Did Picardo ever talk about Voyager?

[JanewayRulz!]

IIRC, Kate was repentant at the 2008(?) Toronto con and the 2009 NJ con re: her attitude about Jeri. She admitted at one or both cons that she was wrong to hold Jeri "responsible", and that she admired the actress a great deal.

I remember thinking "finally", someone has talked some sense into that lady. She was taking things too personal, not just the "Lein being let go" idea, but the "I'm not enough" to keep this ship afloat/they are bringing in a sexy babe to prop me up idea. TPTB don't trust my vision that the audience doesn't need a "sexy babe" to fire its imagination.

The thing I love about Seven's character, however, is that no matter what bra size she wears, or how shapely she looked as she walked towards or away from the camera.... her CHARACTER overshadowed the body. At least, it did for me, and that's a testament to two people on Voyager.

Jeri Ryan and Kate Mulgrew.

Turn back for a moment and consider Robert Beltran, who's character increasingly got the shaft as season 5-6-7 went on. He became disgruntled and many of us think we can see it in some of his performances.

I don't know what Jeri thought of Kate. I'm pretty sure I know what Kate thought of "Jeri", and yet... when I watch the two of them on screen I can only imagine a strong relationship, be it the Mother/Daughter one I prefer, or the slash that others prefer. I have never seen a false glance between the two, never believed they didn't love one another on some level that wouldn't "trigger" Seven's kill switch in her Borg brain.

If that makes them greater actresses than anyone gives them credit for, so be it.

 

[Kirk1980]

Hell, DS9 had a soft reboot, too. And Enterprise. TNG basically powered the latter three series, like it or not. Even ENT which wasn't even in TNG's century still had the Borg.

There may be something to the idea of three year contracts to start with for the series leads. If I remember right, Stewart's contract was up at the end of season three, which is why it was really suspenseful to the people who knew this as to whether or not they'd bring Picard back after his turn as Locutus.

 

[henbane]

Actually - I don't agree that TNG powered the latter 3 series at all, as these 3 series were quite distinct in nature from TNG. They sank or swam on their own merit (as Enterprise illustrates).

 

[Kirk1980]

DS9 - Borg, introduced in TNG.
O'Brien, introduced in TNG.
Worf, main character, TNG.

Voyager - Borg, introduced in TNG.
Paris, originally intended to be Locarno, introduced in TNG.

Enterprise - even had a splash of TNG in the form of the Borg.

And all these shows shared basically the same production people over and over. Production people which initially worked on....TNG.

It's nothing to be defensive about, honestly.

 

[DevilEyes]

DS9 - Borg, introduced in TNG.
O'Brien, introduced in TNG.
Worf, main character, TNG.

Borg were mentioned only in DS9 pilot and were irrelevant even there as the focus was on Sisko and Picard, not on them. Someone has a signature about DS9 being 99.99% Borg-free, which is true.

A better example to support your position would be Bajorans, Cardassians and Ferengi - races introduced in TNG (though the Ferengi underwent a big makeover).

 

[exodus]

The Borg were also mentioned in "Call To Arms"(I think was the ep.) where Sisko makes referance to the incidents of "First Contact" and due to it, Starfleets defences are spread pretty thin.

 

[Deckerd]

I'd have liked to see the Borg and the Dominion lock horns.

 

[AuntKate]

Ryan doesn't speak about Kate other than to say she a great actress.
Ryan unlike Mulgrew doesn't air their dry laundry to the public and fans, which I think as it should be because it taints the publics view of an actor.(I don't think anybody likes to hear two of their favorite actors don't get along.) However, I do know Mulgrew at a recent con. was apologetic about how she behaved toward Ryan. It's unknown if she's ever apologized to Ryan directly.

Hmmm. I don't remember Mulgrew airing anything about Ryan except to say that they were not really friends but coworkers--which is hardly a bad thing. I have lots of coworkers that are not friends, and that hardly means that I hate their guts. I don't remember Mulgrew saying anything about Ryan except that she did a good job as Seven and that Seven is a good character. I might be wrong, though. Anyone have specifics on that?

