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Posted in: Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: bbc, Making It So, paramount, patrick stewart, star trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Patrick Stewart on His Early TNG Picard Being "Too Stagey"
While promoting Making It So, Sir Patrick Stewart regrets how stiff his Picard performances were during Star Trek: TNG's early seasons.
Article Summary
- Sir Patrick Stewart feels his early Star Trek: TNG performances were too theatrical and stiff.
- The actor credits his TNG teammates for aiding his transition into a TV show lead.
- Stewart reprised his role as Capt. Picard in the sequel series, Star Trek: Picard.
- The actor’s memoir 'Making It So' reflects on his experiences and revelations during his Star Trek journey.
It's hard to imagine a time when the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast didn't get along, but star Sir Patrick Stewart remembered coming off a bit like a snob during the syndicated series earlier years on top of the notorious clashes among the creatives that eventually saw Gene Roddenberry taking a step back and finally letting go of that torch. While promoting his memoir Making It So, Stewart gave a glimpse of how difficult he was and how he became his own harshest critic of his season one Captain Picard performances.
"I was very uncomfortable with the quality of my work in season one," the Royal Shakespeare actor told BBC Radio 4's Front Row "It was too stagey, too theatrical, too big… I hardly ever smiled or ever said anything gently, which later on, of course, became an absolute cornerstone of Picard's nature. Later on, I could relax." Stewart credits his costars with helping him transition to a TV lead actor. "Can you believe that? An actor talking like that to his friends? So that's who I was," he said before offering a grin. "By the end of season two, I had become notorious for fooling around on the set."
Stewart continued the captain's adventures after seven seasons and four theatrical films of TNG in the Paramount+ legacy sequel Star Trek: Picard. While he was reluctant to make it an official sequel to Jean-Luc, the series already recruited Data actor Brent Spiner to reprise his role as the beloved android as well as Jonathan Frakes (Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Troi) reprising their roles in a guest capacity. More TNG favorites trickled in season two with appearances from Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan), John de Lancie (Q), and Wil Wheaton before the bottom fell out to a full reunion that also included Michael Dorn (Worf), Gates McFadden (Beverly), and LeVar Burton (Geordi). The biggest surprises in the third and final season were the returns of Michelle Forbes (Ro) and Elizabeth Dennehy (Shelly). Making It So is available everywhere. You can check out the interview below.
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