermott Yeah, I know that. What I was trying to say was that he put himself into the character to make Picard a memorable character. As for saying Picard was French, well yeah, pretty obvious considering his name!? If you had read my comment properly, you would have realised that I was referring to the fact that the Captain was being played by a British Actor!
If he is to be remembered most for one role, why not a role with high morals, an explorer, a leader, an adventurer and student of history who overcomes bigotry, pride, fear and war. It was one of the best sci-fi roles of all time, in one of the best TV shows of all time. Not bad, Sir Patrick :)
He was certainly a fantastic character. I think Patrick Stewart regrets the films more than the TV show since Hollywood got their hands wrapped around it tightly then and messed everything up. Just a hunch.
you make an excellent point. I doubt the man really gets the scope of his influence.
No, he does get the influence. Watch the documentary, "The Captains". He said Picard was the most difficult and demanding role he has ever played, because it required expert Shakespearian acting in order to keep it from coming off cheesy, and for this he is very proud.
ua-cam.com/video/h6uMiPJ3Xcw/v-deo.html
not even remotely what I was referring to, but thanks.
Amen !
I met him, very briefly at a convention about 6 years ago now. I would give anything to sit down and talk to him, just for 20 minutes. We will never see another actor of his talent again in our lifetime. Period.
The Next Generation cast is one of the best ensembles of all time.
I'm gonna play devil's advocate here.. While I think Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner were amazing (in their performances, in capturing nuances about their characters that helped build them beyond words in a script), the other members of the cast were pretty generic. Jonathan Frakes had some great moments, but Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn et al, were basically dull filler.
It sucks to say that, given how awesome TNG was/still is, but I think if you put their performances into some modern TV production (much less a film production,) audiences would be very dissatisfied. Again, Stewart and Spiner notwithstanding.
Of course, when you factor them all together as an ensemble (for most episodes,) it worked.
Patrick Stewart was on a different level than most of the other actors. He is classically trained, was already experienced and carried the rest of the cast in a way that is missing from the more recent series'.
very true that. you only have to look at the chemistry between the cast then and now.
My favorite three characters were Picard, Data, and Worf. I grew up with TNG, and I'm very fond of all the characters and the whole show. It's just that those three characters have forever influenced how I think and act, and the others -- not so much. They were kinda just there most of the time, and didn't do too much outside of their job description.
Shodan Cat
Don’t underestimate the TNG cast other than Stewart and Spiner. If you watch interviews with Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn for example, they are completely different from the characters they played on Star Trek.
You just have to see Sirtis’s performance as Deanna Troi and as Demona to see the range she has and how she brought those completely opposite roles to life so convincingly.
To be a fly on the wall when Ian and Patrick are working together. What an incredible bit of luck to grow watching these two on screen for SO many roles.
Patrick is such a joy to just listen to. He is always so engaging.. so enthusiastic.. Incredible.
I am a massive Next Generation fan. I can understand that Patrick doesn't want his career to be defined by one role, but unfortunately, he will always be Jean Luc Picard to me.
Where he had hair! I am a big ST-TNG fan as well, but he did Charles Xavier SO WELL.
At this point, I don't think he's in any danger of being remembered only for Picard. He's done too much excellent work since.
he was so good. man.
But if you watch the video he says that Star Trek was the highlight that had the biggest impact on his life. He's appreciative of what Star Trek did for him.
He himself a knows Star Trek defined his career.
He will always be professor Xavier for me
I grew up with TNG. I've always considered Capt. Picard as the Father I never had.
Like Wesley
Yeah, shut up Wesley
Haha, oh man, I'd put up with a little maltreatment to be on that ship.
Trondyard
So, that's why he had a heaping huge family in the ribbon of 'Generations'?
l don't think it's that he doesn't like kids more than he doesn't know quite how to relate to them. He learned though.
He enjoyed having a family in the episode 'The Inner Light'.
