Jennifer Lien at Vegas Con

[Sagart]

Sorry if this has been asked before but I'm just back from my US holiday which took in the Vegas Con.

Jennifer Lien signed autographs which I was delighted about but she did not appear to be very well. I've heard in the past that she has suffered from ill health but I was quite disturbed by her appearance. It seemed to be taking a lot out of her and I hope that she was ok afterwards.

Does anyone know what the story is here?
Please know that I'm asking out of a sincere concern for her well being.

 

[Frontier]

I've not heard anything about ill health before. I have heard that she is fairly shy, and isn't terribly sure how to handle the social atmosphere and attention. Which I can tell you, can take so much out of you mentally that it then drains physically, too. Could have been that. I hope it was that, as it's preferable to a physical ailment.

 

[Lonemagpie]

I've not heard anything about ill health before. I have heard that she is fairly shy, and isn't terribly sure how to handle the social atmosphere and attention. Which I can tell you, can take so much out of you mentally that it then drains physically, too. Could have been that. I hope it was that, as it's preferable to a physical ailment.

It goes beyond fairly shy - I'd call it an outright phobia, and I always find it quite uncomfortable to see someone in that much distress.

 

[JiNX-01]

I was among the last in the line for her autograph and frankly, she looked so pale and a bit shell-shocked. There was a huge line for her autographs and she might just have been tired. I read complaints from some that she didn't even look at them, but when I got the autograph (I was getting it for my roommate who had gone on a day trip to the Grand Canyon), she did look up at me, so I smiled and thanked her and I got a little smile from her. It might have been relief that it was almost over!

Kind of a shame, if she is that shy, that she can't enjoy having fans. In any case, she deserves credit for showing up and delivering on the autographs.

 

[Frontier]

^ Indeed. I've heard (from even Gates McFadden as one source) that a big reason Brent doesn't do many shows, and when he does, why he doesn't always do autographs, is the same thing. It's all about the people. As someone with social anxiety disorder myself, I can so totally understand it. I can't imagine having a few hundred people being focused on me. That's a nightmare! LOL.

That said, I've been lucky enough to meet Brent twice in recent years, and on both occasions he seemed to be doing very well with things. Very calm, very happy, very normal. As someone with SAD, I'm pretty sure it's thanks to a medication, as no one with such issues just snaps them away. Both occasions though, he sort of has support, as he was with his co-stars, and they where in smaller venues. So I think that helped as well.

It's a shame for Lien. I can so understand it though, so sympathize. I just hope some day I get the chance to meet her myself. I've met virtually everyone from Star Trek at large, and she's one of a small minority I've not been lucky enough to do so.

As to how she was in Vegas... I hope people can understand that, if what I've heard is true, her even being there was such a massive thing... I mean, take whatever your worst fear is in this world, amplify it by a factor of 10, and then imagine facing it. Not very easy, is it?

Remember, actors are people too.

 

[SFRabid]

Surly she did not look worse than Majel Roddenberry did she?

 

[Rhaenys]

^ Indeed. I've heard (from even Gates McFadden as one source) that a big reason Brent doesn't do many shows, and when he does, why he doesn't always do autographs, is the same thing. It's all about the people.

Brent? Really?
I've never been to a convention, but I've read a lot of reports, and I've seen many videos from convention, and he really doesn't seem shy at all. He seems very self confident, he's always kidding, he invades other actors panels... And in last few years he has been to a lot of conventions.
But maybe he's really good in hiding that, with the help of medication or whatever.

I am a little bit shy person myself, so I can understand those actors too.

 

[Frontier]

Brent? Really?
I've never been to a convention, but I've read a lot of reports, and I've seen many videos from convention, and he really doesn't seem shy at all. He seems very self confident, he's always kidding, he invades other actors panels... And in last few years he has been to a lot of conventions.
But maybe he's really good in hiding that, with the help of medication or whatever.

I am a little bit shy person myself, so I can understand those actors too.

I know, it's odd to think such, but he is an actor after all. He's good at making people believe what isn't real. What I know of him being "not good with people" is from what Gates McFadden relayed on stage (he was scheduled to appear with her, but had to cancel - this was as Nemesis was starting, so he had Trek work to do) and from different convention promoters.

In the past few years, though, I think he's gotten a handle on it. Which is why now days it's sort of difficult to believe.

 

[CaptainHawk1]

Surly she did not look worse than Majel Roddenberry did she?

Well, Majel is getting up there in years and I'll tell you what, she looked 10 times better this year than she did in 2006. I thought she was on death's door at that convention.

I heard the same thing about Jennifer being very shy and not going on stage and if you go to IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000497/

you'll notice that she hasn't done any live action work this decade. I understand that she is now a wife and a mother but I find this lack of work very curious, indeed. The SAD may just be completetly overwhelming to her.

-Shawn

 

[Forbin]

I know, it's odd to think such, but he is an actor after all. He's good at making people believe what isn't real.

I can relate. A friend of mine married a woman who was a good actor and had us all convinced she wasn't a bipolar, manipulative, lazy, agoraphobic, self-serving mess. For a couple of years.