Meeting Trek actors

[EnriqueH]

Apologies in advance if this is on the negative side, but I was thinking about all the Trek actors I've met in my life, and all the interviews I've seen of them, and I was wondering:

Is it me or does the TNG cast---in general---come off a little elitist in person and/or in interviews?

I know there are those that will disagree vehemently, and certainly I've never seen Patrick Stewart or Levar Burton act like that. I've seen Jonathan Frakes in person and in interviews, and he seems like a really nice guy too, (although when he made a snide comments about Klingons being popular in "Trekkies" calls to mind the elitist attitude, though granted, that's a snippet of the interview). I also thought Brent Spiner and Denise Crosby also came off a bit arrogant and phony in the same film.

It's almost as if everyone in the cast was thinking, "Oh, no. We're pigeon-holed just like the TOS cast and we gotta act all cool." and were kinda rebelling slightly at the association.

I met Michael Dorn in person in 1991. And while he was nice enough to me personally and even called on me to ask a question during the "Q&A", his sense of humor on stage was kinda brusque and dry.

Marina Sirtis, I've heard nice things about, but boy when I met her, I personally observed her being curt and abrupt with people.

The TOS cast, by contrast, all seem classy, affectionate and nice. (Granted, they've been doing the convention and interview thing FAR longer than anyone in the business.)

Even Shatner, who probably has the biggest reputation for not always being nice, was a total class act, funny, and gracious. (For the record, I saw Shatner being nicer to fans than either Sirtis or Dorn.)

Takei and Nichols are amazing. Doohan, when I met him, was constantly Shatner bashing on stage, (it was a pretty awkward and negative convention appearance in tone), but with the fans? An A+, smiling nonstop with children, teenagers, adults, old people, everyone got smiles and handshakes.

Now, I know they all have good days and bad days, but I find that these have been my observations of their attitude for the last 20 years.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

 

[USS Triumphant]

It's probably a little unavoidable for most of them - what for you and I might have been incredible entertainment that opened our minds to new ideas or included a really awesome special effects sequence, for them may have been what read as kind of a crappy script with not enough for them, personally, to do in - and they mostly don't get to see the effects. Heck, sometimes the scenes are shot out of order, and they don't even get an entirely clear picture of what happened in an episode.

And if they seem *a smidgen* elite whenever they are appearing in the context of Trek, well, duh - they're actually part of what we love, and we are "just fans", ultimately.

That said, I've had very positive experiences with Garrett Wang, Aron Eisenberg, Wil Wheaton, James Doohan, and Nana Visitor, and I've had "acceptable" experiences with Shatner and most of the rest of the TNG and DS9 casts. (By acceptable, I mean that it was clear that being at the convention was a job that they were doing, but they did it with sufficient grace for all of that.) The only two I've had truly negative experiences with were James Darren (Vic Fontaine), who was visibly drunk on panel and making very inappropriate comments to Nana Visitor and Nicole de Boer (who played it off well, all things considered) and Tim Russ - who was a *real* disappointment, because I had always rooted for him as one of my favorite Trek actors. Based on stories I had heard I thought of him as a sort of Trek-fan-done-good. But (and to be fair maybe he was having a really off day) he honestly seemed very dead inside regarding Trek and his whole experience with it. (This was right after they finished the first episode of Renegades - so maybe it is hard to blame him for that! )

 

[Admiral Bear]

Meeting Shatner was almost an entirely negative experience for me, although it was a while ago, and he's supposed to have improved slightly.

Michael Dorn seems to have had more than enough of doing conventions and signing events. I met him and Gates together at Creation in London about 2003. They did an hour on stage together, and then signed for everyone who wanted it. He was gracious and seemed happy enough, but I met him a few years later, and he was in a pretty rotten mood. Could've been jetlag, but I've read a lot of negatives about him in recent years. Bored, sullen, uncommunicative. .in fact, all very Worf.

Got the sharp end of Walter's tongue when I asked if I could have a short inscription on a photo. Was told at the same event that he can be difficult. Met him a few years later, and he couldn't have been nicer.

Met Stewart 10 years ago. Wonderful on stage, very gracious at the signing table while keeping everything moving. It was a hell of a queue.

I've met Frakes, Spiner and Sirtis twice each. Always brilliant, especially Frakes and Spiner together. Too much energy between them for words.

LeVar Burton - very quiet and unassuming. Far better with young children than adults. Unsurprising given his years doing Reading Rainbow.