Glad you didn't listen to him... he was Magneto after all
😢😢😢
I grew up on reruns of the original. When TNG came out I thought 'no way, a bald frenchman is going to replace Kirk?!' But Sir Patrick Stewart 'made it so!' bravo sir, marvelous indeed.
Shatner tried his best, I suppose, but he just can't compare to Sir Patrick. Nimoy held the original cast together.
Actually had remembered him in the Gurney Halleck role in the Dune movie.
I am so grateful to Patrick Stewart for bringing the character of Captain Picard to life. Captain Picard taught me more about being a good man than my own father did.
He may not be a sci-fi guy to begin with, but he sure does made his mark in the genre. I can’t imagine Star Trek without Picard, or the X-Men without him as Charles Xavier. Sir Patrick Stewart was able to juice up his given sci-fi roles with his theatrical experiences. That experience constitutes the stoic characters in every of Sir Patrick’s given role to this day.
If things had been different he would have played Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin. He was one of the actors considered for the role.
He added a Shakespearean element of acting you rarely see in sci-fi. It was (and still is) refreshing to see him act in the genre, but also any movie in general with him ;)
Fuzzyscarfandmittens You can't be serious. Mr. Freeze????
+Daniel Fronc Yes, he was one of the actors considered for the role. Have you never seen the Batman Animated series?
Personally I think he could have brought a lot of gravitas to it but instead they decided to go with a more campy version with ice puns.
Fuzzyscarfandmittens I had no idea of that as I had been in two professional schools back to back, and then worked long hours while having a family. I was tuned out of tv. Isn't he Shakespearean trained? The thought of such a waste of him doing ice puns is a cold one. He surely found hiis calling. Thanks!
Patrick Stewart is a class act. First role I ever saw him in was King Author version that was bloody as hell, I thought, that guy whatever his name has a great voice... years later Captain. The rest is history.
Excalibur 1981, he played Leondegrance, ( Guenevere's father ). By far the best King Arthur movie of all time. it's one of those movies, that even after watching 10 times you still pick up little details, and meanings,
he was also in a movie called "Lifeforce" science fiction horror movie. played a good scene of a Doctor at a psychiatric hospital. ( aka nut house lol ) he got possessed by an Alien ( sound familiar? )
TNG wouldn't have been the same without Patrick Stewart. That series had amazing characters, but Patrick Stewart was the glue that bound everyone into a great, cohesive cast.
14 years as John-Luck Picerd and 17 years as Chuckie Xavier.
What's interesting is that Gene Roddenberry supposedly wasn't that keen on casting him in TNG when the series was in pre-production. Roddenberry wanted a younger looking American actor for the role and had to be talked round by the other producers who had realised just what a good actor Patrick Stewart was during the auditions and Roddenberry finally capitulated, thus making television history in the process.
Interesting stuff. Any documentary-type clips of people discussing that on youtube? I'd love to watch some insiders chatting about that.
It's startling how close we were to not having the captain of TNG
It's weired seeing how old he's gotten. It's like yesterday when he was a vibrant...uhhh 50 year old.
Variety has some of the best videos to have on while working! No trollish opinions, just pure respect for all works of cinematic art.
Captain Jean Luc Picard will always be a part of Start Trek and so will Patrick Stewart. IMO he was the right captain to the right time. Also: Best cast for Charles Xavier. Outstanding actor!
This is possibly the nerdiest bit of sentiment I have, but Revive is not the correct word for what TNG did, that was a way better series than the original, largely because of Sir Stewart.
TNG gave a second birth to Rodenberry's idea.
TNG is not a reboot or a revive. It is simply The Continuing Mission
Definitely, definitely true.
Only because TNG got 4 more years. For the first two years TOS was better, only by year 3 could TNG ever been consider to be better than the same TOS season.
What a frank and "from the heart" talk by Sir Patrick!!
I watched ton of TNG growing up. (Born in 80) Captain Picard was always my favorite.
A class act and an astounding actor - Thank you Sir Patrick, you're my hero!