At one con I attended, someone asked Mulgrew whether Ryan's time in the makeup chair was taxing, and Mulgrew blew that off as irrelevant. After all, many members of the crew endured many hours in makeup sessions (Neelix, Kes, B'Elanna, even Chakotay) and Mulgrew just says it's part of the job. (I suspect Ryan would agree). Speaking of that, I remember a story about Phillips (Neelix) who probably had the worst of the makeup experience--hours every time he filmed. When someone asked him about it, he said, "I'd wear sh*t on my face for what they're paying me." That's about the worst I've personally seen Mulgrew do/say about Seven.

The person who has been the worst about airing Mlgrew/Ryan dirty laundry is Garrett Wang--ad nauseum, btw. He just can't seem to stop, and that makes me wonder, at times, if he does so because people want to hear about it. I wonder, too, if he blows it out of proportion a tad. If the relationship was as bad as he made it sound, I'd think it would have interfered with their preformances. However, Wang wants to be on the convention circuit as much as possible, so I guess you give the people what they want?

 

[exodus]

Ryan doesn't speak about Kate other than to say she a great actress.
Ryan unlike Mulgrew doesn't air their dry laundry to the public and fans, which I think as it should be because it taints the publics view of an actor.(I don't think anybody likes to hear two of their favorite actors don't get along.) However, I do know Mulgrew at a recent con. was apologetic about how she behaved toward Ryan. It's unknown if she's ever apologized to Ryan directly.

Hmmm. I don't remember Mulgrew airing anything about Ryan except to say that they were not really friends but coworkers--which is hardly a bad thing. I have lots of coworkers that are not friends, and that hardly means that I hate their guts. I don't remember Mulgrew saying anything about Ryan except that she did a good job as Seven and that Seven is a good character. I might be wrong, though. Anyone have specifics on that?

At one con I attended, someone asked Mulgrew whether Ryan's time in the makeup chair was taxing, and Mulgrew blew that off as irrelevant. After all, many members of the crew endured many hours in makeup sessions (Neelix, Kes, B'Elanna, even Chakotay) and Mulgrew just says it's part of the job. (I suspect Ryan would agree). Speaking of that, I remember a story about Phillips (Neelix) who probably had the worst of the makeup experience--hours every time he filmed. When someone asked him about it, he said, "I'd wear sh*t on my face for what they're paying me." That's about the worst I've personally seen Mulgrew do/say about Seven.

The person who has been the worst about airing Mlgrew/Ryan dirty laundry is Garrett Wang--ad nauseum, btw. He just can't seem to stop, and that makes me wonder, at times, if he does so because people want to hear about it. I wonder, too, if he blows it out of proportion a tad. If the relationship was as bad as he made it sound, I'd think it would have interfered with their preformances. However, Wang wants to be on the convention circuit as much as possible, so I guess you give the people what they want?

If it wasn't that bad, why does Mulgrew feel the need to publically apologize for her behavior? You don't apologize for just being co-workers, right?

Plenty of actors work together and don't get along but it never shows on screen.
Laverne & Shirley: those two actresses HATED each other, yet they still came off as best friends on screen
Law & Order CI: the cast HATED working with Vincent D'onofreo, yet you'd never know from watching it.
Grey's Anatomy: Isaish Washington's fued with his co-star over sexual orentation made nation wide press but they never showed it on the show.
In films we have folks like Russell Crowe or Val Kilmer.
Two men famous for being assholes on & off the set, yet they were both highly sought after actors.
Marlon Brando was well known to be a pain in the ass to work with due to his demands.

These are actors, playing pretend is part of the job.
Studio heads, agents & actors have to make deals and work with people they can't stand all the time.
Politicians behave this way on a regular basis.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

Valid points, all

I think she realized she was making herself look bad because Ryan wasn't rising to the bait of cat-calling back.

Jeri is nothing if not professional.

 

[AuntKate]

Mulgrew probably feels the need to apologize because it has been Wang's theme of "my life on Voyager" for the last nine years, leading to questions about the situation to her from fans.

Here is an interview with Mulgrew during the show's run in which she talked about Jeri Ryan:

What about the omnipresent Seven of Nine, still hailed by UPN as the savior of the show despite erratic ratings? Mulgrew dismissed reports that she and actress Jeri Ryan are competitive with one another, naming several tense Janeway-Seven scenes among her favorite onscreen moments. Indeed, "Dark Frontier" and "Relativity" were two strong Janeway episodes made possible by the character's complex interactions with her Borg protegee. Like Mulgrew, Ryan reportedly has been involved in difficult contract negotiations, to which her co-star says she's sympathetic.

