Which statement by a Trek actor/creator annoyed you the most?

[2takesfrakes]

I think I read that a kid approached Guinness for an autograph and that he told him that he would sign it provided that the kid would never see Star Wars again, and that the kid was upset.

I've heard this story, myself. But the spin I got from it was that Alec Guinness basically gave the kid the "Get a Life" speech Shatner gave Trekkies, at the time. That he was concerned that the kid seemed to be living in some kind of a fantasy world and was taking the movie too seriously, around him.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

I've heard this story, myself. But the spin I got from it was that Alec Guinness basically gave the kid the "Get a Life" speech Shatner gave Trekkies, at the time. That he was concerned that the kid seemed to be living in some kind of a fantasy world and was taking the movie too seriously, around him.

That's always been my understanding of what happened; I don't think Guinness was trying to be a jerk so much as he was trying to provide the kid with a dash of cold water where Star Wars was concerned. Let's face it, there's a reason why science fiction fans get labeled as being "weird" or "nerdy," though I've certainly met my share of cool sci-fi buffs (and have worked with several, as well). It has get old seeing fifty- and sixty-year-old men and women dressed in full Jedi robes, practicing various lightsaber moves. I can't say I blame Guinness for feeling the way he did, although I probably would have been tactful about it when dealing with fans.

--Sran

 

[Cyke101]

^That may be true to a certain extent, but that doesn't mean Guinness had to agree with fans' feelings; in point of fact, I thought his performance as Obi-Wan was excellent, but that doesn't mean he wasn't capable of better, or that there weren't roles he was more heavily invested in.

It's easy to forget that just because we're fans of various series and genres that the men and women who play the characters we admired may not feel the same way about them. Both Terry Farrell and Nana Visitor were Star Trek fans as children and were excited to have prominent roles on DS9, but Avery Brooks and Colm Meany were ready to move on by the time the series ended. Michael Dorn felt the same when TNG finally died on the operating table (courtesy of Dr. Baird).

--Sran

Right. Disagreement hurts even more when deep down inside you know yourself better than what legions of people think of you. Whatever the fans decide en masse, it was still a huge misinterpretation to Guinness of his own abilities. And THAT's a disservice to an actor, since one is imposing their own preferences, preconceptions, and expectations on someone else who's spent decades honing their craft. Appreciate what actors do, but then let them do their own thing (that also cuts down on typecasting and creative pigeon-holing).

On some other board-that-shall-not-be-named, there are a few fanboys who are griping that James McAvoy wasn't nominated for a Best Actor Oscar... for Days of Future Past. I love my X-Men films (my avatar says it all), but a part of me feels really bad for McAvoy that he's got this intense and highly impressive body of work, but it's swept away by just that handful (the minority on that board) who can't or won't bring themselves to learn about and appreciate his other performances. No matter how big of a name or how much money anyone commands, we as humans still want respect for our authentic skills.

 

[enterprisecvn65]

I don't remember the specific interview but there were a few where Patrick Stewart said basically "It's a job" when asked how it was playing Captain Picard and implied that it wasn't real acting compared to the Shakespeare and other classical stuff he did. Just came off to me as another snobby actor not appreciating how big they hit it and how much people enjoyed them and just wanted to moan about how tough it was doing something that was them making millions of dollars and having millions of fans and opportunities most of only dream of. Just like Nimoy did with Spock for years, Sean Connery has done endlessly about James Bond and Harrison Ford has done with Han Solo. Yet in the end it always seems like they're able to put their bitterness aside when the studios come calling with a big check in hand.

I always like my artists honest. Could care less about why they do it as long as it's good.

Ditto. You shouldn't have to swear a loyalty oath and prove your fannish credentials to act on a popular genre show. Doesn't mean you don't care about the quality of your work or aren't giving it your all. Just means you're an actor doing your job . . . and you don't owe the audience anything more than that.

And any grumbling is probably just a result of being pigeon-holed or typecast. No actor wants to be remembered for just one role they did years and years ago. No matter how much they may have appreciated the job at the time.

It is a job after all, and everybody's entitled to gripe about their job now and then.

I don't believed that an actor owes his allegience to a role and that Nimoy should have always walked around wearing the Spock ears and giving the live long and prosper sign all the time.

But I'm sorry when your job brings you immense fame, fortune, power, and opportunities and really isn't all that hard (And please spare me the greuling schedule and long days of doing a show of movie bit, it's only for a while, it's not extremely manually intensive and you get a lot of time off in the off season or between films) I think you should be at least a little bit appreciative of it and not bitch on a regular basis about how it sucks.