Met Gates a year or two after Creation. Very quiet, much like LeVar.

Met Jimmy D on his last but one appearance. Can't say anything other than I was honoured to be in his presence despite his health issues.

Nichelle - you've got to know how to speak to her. I found her a little like Shatner without the rudeness. I think it's just her manner.

I've met many many more and won't recount them. But as you can see, for me, it's been a mixed bag across TOS and TNG. Coming up on 50 years since TOS, and in just over a year, 30 years of TNG, it's hard to see that appearances are anything other than an occasional money earner, and many of them seem to have cut back. I don't think Patrick's done any this year, and he has nothing booked for next year that's been made public.

It does say something that well in to his 80s, Shatner, on top of everything else he does, is still by far the busiest Trek actor on the circuit. He may be an ass, but if he didn't like doing cons, he could certainly afford to stop and enjoy some retirement.

Nicest Trek actor I've ever met? Siddig wins by a mile.

 

[USS Triumphant]

It does say something that well in to his 80s, Shatner, on top of everything else he does, is still by far the busiest Trek actor on the circuit. He may be an ass, but if he didn't like doing cons, he could certainly afford to stop and enjoy some retirement.

If you read his book, "Get A Life", I think he finally kind of groks us. Doesn't stop him from allowing two questions in an hour con appearance and answering each by talking about whatever he actually wants to, though. (I can't complain - probably what I would do, too. And it *was* interesting stuff. )

 

[Karzak]

Apologies in advance if this is on the negative side, but I was thinking about all the Trek actors I've met in my life, and all the interviews I've seen of them, and I was wondering:

Is it me or does the TNG cast---in general---come off a little elitist in person and/or in interviews?

Nope.

I know there are those that will disagree vehemently,

Get ready!

and certainly I've never seen Patrick Stewart or Levar Burton act like that. I've seen Jonathan Frakes in person and in interviews, and he seems like a really nice guy too,

Burton has a bit of an ego, but he's a doll of a guy. Super friendly and very easy to work alongside. Frakes is just rambunctious in person. Never met or worked with Stewart, but he gets a pass if only because a) his work on behalf of women and abused persons, and b) he's Patrick GOddamn Stewart.

(although when he made a snide comments about Klingons being popular in "Trekkies" calls to mind the elitist attitude, though granted, that's a snippet of the interview). I also thought Brent Spiner and Denise Crosby also came off a bit arrogant and phony in the same film.

A film... that had been conceived, edited, and presented all according to the narrative a person/group of people had pre-determined so you'd be able to see exactly what they wanted you to see. Hardly definitive or practical evidence from which to form a basis of opinion as to the genuine attitudes, beliefs, and character of these people.

It's almost as if everyone in the cast was thinking, "Oh, no. We're pigeon-holed just like the TOS cast and we gotta act all cool." and were kinda rebelling slightly at the association.

Absurd supposition on your part.

I met Michael Dorn in person in 1991.

...Because a person is exactly the same 24 years ago as they are today, with no accounting for life events, tragedies, successes, etc. allowing for growth or change of opinion or attitudes.

And while he was nice enough to me personally and even called on me to ask a question during the "Q&A", his sense of humor on stage was kinda brusque and dry.

What's wrong with brusque and dry humor?

Marina Sirtis, I've heard nice things about, but boy when I met her, I personally observed her being curt and abrupt with people.

When? What's the context of your experience observing Sirtis being "curt" and "abrupt" with people? What was going on in those instances? Not knowing what exactly was going on with her, it's hard to be able to offer any insight or suggestion as to why she may have been behaving that way. (Maybe she's just so goddamn tired of people blaming her for crashing the Enterprise-D...)

The TOS cast, by contrast, all seem classy, affectionate and nice. (Granted, they've been doing the convention and interview thing FAR longer than anyone in the business.)

Are you high? Takei and Shatner fight all the time. Doohan hated Shatner. Walter used to bitch about Shat all the time at cons. Their rivalry is both storied and well-documented with each other. It's probably true that it's all mellowed in the years since Kelley, Doohan and now Nimoy have passed, but still... no way on God's green earth or in the heavens above would I ever suggest that the TOS cast got along better with each other than the TNG cast, and certainly I wouldn't criticize the TNG cast as not being classy or affectionate or nice -- with each other or their fans.