Patrick Stewart will always be remembered for his two iconic roles which are Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier.
I absolutely admire and adore the close friendship that he has with Ian.
Top 10 people in history to meet. A truly amazing individual and unique human being...!
Ive tried to watch his A Christmas Carol every year for a long time now. I haven't saw it this year and may not get to. But other than Next Gen its my favorite Patrick work. SO SO good and enjoyable to watch. Hope he and his wife are doing well and have a great big fun holiday time.
I watched him in both Christmas Carol and the Tempest on Broadway in the early/mid 90s, was a treat to see him in person twice. I went to 2 or 3 conventions back in those days as well but don't think I ever saw him at one of those (maybe one? damn faulty memory), he was never scheduled for the ones I was going to (in the Philadelphia suburbs).
The old classic Alistair Sim is still my favorite, but Mr. Stewart's is easily my #2 Christmas Carol.
Considering Patrick added such weight to Picard and the show wouldn't have been the same without him, it's possible that he pretty much saved Star Trek.
I know you can say Shatner and Nimoy started it, but it kind of faded out during their tenure. When they tried TNG, it could have fucking collapsed and Star Trek could have been dead for a long time... And due to Patrick being such a fucking legend... We now have DS9, VOY, ENT, DISCOVERY, and a whole bunch of movies.
Nimoy was great but Shatner is an egotistcal blowhard.. He is the only memember of the otiginal cast I can't stand..
after every very popular movie with an iconic character, everyone always says " it wouldn't have been the same without such and such actor". well, duh. And if it was a different actor, people would still be saying. " it wouldn't have been the same without such and such actor"
James, I wasn't referring to it only being about Patrick Stewart. What I meant was, they really got lucky getting an actor of his calibre. It wouldn't have been the same without someone of his calibre.
When you watch the original pilot of Voyager with the other actress for the role of Janeway, you understand that an actor can do the difference, especially as the captain, because while star trek is a crew show if the captain sounds off, you will lose the audience.
We don't talk about Discovery and the alternate universe movies.
I rate this interview 4/5 lights!
That's actually clever. Well done.
I can't take credit for it. It's pretty common around Star Trek Trashposting circles
Don't know how his character lasted that long under such horrible torture.
Sir Patrick is in one of my favorite movies of all time Excalibur
The episode The Ineer Light really showed just how talented
he is. He lives and entire life and becomes an old man in twenty
minutes.
This! Hands down, my favorite TNG episode. Just re-watched it a few weeks ago, and it still holds up. The interplay between Stewart and Margot Rose is so subtle and well-realized. Just superb.
I was a Trekkie before TNG. When it started out - being a fan of TOS - I was very reluctant to watch it. After my sister persuaded me to do so, I got hooked after only one episode. Now I feel that TNG is the best thing that ever happened to Star Trek, (imho).
Cant believe he wasnt nominated for Logan...shame
Wasn't nominated for what? Most movie nominations for 2017 movies won't happen until 2018.
mitch9243 He didn’t received a nom from the Globes, SAG, or any critics awards.
No mention of Dune?
He's too non-American for them to care.
Saw those two in Waiting for Godot in Newcastle. An absolute joy.
Next Gen is my fave Star Trek of all time. Wouldn't be the same without you Patrick.
Makes sense he would be hesitant. Back then, being a TV actor was to be de facto typecast as...a TV actor. I remember when it was a big deal in the entertainment media that David Caruso and Ted Danson were making the jump to film (somewhat silly since they both had worked in film prior to their TV roles). Of course, the landscape is a bit different these days, though it is kind of funny to think that for most people, Patrick Stewart came to prominence doing 7 seasons on a syndicated American sci-fi TV show.
A brilliant actor, racing fan and nice guy. Thank you Sir Patrick.
Stewart's Star Trek resonates with the soul.
