These days, it’s almost unfathomable to imagine a world where Patrick Stewart isn’t an esteemed actor, author and fan-favorite celeb. This is especially the case when it comes to his work in Star Trek, but as the actor pointed out in his latest book, that was exactly the case ahead of the premiere of The Next Generation. Stewart wrote about not being recognized by a popular publication before the show’s launch and how the crew trolled him afterward.
CinemaBlend was honored to receive a copy of Patrick Stewart’s Making It So: A Memoir, which details the key events of the actor’s life. Of course, there are tons of details and anecdotes about his many years within the Star Trek universe, and how the role ultimately propelled his career further than it had previously ever been. Stewart talked about the beginnings of The Next Generation and how he wasn’t technically a ‘name’ attached to the show compared to two of his colleagues:
We had only two ‘name’ actors, and they were the kids among us: thirty-year-old LeVar Burton, who at nineteen had become a household name as Kunta Kinte in the epic miniseries Roots and then compounded his fame in the ’80s by hosting the highly influential PBS children’s show Reading Rainbow; and fifteen-year-old Wil Wheaton, who had impressed the world a year earlier with his tenderness and poise in Rob Reiner’s hit film Stand By Me.
This may be a no-brainer for those who grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it may surprise others that LeVar Burton and Wil Wheaton were the biggest names attached to the series. Patrick Stewart, despite being the lead, had spent most of his time doing Shakespearean theater and other roles in Britain. He wasn’t well-known to audiences in the United States, which he soon learned thanks to the media.
Patrick Stewart wrote that the crew taunted him after the release of an article that was meant to highlight the release of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read what he said below and the hilarious title the write-up gave him:
Early on, the TNG cast was written up in the arts-calendar section of the Los Angeles Times, and I was referred to as an ‘unknown British Shakespearean actor.’. . .My peers were quick to play it for laughs. The day after that article appeared, I arrived at my trailer to find taped to its door a notice reading ‘Beware: Unknown British Shakespearean Actor.’
While he may have started his run as an unknown, Patrick Stewart soon made a name for himself, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard remains one of Star Trek‘s greatest characters of all time. It’s also funny to hear that the cast poked fun at him for the write-up, especially knowing how serious he was in the early years of TNG.
Jokes and jests on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation would become more common as the cast had a chance to get to know each other better. Wil Wheaton once recalled a rather humorous moment where Brent Spiner joked about Patrick Stewart’s accent that I think speaks to the type of atmosphere on the set.
All that to say, it was likely the joke on the actor’s trailer was made to make him upset, even if it might’ve bruised his ego a bit. I also like the reminder that Star Trek: The Next Generation helped propel Stewart’s career well beyond what it was previously, which will make my next binge with my Paramount+ subscription all the more special.
Patrick Stewart is campaigning for more adventures as Jean-Luc Picard, but until that happens, most of his work as the character can be found on Paramount+. I love watching the “Unknown British Shakespearean Actor” in action and still have my fingers crossed for future appearances.