Even Shatner, who probably has the biggest reputation for not always being nice, was a total class act, funny, and gracious. (For the record, I saw Shatner being nicer to fans than either Sirtis or Dorn.)

Shatner barely looked up at us when we met him at a book signing. I think it important to remember that not all encounters with the cast go the same way for each of us, and that's probably why you seem to have such a negative opinion of the TNG cast -- they didn't fawn all over you.

Takei and Nichols are amazing. Doohan, when I met him, was constantly Shatner bashing on stage, (it was a pretty awkward and negative convention appearance in tone),

You're right. So classy!

but with the fans? An A+, smiling nonstop with children, teenagers, adults, old people, everyone got smiles and handshakes.

Jimmy was awesome.

Now, I know they all have good days and bad days, but I find that these have been my observations of their attitude for the last 20 years.

Again, I think you are coming at this from a very singular perspective and in some cases are very, very one-sided on the issue, holding these actors accountable today for random bits of commentary and behavior from over 20 years ago as if it still applies today, when effectively these people are strangers to you.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

Nope.

 

[sojourner]

I really don't care what actors are like in real life and could care even less to meet them. I like the characters they play and that's all that matters.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

Hmm, let's see....

Shatner - Had two encounters with him at conventions. Didn't have a problem on either occasion. Seemed pleasant enough. Go no hint of the raging ego maniac.

Nimoy - Met him three times in and outside of Trek events. One was at a convention, where he seemed grumpy with the convention staff. Otherwise no issues.

Doohan - Met three times. Grumpy the first time, fine the second, delightful the third (which was shortly before he died).

Takei - Met once at a book signing. Utterly delightful.

Nichols - Met twice. Always been a pleasure.

Koenig - Met three times. Seemed moody and aloof on all three occasions.

Majel - Met once. Absolutely lovely.


Stewart - Met three times. Once at a convention other times at theatre related events. Seemed a bit aloof at the convention. Was a delight otherwise, and was happy to have a long conversation with me about a playwright relevant to his work at the time.

Frakes - Met twice. First time ok, second time he seemed to be having a bad day.

Spiner - Met three times. Been a delight every time. Never seems to lose his sense of fun.

Sirtis - Met four times. Always been good each time, but it helps that we're both from North London and support the same football team so I've always been able to engage her on those things.

Dorn - Met twice. Ok the first time, but on the second time he was a real misery. Totally in line with what was said above. Seemed like it was a huge effort for him to give anyone any attention.

McFadden - Met once. Delightful.

Burton - Met twice. An absolute star. Really down to Earth, curteous, polite and engaging.

Wheaton - Met twice. I found the much loved Wheaton to be a little full of himself on the second occasion. It felt as if his new found fame as the face of Nerd-dom had gone to his head.


Brooks - Met three times. I cannot say enough good things about this man. He is interesting, articulate, intelligent, unassuming, engaging and very considerate with his time. Not an ego in sight, and not the loon that some people think he is. Probably my favourite of all the actors I've met.

Visitor - Met once. No complaints. Thoroughly pleasant.

Shimmerman - Met once. Found him aloof and a little arrogant. I got the impression he very much considers himself a thespian with a capital "T".

Meaney - Met him in theatre circles. Top bloke all round. I sensed he has no time for fakes and bullsh*tters.

Siddig - Met once. We lived near each other at the time and so talked about local things. No sense of any ego.

Lofton - Met once. Very down to earn guy. No complaints.


Mulgrew - Met once. Personally I found her a little aloof and standoffish. I met her with her husband Tim, who was delightful and engaged me in a discussion of politics.

Beltran - Met once. Top chap. Doesn't take life too seriously. Talked to me about getting drunk in pubs!

Russ - Met once. Seemed nice enough. Didn't say a lot.

Picardo - Met once. Nice guy. Was happy to recorded a video message for my mother, a Voyager fan, who could not make it to meet him.

Duncan McNeill - Met once. Not much to say. Something of an indifferent experience.

Phillips - Met once. Seemed nice enough.

Lien - Met once. She was painfully shy.

Garrett Wang - Met once. He's fun. I get the feeling that he is comfortable with being something of a love/hate character.


Bakula - Met once. Thoroughly nice guy. He's just as he comes across in interviews.

Blalock - Mat once. Quite shy. Doesn't say much.

Haven't met any of the rest of the Enterprise lot. Of the JJ cast, I've only encountered Simon Pegg, who seems to have developed a high opinion of himself.

