^Agreed. I've seen her in some of her other work. She was good. But there's no way Bujold could have done Janeway for seven years.
She's very wooden there and presumably in a state of some shock given the relentless rigor of the episodic format she'd just signed up to.
Definitely better that they went with Mulgrew...by light years. But I once read somewhere (can't remember), that Erin Gray had tried out for the Janeway role, and didn't get it, either. I don't know if footage was ever even shot, but I think that would have been an interesting choice. But I had always been surprised they didn't tap Elizabeth Dennehy to repirise the role of Shelby for Voyager (or similar character, like they did with RDM).
Bujold obviously had no idea how American tv was made. She looks bored and tired. Mulgrew looks infinitely more comfortable and well-rounded.
Yes. Bujold has a very personal approach to acting...not very..."mainstream" compared to Janeway or Stewart.
If we had 7 years of Bujold (I doubt I would have enjoyed her as much as Mulgrew), what would we be thinking now re: "what if Mrs. Columbo had gotten the role" ?
I rewatched Caretaker a few weeks ago. Again, I was struck by how comfortable and confident Mulgrew looked compared to her colleagues. Experience counts. It's possible Bujold would have rallied to present a better side of herself but the very little evidence we have would suggest otherwise. To my knowledge, its never been fully explained exactly why Bujold was fired so quickly.
She was not fired, she asked to be released from her contractual obligations. At least, that's what I read.
Any proof of this? Not that I can prove mine ... but I've read on several fora it was she who asked to leave not the other way round.
What I read was that after a long unpleasant day of filming, the PTB told her she needed to go home and rest and think about it. She took the hint and quit.
That's what I heard too. Once she found out what was actually involved she changed her mind about wanting to do it.
In the book, "Vision of the Future" by Stephen Edward Poe, the author explains several things: About Geneviève Bujold: she was choosen by an Universal's executive, who wanted a famous Shakespearian actress, who had a lot of awards in her carrier. Bujold seemed to be the right person. Result: she was hired without having make any audition. Piller and Taylor agreed with the choice of the studio because they saw the name, even if they have never ever watched any of her movies before, while Berman was more prudent, because well, 1) she wasn't American (and he thought that her a thick accent - even if her english was perfect - could be disturbing for US viewers); 2) she was a terrific movie actress but the TV universe was alien to her ; 3) she was extremely shy (to the point not have got involved with others actors during the time she was on sets) and even before shooting, she has warned Berman via her agent, that she refused to make interviews... . If you watched varied YT clip on ST: Voyager conventions, you necessarily heard Garrett Wang to describe the famous "Engage"'s scene. But there was also the scene in the Ready Room, between Janeway and Tuvok, which was rehearsed, still and still, during the 3/4 days Bujold has spent on sets. In the end, it seems that Winrich Kolbe's patience knew its limits and tired to be the only one to pull out his own hair, he decided to warn Berman, who had a conversation with Bujold, in the term of which, she decided to throw in the towel. => Bujold wasn't fired, she just left, realizing that she could not continue so. But the production lost a lot of time, especially in beginning again the phase of recruitment in the term of which, Mulgrew was finally retained, for the biggest enjoyment of the producers, the studio and our, naturally! About Janeway's 1st name: Jeri Taylor, who is the one who created the character of Janeway, wanted Elizabeth then when Geneviève Bujold entered in the adventure, she requested the change of the name for Nicole because it was her 2nd name and her daughter's name but Taylor disagreed (she thought that Nicole could be associated by viewers, to Nicole Simpson, who had just been killed -> Berman/Piller finally gave in). When Mulgrew replaced her, she asked that her character to wear the first name of Katherine (English version and not US version). Producers accepted only half of the request, much to Mulgrew's chagrin. It is ironic to hear Wang and Beltran still complain about their treatment and sometimes about Mulgrew (even if they make it more discreetly), because if Bujold had stayed, Voyager would certainly have run 1st season.