Today, most film fans associate actors Patrick Stewart (alongside X-Men) with his signature role as Captain Jean Luc Picard from the world of Star Trek. He played this iconic character in the Starship Enterprise: The Next Century and Star Trek: Picard series and four films (Star Trek VII – Generations to Star Trek X – Nemesis). But did you know that he only accepted the role offer because he thought it would be done quickly?
Patrick Stewart was only persuaded to join Picard in Star Trek because everyone believed it was a flop
Before his Star Trek fame, Patrick Stewart was a fixture in the theater world, primarily as a renowned Shakespearean actor. Back then, in 1987, he was even accused of selling himself and his talent to television. In fact, the British actor revealed in a BBC interview that he took the role of Picard as a well-paying job (£12,000 a week instead of the theatre’s 140) at 47 for one reason only:
I wasn’t an actor looking for work in Hollywood. […] But my agent and everyone else I consulted with assured me that I shouldn’t be afraid to sign the 6-year contract. The series [Star Trek: The Next Generation] wouldn’t last 6 years. It is even unlikely that she would complete her first season.
Paramount
Star Trek: The Next Generation
The reasons for this assumption about the inevitable failure of Star Trek were obvious at the time, he explained further:
Everyone said, “You can’t revive an iconic series. It’s impossible.” […] So I only signed on because I thought it was going to fail and then I could [zum Theater] return and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ play.
As we know today, however, the Star Trek restart was a resounding success: The Next Generation (aka Starship Enterprise: The Next Century) brought between 1987 and 1994 in total 7 seasons with a total of 176 episodes out. Patrick Stewart has now played the role of Picard for 36 years.
Podcast: Star Trek is currently better than it has been in 20 years
Star Trek is one of the most important science fiction series ever. But after the beginning of the new millennium, the franchise slid into crisis. Attempts to restart split the fans – in the cinema as well as on television. Still, Star Trek is as good as it’s been in years.
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In the new episode of the Moviepilot podcast, we explain why you should give the almost 60-year-old sci-fi series a chance and recommend three new series that are definitely worth watching.
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