When I saw Patrick Stewart in the role of Picard in Star Trek: First Contact, the scene that left the biggest impression on me was when Alfre Woodard's Lily Sloane confronts Picard in his ready room and calls him out on his obsession over the borg, calling him "Ahab." For reasons I can't quite explain, that scene hit me in the feels somehow in a way that transcended anything i had seen in sci fi since The Wrath of Khan.
Not long after that, I saw Stewart in a made-for-TV version of Moby Dick in which he did play Captain Ahab. In the following years, I saw him play Scrooge as well and became familiar with his work in the Royal Shakespearian company. I don't think I would have had quite the appreciation for Sir Patrick's range as an actor had I not discovered him in Star Trek, but I am definitely one Star Trek fan who will remember him for a whole lot more.
Brilliant actor!!! It took a lot to fill the shoes of Shatner as Kirk. I personally refused to watch the Next Generation for some time. I happened to catch an episode halfway through the 1st season and I was HOOKED! The TV show was like watching a great movie every week. BRILLIANT show.
It's the best series ever
Sejanus in “I, Claudius”, 1976.
Yes! Not kidding, but I just watched the Sejanus segments last week for the umpteenth time! Striking stuff.
I will always remember Patrick as Sejanus, it was the first time I saw him. I, Cluadius remains one of the best BBC series of all time. Full of brilliants actors and yet done on a shoestring. I watched the entire series again recently and although the budget shows it is still a fantastic watch.
Oh yes, but what shook me up even more was Brian Blessed as Augustus. No beard, doing the tranquil fury. Eye opening.
was going to mention that one...a good role when i eventually saw it on the local pbs channel
George Alexander yes I hated his character more than anyone else on I claudius
Star Trek and X-Men and other MARVEL-ous things?
Mr Stewart's comments about how everyone in Hollywood said the reboot of Star Trek would not be successful painfully shows how clueless Hollywood can be. I grew up in Hollywood and can tell you the nothing more worthless than an expert's opinion.
Agreed, and whoever cancelled Firefly after one season is an IDIOT.
LivingInVancouverBC, a gorram idiot at that.
Shiny reply!
Agreed!
It was a strange time late 80's early 90's. Sci Fi and super hero movies and shows were unprofitable. The Superman movies weren't cutting it, Star Trek had several failed reboots (the movies didn't do well), and what did do well was not deep and/or adult oriented (Back to the Future all 3, Total Recall, Gremlins II, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure). Sci Fi was seen as a spoof not as an intellectual form of entertainment. Even when it was a serious movie like Batman (1989) they advertised it as a spoof on the Batman story. ua-cam.com/video/HlsM2_8u_mk/v-deo.html
Someone had real vision in order to believe and create the masterpiece that was TNG.
A memorable acting moment (not STar trek) was the interogation scene he did.
Never a word.. never a change in expression.. but he comes out on top.
And then the follow up, where even in defeat he shows no emotion, except for dropping the lighter.
EPIC
Brilliant actor,pure class
How ironic that Ian advised Patrick against sci-fi yet Ian followed Patrick into the genre.
One of us. One of us.
sweiland75 nope not sci-fi just that particular show for reasons discussed in the video
Consider X-men more comic book / action movies than sci-fi.
Excalibur was the first thing I ever saw him in, and then Dune, and he didn't even mention either of those. Weird.
No mention of "Lifeforce", either.
or Masterminds
and if you go to his imdb, he did TV before star trek too. He talks like he never did any TV before that. I don't understand why
+busi magen When it came out it was a bunch of English actors that not everybody knew especially on this side of the Atlantic. It's like the movie Krull had Liam Neeson as well as Ronnie Coltrane but they were just bit actors back then. They weren't well known here. Same with Patrick Stewart in Excalibur.
true he wasn't known back then, but Excalibur and Dune were huge movies, just a little weird he didn't even mention them.
Possibly the best performance I can remember is The Measure of a Man, the passion Sir Pat brings to that role of Defence in the courtroom scenario is brilliant, he does it again in The Drumhead but because that character is unknown while Data is so beloved, I have to rank The Measure of a Man as just that much better.