I'm going to estimate that about 99% of sturggling actors would switch places with you in a second and almost all working class stiffs would kill for their job to have the perks you do.

If your famous acting job sucks and you don't like it because it typecasts you or some other reason.....tough. Noone made you try out for it and you have the option to quit at anytime. It's like someone winning $75 million tax free and all they can do is moan is it's not $100 million. Either show appreciation over how fortunate you are, quit if you hate it, or keep your bitterness to yourself and shut your mouth. A lot of the rest of us who have to work day in and day out just to have a decent living, or have no job at all really don't feel sorry for you a bit.

And as for the whole "I'm only going to be remembered for Picard, 007, Obi-Wan" stuff. Again sorry that's so tough for you to take. At least you're going to be remembered for something for a long time after your are gone. Most of within a generation or two after our death are just going to be some name on a headstone and noone will give a shit how we lived or what we accomplished.

Sorry priviledged people being pissy all the time really bothers me. I'm not going to cry you a f'n river or admire you for your honesty when your honesty shows just how messed up your perspective on life is.

 

[EnriqueH]

^That may be true to a certain extent, but that doesn't mean Guinness had to agree with fans' feelings; in point of fact, I thought his performance as Obi-Wan was excellent, but that doesn't mean he wasn't capable of better, or that there weren't roles he was more heavily invested in.

It's easy to forget that just because we're fans of various series and genres that the men and women who play the characters we admired may not feel the same way about them. Both Terry Farrell and Nana Visitor were Star Trek fans as children and were excited to have prominent roles on DS9, but Avery Brooks and Colm Meany were ready to move on by the time the series ended. Michael Dorn felt the same when TNG finally died on the operating table (courtesy of Dr. Baird).

--Sran

Guinness was capable of more, as you put it, but unfortunately for him---as Enterprise said, cry me a river---Star Wars became a phenomenon and he was dragged along with it.

But then Star Wars made icons out of almost everyone in the movie.

In fact, I don't know a franchise that has THIS MANY iconic characters to the point where even minors characters are household names.

People don't know just Luke, Han, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader.

People know Yoda, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt, C3PO, R2-D2, Ewoks, the Emperor, and of course, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I don't feel sorry for Alec Guinness.

He was a phenomenal actor who did much quality work, but if he's remembered at all, it's because of Obi-Wan Kenobi. That's his legacy. And fortunately for him, he did a good job with the role, and was even nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

 

[Lance]

The irony for me, and I've discussed this with others before, is that if Guinness is really only sleep-walking his way through the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, then even when he's not bothering to give 100% he still manages to be nothing less than competent. I've always thought he was superb. He might not be putting in any effort, but he doesn't need to, because everything he does in that movie hits just the right notes.

 

[enterprisecvn65]

The irony for me, and I've discussed this with others before, is that if Guinness is really only sleep-walking his way through the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, then even when he's not bothering to give 100% he still manages to be nothing less than competent. I've always thought he was superb. He might not be putting in any effort, but he doesn't need to, because everything he does in that movie hits just the right notes.

And the other thing that chaps my ass is when you look at the actions of actors like Guiness, Ford, Connery, Stewart, Nimoy (for a while) over their resentment about being known for so and so when you compare to a guy like Mark Hamill.

Here you have a guy at 20 who never even got to have a diverse Hollywood career before he became typecast as Luke Skywalker. Yet I have NEVER heard him bitch about it one bit and he's often talked about everything he got because of it. He's also found ways to stay active in the industry even if it isn't in big time roles.

Maybe the guy does hate the fact he's going to be Luke forever and resents.....I don't know. But the fact is even if that is true at least he had the class and awareness that complaining often about something that makes you super famous and rich and opens doors most of us can only dream about, really shows how out of whack your perspective of the world is and isn't going to generate a lot of sympathy.

But he's been a class for nearly 40 years about it. The closest I heard to a complaint is when he cracked a little joke that it's a little depressing when you're 20 and you already know what the first line in every obitituary written about you is going to be.

I'm sorry but this kind of crap people like connery pull is part of what's wrong with the world. Sure it's a free country and if Connery wants to say playing 007 kind of sucked for him personally, he is free to say it. The fact that he does choose to say it in public, when it's given him so much, and so many others struggle on a daily basis is what tells me about what kind of person he is.

 

[Lance]

I've always thought Guinness was completely invested in Obi-Wan in that first movie. I've heard some contemporary set reports where he apparently expressed some dismay at his character's death two-thirds the way through the script, wishing instead he could've seen it out to the final scene.

All the bitterness came later (after he got sick of Americans only knowing him as Obi-Wan.)