All in all I've had mostly positive experiences.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

I really don't care what actors are like in real life and could care even less to meet them. I like the characters they play and that's all that matters.

Well, celebrity status doesn't do a lot for me. I just like engaging with them on a personal level since they have contributed something to my life.

 

[Forbin]

I'm not very interested in meeting actors, usually. I sort of accidentally found myself at Suzi Plakson's autograph table at a Creation con, because she was right next to a chachki vendor and I thought she was the next dealer in line . She was an utter delight to chat with. I think I made her day by wanting to talk about Love and War rather than Trek. Upon parting, I thanked her for sharing her talent with us and entertaining us over the years. She squeezed my arm and said "thank you!" I haven't washed it since (Okay, not really). She's such a doll!

The only actor I've actually sought out to meet was Pat Tallman, at a Chiller Con, cause I'm just irrationally crazy about Pat Tallman. Sure she's mainly a Babylon 5 actor, but she's been in all the modern Treks as a stunt person or extra. I wore my "Team Tallman" fan club t-shirt with her cartoon image on it, and she sort of squeeled with delight when she saw it. She called Bill Mumy over to see it! Bill sort of said "Yeah, yeah. Do want pizza or Chinese for lunch, Pat?" and ignored me.

So I was lucky to meet two absolute sweethearts as my only two Trek actors. And Bill Mumy, who was in a DS9, but was more interested in lunch than me.

 

[hux]

Met Robert Picardo but it was only quick photo. Suzi Plakson seemed engaged and happy to be there. Levar Burton seemed disinterested and irritated by silly in-universe questions (even went so far as to point out that "it's just a TV show").

Fair enough. I'm frankly amazed they aren't more grumpy (especially after five hours of signing autographs).

 

[1001001]

I have met tons of actors over the years. I won't detail every encounter, but a few that stand out:

Marina Sirtis: without a doubt my favorite convention guest. She's hilarious! Outspoken, brash, opinionated...whatever word you choose to use. She told me a really funny story about filming Nemesis.

Brent Spiner: I had heard a lot of negatives and wasn't sure what this would be like. He turned out to be very funny and engaged. We talked about his series Fresh Hell for a while.

Nana Visitor: sweet as can be. Total space cadet (by her own admission). During a breakfast with the fans she told her Creation handler to "get lost" and sat at our table for about 20 minutes.

Kate Mulgrew: what can I say? Loved Janeway, loved Mulgrew. The woman has aura of star power around her. She has presence. She ended up asking me questions and I don't think I got to ask her any. Good strategy!

George Takei: spent some time talking to him and his husband at a con in San Francisco. Very interesting guy. Did not mention Shatner once!

Other good meets: Jonathan Frakes, Dominic Keating (so, so drunk!), Denise Crosby, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, John de Lancie, Roxann Dawson,

The only people I met that I did not have a good experience with are William Shatner and Suzi Plakson. With Shatner, well...you know the stories. Suzi may have just been having a bad day, or maybe I accidentally rubbed her the wrong way. I don't know.

 

[stardream]

I really don't care what actors are like in real life and could care even less to meet them. I like the characters they play and that's all that matters.

I'm the same way. I went to an autograph signing for Sean Astin once and while he was very nice and we actually had a small conversation I decided that I would never do that again. There was just something very off putting about the whole thing. I've never been to a convention but if I did it would be to meet friends and buy cool stuff...not attend panels or meet the celebs. The most interesting parts wind up on youtube anyway.

Then there is the whole 'never meet your heroes' thing. Not that they are heroes or idols...I'm just not interested in meeting them.

 

[t_smitts]

I've never had a bad experience with anyone, but I sort of make a point of asking them questions that I figure they don't get too much, like other stuff I know they've worked on.

In the case of Robbie McNeill, I asked him about working on "Chuck" (he was a producer on it) and it was clear that he and everyone else who worked it has a deep love for that show.

In the case of Walter Koenig, everyone was asking about Trek or B5, so I asked him about "Moontrap", this cheesy sci-fi film he made with Bruce Campbell in the 80's.

I asked Robert Picardo about working on "Gremlins 2". He had a really funny story about working on that film that I can't bring myself to share. You've got to hear it from him.

