After Embarrassing Himself In Front Of The Star Trek Cast, Patrick Stewart Modeled Himself After One Co-Star
Every team has its growing pains, and that includes the casts of TV shows. While filming "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Patrick Stewart had a difficult time adjusting to the major differences between acting in the Royal Shakespeare Company and acting on a science-fiction TV series, and it ended up putting him in an embarrassing situation with his castmates. In his new memoir, "Making It So," Stewart shared that he felt he was occasionally a "severe bastard" who got frustrated with his castmates for being too jovial when they messed up their lines. While it's understandable that an actor might get a little annoyed when their co-stars are taking up time (and takes), Stewart apparently held a meeting where he discussed everyone's behavior, and he came off as a bit of a scold.
Playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard was initially a real challenge for Stewart because of just how different things were, and it seems that he didn't know how to address frivolity with his co-stars, either. Thankfully, there were some castmates who knew just what to say, and one in particular who slowly taught Stewart how to be a bit more relaxed on-set. In time, the cast of "The Next Generation" would come to feel like a family, even if Stewart started off as a very grumpy father figure.
'We are not here, Denise, to have fun'
When Stewart called his fellow actors into a meeting to discuss their messing around, he took it very seriously. He "lectured the cast" and apparently even told Denise Crosby, who played Tasha Yar, "We are not here, Denise, to have fun," when she suggested that they needed to have fun sometimes. This, of course, sent the assembled cast into delirious laughter, which made Stewart storm off and slam his trailer door. After a little while, co-stars Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner were at the door, and they helped fix the whole situation by explaining that episodic TV was a lot different than theater, and they cut back on the horseplay a bit. Ultimately, the cast helped Stewart learn how to exist as a part of a big TV ensemble. In his own words:
"Jonathan Frakes was principally responsible for this, and it's no surprise that he evolved into an excellent director. His manner on set is always relaxed, with a twinkle in his eye — he so enjoys the work even as he goes about it seriously. I did my best to emulate his approach, because I recognized that one of my problems was that I had an anxious desire not only to work seriously, but to be seen as working seriously."
That seriousness was a problem, but it seems that trying to imitate Frakes' easy-going nature was the solution. By looking to his co-star and friend, he started to relax a little bit, and it helped bring the entire "Next Gen" cast closer.
Having some fun
In time, the cast of "Next Gen" started to have a camaraderie that matched that of their characters. Stewart says that it took him the whole first season to chill out a bit and loosen up, but he soon developed a close friendship with his castmates that would get him through tough times. In fact, he came to feel like the cast were like family, saying:
"Chance had thrown me into a company that was as generous and funny as it was talented. Our mutual respect grew over time into friendship and ultimately a feeling of family — and this feeling only gets stronger as we get older."
That feeling of family was especially apparent in the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," which reunited the original "Next Gen" crew and gave them one last big adventure. Stewart may have been a little bit uptight when he first joined the series, but leaning on Frakes and learning from him helped make the already incredible actor a much better co-worker. Not only that, but the blooper reels were vastly improved once Stewart started cutting loose. So thank goodness for Jonathan Frakes.