Kinda makes me wish that Patrick Stewart was cast as a proper Radagast the Brown in The Middle Earth movies.
I prefer to see him as the Steward of Gondor.
Sure if you wanna see Patrick Stewart on fire.
I didn't say Steward I said Stewart.
Yeah, he would have been a great Denethor.
Naw as much as Sylvester McCoy was my favorite Classic Doctor 2nd to Tom Baker.....I still think that he would have made a more proper Radagast the Brown.
Who can forget his portrayal of Karla in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy :-)
I loved him in Excalibur. His range and role!
Does anyone know what the outtro music is?
Before Star Trek TNG, I saw him as Sejanus in "I Claudius" (where he had hair), and then as King Claudius in "Hamlet" - both on PBS. And later on, in Dune of course. It helps me to not ONLY see him as Picard.
Definitely a first-rate actor.
Y'know, Variety, wireless lav mics aren't that expensive.
Data and Jean Lu Picard really made next gen memorable and iconic. Something about both of them really captured what it meant to be those characters, the irony, humor, intellect and philosophical thinking. They really managed to act as "beyond human" in their roles.
Love that he appreciates his origins and his influence. Class act beginning to end
Until he stuck his nose into our politics..
Simply charming
Ahhh, Patrick... You've forgotten that you were inspirational as Leondegrance in Jon Boorman's Excalibur (1981), some years before Star Trek TNG.
- "If a boy has been chosen... Then a boy shall be King!"
Acting alongside such echoic voices as that of the timeless Nicol Wiliamson and Nigel Terry (even if Nigel Terry's facial expressions can be so animated that they become a distraction)... Lord Patrick Stewart already *IS* immortal, in my opinion.
I couldn't quite make him out. Did he say Stratford upon Avon was in London at 2:26 ?
He is lovely ♡
Very thoughtful
capt. picard is a strong name. he did 100% good acting and he was perfect for that role
One of a kind genius in my life time for sure .
Patrick Stewart: I wanna do Star Trek but without the Star Trek stuff.
CBS: BRILLIANT!
Good story, much better to hear this from Patrick than the "We are not here to have fun" story yet again. Everyone in outer Mongolia has already heard that story!!
Yes Captain thanks
Best actor in the world!
I love and respect the character of Captain Kirk, but Captain Picard is the greatest captain in all of Star Trek, and that's saying a lot because all of the captains have been superb. Picard embodies all that Star Trek and its stories stand for. This is due in no small part to the casting of Patrick Stewart.
You were brilliant in Jeffrey. I was gobsmacked. Being so used to your serious side and a huge star trek fan for years and years , i was thrilled to see a comedy and though i thought I'd be watching Picard type cast in another role. I was so immersed in the new character.. and cmon... the pink boa and the strut. I lost it
It *would* be amazing for the cast/crew to do it just one last time. The box office sales would absolutely be worth the production costs many times over. Damn, the fans would just absolutely love it. I'd even enjoy seeing a touch of cross-over with some Voyager or DS9 characters (I'd say Enterprise as well but the time line wouldn't work...oh hell, I take that back, they could do a time travel thing and make even that work, which I'd also love). I wish they'd consider it before they lose any of the main actors.
He has that, "always surprised" look.
Boy, people sure are full of stuff, aren't they? "You'll be lucky to make it a year." 14 years later and an internationally recognized, multimillionaire actor. I wonder how many of those naysayers made it half as far?:)
Pretty sure they meant the show wouldn't survive a year, not that Patrick was a bad actor.
Yeah, they were saying he was gonna get paid for a 6 year contract but only have to work for 1 year of it, so he could vacation, do more theater, etc. etc. and not worry about being tied down to some sci-fi show for years and years.
To be fair the first season was a mess. Watch "Chaos on the Bridge" and see how easily the show could've derailed. Season two was a lot better and season three they got things under control and starting hitting their stride.
He has truly reached immortality. If humans live another 1000 years, someone will still remember his lifework.