"If I had been promoted in that fashion, I'd do the same thing as Jeri Ryan - this is her opportunity to go for it," the television veteran noted wryly. "I just hope she's happy, because I'm happy, and I want happiness on the set. Relaxation and personal happiness have so much to do with what goes on at work. I feel a renewed sense of committment and fun."

So, I haven't read the text of her apology, have you?

 

[exodus]

Valid points, all

I think she realized she was making herself look bad because Ryan wasn't rising to the bait of cat-calling back.

Jeri is nothing if not professional.

I agree.

As others have said, Mulgrew's anger was misdirected.
Jeri is her peer and has no control over what happens in production/casting.
If Mulgrew had a issue, then you take it up with those in charge.
Mulgrew's a veterian actor, she knows better.

 

[AuntKate]

What cat-calling did Mulgrew do, in public? When I read transcripts of con panels and interviews, I don't see it.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

Though I love her to pieces, she's also a ham and a bit of diva. Sometimes, that comes out as backhanded catty.

Kate's what I consider "classic Hollywood". It's like she stepped out of the 1940's Hollywood scene as far as she behaves off camera. It's one of the things I really like about her.

 

[AuntKate]

Though I love her to pieces, she's also a ham and a bit of diva. Sometimes, that comes out as backhanded catty.

Kate's what I consider "classic Hollywood". It's like she stepped out of the 1940's Hollywood scene as far as she behaves off camera. It's one of the things I really like about her.

I'm not trying to defend Mulgrew's actions on the set. I just want to deal with the facts. I simply haven't seen or heard her say bad things about Jeri Ryan in public--except that she hated to see her replace another actress who was basically fired to bring Ryan on the show. I bet Ryan regrets that, too. Some of you have said that Mulgrew has been catty in public or less than professional, and I just would like to know when and where, that's all.

 

[exodus]

What cat-calling did Mulgrew do, in public? When I read transcripts of con panels and interviews, I don't see it.

As Hawthorne discribed, it's not in your face but more backhanded.

For example: I saw Mulgrew at a con and she was asked about her relationship w/ Ryan and answered as you said, they didn't get along but praised her as an actress. Mulgrew then used this oppertunity as a soapbox to inform the crowd about how she hates the idea of younger actresses up staging the older ones and how she views herself as an advocate against it. While veiled, it was very obvious to a great many of who she was talking about. Seriously, why would you draw the fans into your personal little conflict? It was almost as if she were asking us to choose a side.

Ryan has in her own way responded to the claims by saying, she was the newbie on the set and that B&B and Paramount were her bosses. It was her job to do as they asked, plus it would look bad on her part being a new cast member and refusing to do so. It also was to the benefit of the entire shows production. Seven being a hit allows all, even Mulgrew steady employment.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

We posted at the same time.

I've posted Kate's catty before. Let me dig through my Voyager forum posts, and I'll see if I can find it.

 

[exodus]

I'm not trying to defend Mulgrew's actions on the set. I just want to deal with the facts. I simply haven't seen or heard her say bad things about Jeri Ryan in public--except that she hated to see her replace another actress who was basically fired to bring Ryan on the show.

I hear what your saying, I however find it interesting that nobody ever stopped to think: "Would Jen Lien want it this way?" "Would Lien want me to make it difficult for the new girl to justify her being let go?"

 

[Deckerd]

How did I know that a thread about Bob Picardo would immediately morph into What Kate said, what Jeri said, poor Jen.

 

[Kirk1980]

Borg were mentioned only in DS9 pilot and were irrelevant even there as the focus was on Sisko and Picard, not on them. Someone has a signature about DS9 being 99.99% Borg-free, which is true.

A better example to support your position would be Bajorans, Cardassians and Ferengi - races introduced in TNG (though the Ferengi underwent a big makeover).

Agreed, regarding the races. However, the Borg at least indirectly influenced Sisko's character development. It made him a single father. It (supposedly) made him damaged goods. His grief after his wife's death at the hands of the Borg helped establish the direction of his relationship with the Prophets which in turn helped establish his role as the Emissary.

So, not to the same extent but without Wolf 359 and what the Borg did, Sisko would not be the same character.

NOTE: I'm not looking to argue, just offering up a thought as to how the Borg influenced the shape of DS9.