He's almost the poster-child of what TV Tropes calls "Classically Trained Extra" syndrome. I can sorta kinda appreciate that, because his acting talents are most certainly not expressed in that one role.

(It puzzles me why he came back for the sequels if he hated it so much. I suppose it was just an easy pay-day by that point.....)

 

[Cyke101]

I always like my artists honest. Could care less about why they do it as long as it's good.

Ditto. You shouldn't have to swear a loyalty oath and prove your fannish credentials to act on a popular genre show. Doesn't mean you don't care about the quality of your work or aren't giving it your all. Just means you're an actor doing your job . . . and you don't owe the audience anything more than that.

And any grumbling is probably just a result of being pigeon-holed or typecast. No actor wants to be remembered for just one role they did years and years ago. No matter how much they may have appreciated the job at the time.

It is a job after all, and everybody's entitled to gripe about their job now and then.

I don't believed that an actor owes his allegience to a role and that Nimoy should have always walked around wearing the Spock ears and giving the live long and prosper sign all the time.

But I'm sorry when your job brings you immense fame, fortune, power, and opportunities and really isn't all that hard (And please spare me the greuling schedule and long days of doing a show of movie bit, it's only for a while, it's not extremely manually intensive and you get a lot of time off in the off season or between films) I think you should be at least a little bit appreciative of it and not bitch on a regular basis about how it sucks.

I'm going to estimate that about 99% of sturggling actors would switch places with you in a second and almost all working class stiffs would kill for their job to have the perks you do.

If your famous acting job sucks and you don't like it because it typecasts you or some other reason.....tough. Noone made you try out for it and you have the option to quit at anytime. It's like someone winning $75 million tax free and all they can do is moan is it's not $100 million. Either show appreciation over how fortunate you are, quit if you hate it, or keep your bitterness to yourself and shut your mouth. A lot of the rest of us who have to work day in and day out just to have a decent living, or have no job at all really don't feel sorry for you a bit.

And as for the whole "I'm only going to be remembered for Picard, 007, Obi-Wan" stuff. Again sorry that's so tough for you to take. At least you're going to be remembered for something for a long time after your are gone. Most of within a generation or two after our death are just going to be some name on a headstone and noone will give a shit how we lived or what we accomplished.

Sorry priviledged people being pissy all the time really bothers me. I'm not going to cry you a f'n river or admire you for your honesty when your honesty shows just how messed up your perspective on life is.

"You will shut up and you will LIKE IT" has rarely lead to good things. Success isn't always measured in terms of money or fame. Sometimes it's measured by personal and professional satisfaction, which can and does go far (to me, Rick Berman could be a poster child for this -- he was raking in the cash as essentially the CEO of live-action Star Trek, but it was pretty clear that after a certain point, he was not satisfied by the output; one of the reasons why he took more of a backseat role and took on Manny Coto).

I've never heard of Guinness complaining about the perks, but certainly about Hollywood and pop culture's perception of his career post-Star Wars. Those are two very different things, especially in today's society that values materialism over doing a good job.

I'm convinced that if Guinness were alive and well today and a reporter asked him what he thought his finest role was, that both:
-he wouldn't say it was Obi-Wan
-the fandom would whip out their pitchforks and torches and accuse him of hating/betraying Star Wars for not saying Obi-Wan was the height of his ability

 

[Greg Cox]

I'm convinced that if Guinness were alive and well today and a reporter asked him what he thought his finest role was, that both:
-he wouldn't say it was Obi-Wan
-the fandom would whip out their pitchforks and torches and accuse him of hating/betraying Star Wars for not saying Obi-Wan was the height of his ability

Yeah, that sounds about right.

I remember when BUFFY finally wound up, poor Sarah Michelle Geller made the mistake of admitting in public that, as much as she'd enjoyed her time on BUFFY, she was looking forward to doing something different and wasn't particularly interested in playing Buffy again. Which struck me as a perfectly reasonable attitude. Hell, she'd given seven years of her life to the role. Who could blame her for wanting to move on?

But, yes, some fans saw this as a betrayal. How dare she turn her back on BUFFY after a mere seven years? Talk about ungrateful!

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

The fact that he does choose to say it in public, when it's given him so much, and so many others struggle on a daily basis is what tells me about what kind of person he is.

Uncalled for, and precisely the sort of reasoning that leaves so many actors and actresses feeling the way Guinness did (and Connery, too). You've no idea what kind of person Sean Connery is, or what he's like when he's not on-camera; it's inappropriate to assume that his on-camera remarks to media outlets and reporters are an accurate representation of his character.