Star trek the next generation was just an epic series. Patrick stewart, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, everybody invloved with the show made it into an iconic creation. It further defined Star Trek, and it became a reference to what Star Trek is. I would not be able to imagine it with any other actor or actress.
what music is this?
The greatest, most versatile actor of our time
Now that's some real news! Never new this story!
In another comments someone said that Gene Roddenberry wasn't that Keen on casting him. It's amazing how close we came to not having him as the captain.
I think this where shows like CSI, and others, owe both Paramount, Stewart and Star Trek a favour.
Before TNG?
Spin-off shows were none existent.
Afterwards?
They’re the default
Variety, please use windscreen and high pass filter on your microphone feed. That popping sound is quite distracting. Thanks
Seriously, it was Patrick Stewart that lifted the acting quality of ST-TNG to the level of serious theater. Without him, I doubt that the rest of the cast would have performed as well as they (mostly) did.
Star Trek usually hires stage actors. Most of the series are filled with stage actors, not tv or movie actors. Voyager cast just did a reunion thing and most talked about all the stage stuff they had done.
thought he was gonna say, so they cast me as Professor X.
I have a friend who vaguely looks like Sir Pat. And to his dying day he will be called Jean-Luc. That, is immortality.
Variety didn't have a lapel mic?
The moral of this unlikely story ... Ian McKellen was so absurdly wrong .... good call, Patrick.
No one's always right, even good friends or good people, lol ;)
Krshwunk every time they remade and iconic film or series it's been a flop and usually a spectacular flop. Look at all of the remakes of the Miracle on 34th Street. Or even the more recent remake of A Christmas Story (cringe).
The Next Generation was one of the first and few to be able to break that mold
TNG was not a remake of course
Yet, who could ever replace Ian McKellen as Gandalf?
David Oscar Flores No one. Gandoff isn’t a character. Gandalf is, though.
Wild Geese II
Is Brent Spiner even a director? LOL
kinda remind me of what James Cagney once said about wanting to do dance and musical shows, over what he commonly played as the bad guy like he did in white heat and Public Enemy. Sad moments when they say something like they wish they got the chance to do something different and not be given the chance!
A little unconventional, but I think Stewart understands he's one of the 80's Television "father figures." While his character was never an actual father, the character was that and much more. Stewart played Picard with all the reverence of a father figure, a team leader, a supervisor, a boss, of a real role model. All the intent of the writers was delivered through Stewart and he deserves much of the credit for giving that character believability.
Patrick Stewart looks like an older version of me. Dad?
We don't look anything alike but he's my dad okay you need to understand that LOL
I earned a film degree in 2005, and now I'm homeless. It's good to know a talent like this has known this kind of fear.
What's interesting now is that somewhere there's an alternate earth there where Patrick Stewart was never Captain Picard which most likely would have effected the later movies he was in.
Star Trek must be the biggest hit TV franchise in history.
Next generation is best Star trek franchise because of patrick stewart and other actors :)
Wow. So beautiful!
I don't really like Star Trek but I he made it watchable for me.
I once heard that when his contract was up after 6 years, he had to renegotiate. He did so with his characteristic solemnity but when he finally was done and got out into the parking lot, he danced a jig in celebration.
The wonderful thing about Patrick Stewarts performances is that you know it's him but it isn't. Each character he portrays the mannerisms the expressions are unique to that character. Before you say that's what acting is there are far too many "actors" that simply play themselves in each of their roles you see no difference, you hear no difference from one character to another.
THANK YOU, Sir Patrick, for not taking Ian's advice! :-D
Fun fact: he acted beside Alec Guinness (Obi Wan Kenobi) in Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Patrick Stewart isn't great because he played Jean-Luc Picard - Jean-Luc Picard is great because Patrick Stewart played him. I urge anyone who only knows that role to seek out other work that he's done such as Safehouse, and The Lion in Winter.
Incidentally Brent Spiner does a great impression of Picard/Stewart