Michael Dorn was really funny and pleasant when I saw him with several amusing stories, such as when they asked him to join DS9 ("What!? If they think I'm putting that thing on my head ever again... ....they're offering how much???"). I ask if there were any guest stars that had made an impression on him over the years, he mentioned two: Jon Colicos (Kor) and John Anderson (Kevin Uxbridge from "The Survivors").

 

[Mudd]

The TOS cast needed the money; the TNG cast had jobs.

Next.

 

[stardream]

I've never had a bad experience with anyone, but I sort of make a point of asking them questions that I figure they don't get too much, like other stuff I know they've worked on.

In the case of Robbie McNeill, I asked him about working on "Chuck" (he was a producer on it) and it was clear that he and everyone else who worked it has a deep love for that show.

In the case of Walter Koenig, everyone was asking about Trek or B5, so I asked him about "Moontrap", this cheesy sci-fi film he made with Bruce Campbell in the 80's.

I asked Robert Picardo about working on "Gremlins 2". He had a really funny story about working on that film that I can't bring myself to share. You've got to hear it from him.

Michael Dorn was really funny and pleasant when I saw him with several amusing stories, such as when they asked him to join DS9 ("What!? If they think I'm putting that thing on my head ever again... ....they're offering how much???"). I ask if there were any guest stars that had made an impression on him over the years, he mentioned two: Jon Colicos (Kor) and John Anderson (Kevin Uxbridge from "The Survivors").

I think part of my problem was putting myself in the celeb's shoes for a while...all the endless gushing and people asking the same questions over and over...I would think they would get so tired of hearing the same things over and over so it must get so tiring after a while no matter how nice and friendly they might be.

With Sean Astin I thanked him for coming to our small podunk town and being a part of a particular festival because some of us didn't have the opportunity to travel to LA and NYC. He said he never really thought about it that way but he was glad to have the chance to come. After I walked away I looked back and he had this real thoughtful expression on his face...but then he might have been wondering about what was for lunch for all I know.

 

[1001001]

I've never had a bad experience with anyone, but I sort of make a point of asking them questions that I figure they don't get too much, like other stuff I know they've worked on.

That's what I did with Suzie Plakson. I was interested in her experience on Everybody Loves Raymond. I literally got a one word answer: "Fine".

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I really don't like meeting actors, other than too see someone whose work I like is still alive and kicking. I can't imagine being famous for an old tv show. It must be like being talked about for something you did in high school. I can't remember what I did in high school.

 

[t_smitts]

I've never had a bad experience with anyone, but I sort of make a point of asking them questions that I figure they don't get too much, like other stuff I know they've worked on.

That's what I did with Suzie Plakson. I was interested in her experience on Everybody Loves Raymond. I literally got a one word answer: "Fine".

Well, there's any number of reasons you got a curt answer like that. Maybe it wasn't a pleasant experience for her, maybe she gets asked about it a lot, maybe you just caught her on a bad day, when the airline lost her luggage and she had to fly with a screaming baby next to her.

I really don't like meeting actors, other than too see someone whose work I like is still alive and kicking. I can't imagine being famous for an old tv show. It must be like being talked about for something you did in high school. I can't remember what I did in high school.

Well, some people may be annoyed about it, but maybe others are flattered to have people appreciate something they'd done.

I'm personality always interested in meeting actor, Trek-related or not, because I'm interested in what goes on when filming.

 

[Forbin]

I've never had a bad experience with anyone, but I sort of make a point of asking them questions that I figure they don't get too much, like other stuff I know they've worked on.

That's what I did with Suzie Plakson. I was interested in her experience on Everybody Loves Raymond. I literally got a one word answer: "Fine".

Ha! She very much appreciated talking about Love and War. Sounded like she really enjoyed that job.

 

[Forbin]

I went with my friend Frank to one of those cattle-calls where Shatner sits there, you stand next to him, they take a picture. NEXT. You're in the presence for maybe 13 seconds. My friend did the picture (I don't really care about that kind of thing). He said thank you Mr. Shatner, and Bill said "You're very welcome" without looking at Frank. I'd call that being as nice as you can while still wishing you were having a nap instead. That kind of thing can't be fun to do for him.

Other stories from my friend Frank, who used to frequent all the Trek cons: Dancing with Suzi Plakson and marveling that she was taller than him (he's 6'2"!); Sitting at the bar with Garret Wang, who was "just hanging out like a guy at the bar" and was super nice. Mark Goddard (Lost in Space) does that too, and is also super nice, but always gets roaring drunk.