Like it or not, Connery may not feel the same way about his role as James Bond as so many fans do. Yes, his involvement in series paved the way for numerous opportunities he may otherwise never have had, but is it fair to assume that he wanted those things in the first place? Although I'm sure no actor wants to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle pay rent, I can't help but wonder how many really want the sort of fame and fortune that's been heaped on film's biggest stars.

Acting is a job like any other job. I don't know what actors and actresses are like as a group, but I have to believe that there are some men and women who would be content performing a role, getting paid, and then moving on to another project. Not everyone wants to be remembered for something they did decades ago, when it's likely that time and experience have made them better at their craft. As popular as her character was, does anyone really think Famke Janssen wants to be remembered for crushing unsuspecting men to death between her thighs?

--Sran

 

[enterprisecvn65]

Ditto. You shouldn't have to swear a loyalty oath and prove your fannish credentials to act on a popular genre show. Doesn't mean you don't care about the quality of your work or aren't giving it your all. Just means you're an actor doing your job . . . and you don't owe the audience anything more than that.

And any grumbling is probably just a result of being pigeon-holed or typecast. No actor wants to be remembered for just one role they did years and years ago. No matter how much they may have appreciated the job at the time.

It is a job after all, and everybody's entitled to gripe about their job now and then.

I don't believed that an actor owes his allegience to a role and that Nimoy should have always walked around wearing the Spock ears and giving the live long and prosper sign all the time.

But I'm sorry when your job brings you immense fame, fortune, power, and opportunities and really isn't all that hard (And please spare me the greuling schedule and long days of doing a show of movie bit, it's only for a while, it's not extremely manually intensive and you get a lot of time off in the off season or between films) I think you should be at least a little bit appreciative of it and not bitch on a regular basis about how it sucks.

I'm going to estimate that about 99% of sturggling actors would switch places with you in a second and almost all working class stiffs would kill for their job to have the perks you do.

If your famous acting job sucks and you don't like it because it typecasts you or some other reason.....tough. Noone made you try out for it and you have the option to quit at anytime. It's like someone winning $75 million tax free and all they can do is moan is it's not $100 million. Either show appreciation over how fortunate you are, quit if you hate it, or keep your bitterness to yourself and shut your mouth. A lot of the rest of us who have to work day in and day out just to have a decent living, or have no job at all really don't feel sorry for you a bit.

And as for the whole "I'm only going to be remembered for Picard, 007, Obi-Wan" stuff. Again sorry that's so tough for you to take. At least you're going to be remembered for something for a long time after your are gone. Most of within a generation or two after our death are just going to be some name on a headstone and noone will give a shit how we lived or what we accomplished.

Sorry priviledged people being pissy all the time really bothers me. I'm not going to cry you a f'n river or admire you for your honesty when your honesty shows just how messed up your perspective on life is.

"You will shut up and you will LIKE IT" has rarely lead to good things. Success isn't always measured in terms of money or fame. Sometimes it's measured by personal and professional satisfaction, which can and does go far (to me, Rick Berman could be a poster child for this -- he was raking in the cash as essentially the CEO of live-action Star Trek, but it was pretty clear that after a certain point, he was not satisfied by the output; one of the reasons why he took more of a backseat role and took on Manny Coto).

I've never heard of Guinness complaining about the perks, but certainly about Hollywood and pop culture's perception of his career post-Star Wars. Those are two very different things, especially in today's society that values materialism over doing a good job.

I'm convinced that if Guinness were alive and well today and a reporter asked him what he thought his finest role was, that both:
-he wouldn't say it was Obi-Wan
-the fandom would whip out their pitchforks and torches and accuse him of hating/betraying Star Wars for not saying Obi-Wan was the height of his ability

I never said they had to like, and yeah if they want to make their feelings known once or twice fine. But these actors and others who get so much for doing so little and CONSTANTLY piss and moan about need to get a little damn perspective. People die everyday of starvation, others are having their heads lopped off, and countless other live in hell on earth and you think it's so unfair because people loved you as James Bond or Obi-Wan and you got so much from it. Jeez......you don't see anything wrong with that attitude.

And I agree money and fame and all of that doesn't always make one happy. But if they're all so miserable because of it then quit. I don't see many famous actors leaving the business to be a teacher or a police man.

A lot of them complain how it's so hard, yet they always seem willing to suit up for the next role once the check is written.

Honestly how can you defend this kind of shitty attitude after a certain point.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

A lot of them complain how it's so hard, yet they always seem willing to suit up for the next role once the check is written.

Honestly how can you defend this kind of shitty attitude after a certain point.

You're generalizing. Specific actors and actresses have made their dissatisfaction with previous roles plain, but most never say much about a role other than what they liked about it or what it was like to work with a particular cast member.

And at the risk of repeating myself, acting is a job. The men and women you're maligning for having the gall to take money for their work are trying to make a living just like everyone else. That some of them make more than the average person doesn't mean they're any less entitled to what they've earned than someone who's struggling to get by.

--Sran

 

[enterprisecvn65]

The fact that he does choose to say it in public, when it's given him so much, and so many others struggle on a daily basis is what tells me about what kind of person he is.

Uncalled for, and precisely the sort of reasoning that leaves so many actors and actresses feeling the way Guinness did (and Connery, too). You've no idea what kind of person Sean Connery is, or what he's like when he's not on-camera; it's inappropriate to assume that his on-camera remarks to media outlets and reporters are an accurate representation of his character.

Like it or not, Connery may not feel the same way about his role as James Bond as so many fans do. Yes, his involvement in series paved the way for numerous opportunities he may otherwise never have had, but is it fair to assume that he wanted those things in the first place? Although I'm sure no actor wants to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle pay rent, I can't help but wonder how many really want the sort of fame and fortune that's been heaped on film's biggest stars.

Acting is a job like any other job. I don't know what actors and actresses are like as a group, but I have to believe that there are some men and women who would be content performing a role, getting paid, and then moving on to another project. Not everyone wants to be remembered for something they did decades ago, when it's likely that time and experience have made them better at their craft. As popular as her character was, does anyone really think Famke Janssen wants to be remembered for crushing unsuspecting men to death between her thighs?

--Sran

No it is not uncalled for. Read up on connery and how he treated Cubby Brocolli and others who fought tooth and nail for him to get the role. The man is a jerk and an asshole and so are many others who don't appreciate what they have because it isn't perfect because it isn't what THEY wanted to be known for.

Too damn bad actors aren't always remembered for what they think is their best work. I think Famke Janssen would rather be remembered for crushing men with her legs then being remembered as some guy who was beheaded by ISIS when he was there as an aid worker.

And no you can't always judge a person by what you read or see. But there some people you don't need to know personally to see what asses they are. Never met Bobby Knight once and don't have to to know the man is a bully and an asshole.

Sorry if you believe a person's behaviors obviously don't reflect their personality sometimes.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Too damn bad actors aren't always remembered for what they think is their best work. I think Famke Janssen would rather be remembered for crushing men with her legs then being remembered as some guy who was beheaded by ISIS when he was there as an aid worker.

Have you met Famke Janssen? If not, I don't see how you could possibly know what she thinks about the various roles she's had in both film and television. Your comparison is ridiculous. I'm sure just about everyone would rather be remembered for an acting role as opposed to getting beheaded.

And no you can't always judge a person by what you read or see. But there some people you don't need to know personally to see what asses they are. Never met Bobby Knight once and don't have to to know the man is a bully and an asshole.

As I'm from Indiana, I can assure you there are just as many people who've the opposite opinion of Coach Knight. Public perception doesn't tell the entire about a person's character. Coach Knight has his flaws, certainly, but to suggest that he's an asshole because that's what the media would have you believe isn't fair.

Sorry if you believe a person's behaviors obviously don't reflect their personality sometimes.

Did I say that? Go back and read my post, and you'll find that my statement was limited to actors' public statements about prior roles, not the entire scope of their behavior on a day-to-day basis.

--Sran

 

[Melakon]

What the hell does ISIS have to do with annoying comments by actors?

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

What the hell does ISIS have to do with annoying comments by actors?

Nothing at all. He's throwing another of his Tholian-esque tantrums.

--Sran

 

[BillJ]

Michael Dorn felt the same when TNG finally died on the operating table (courtesy of Dr. Baird).

I find that hard to believe since Dorn has been pitching Captain Worf for as long as I can remember.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

I find that hard to believe since Dorn has been pitching Captain Worf for as long as I can remember.

He's obviously changed his mind; I recall him making several statements to the effect that he was ready for other projects once Nemesis was finished filming.

--Sran

 

[Nightdiamond]

It's a little of both. I look at it both ways. It is just a job. But then again it isn't, you know?


They tend to get paid 10 times more than the average person with lots of perks. Adoration and respect from strangers.

But then again, they have to audition for jobs (and risk rejection) like everyone else.

Just substitute "apply" in place of "audition" and you get the picture.

Still, sometimes it's hard to figure actors out. Like when they're struggling, they're dreaming of making it big, and then once they made it, start complaining about photographers. Or getting annoyed at signing autographs.

I think it's more a "at the end of the day" thing. If you're famous and making good money just from a single role, who cares???

You see some former stars who are broke, desperately trying to get back in again, and you see some actors get really annoyed with someone mentioning roles that made rich/famous.

That, I don't understand.