Mulgrew so awful to Jeri Ryan she had to date Braga for protection

[Scotty]

Wow, I just listened to the relevant parts of that podcast and I really don't know what to think of Ryan's comments. I have no doubt she's being honest and by a process of elimination she can only be talking about Mulgrew. But I never realized how unhappy Ryan was.

But come to think of it, she wasn't the only one, was she. I've always known the Voyager set wasn't a happy one. Several actors have voiced their displeasure about the show, their character, the writers and the producers. I can't recall if Mulgrew every voiced any criticism, but Garrett Wang has been vocal about not getting to do anything on the show (not even directing an episode). Robert Beltran was incredibly honest during the production of the show about how he felt the show's focus had shifted to only two or three characters and that he too had very little to do. I recall reading interviews back in the nineties given to the official Trek magazine where he clearly said this. It's no wonder that McNeill, Russ and Dawson went on to direct, because they had very little acting challenges on that show.

I personally blame the writers and producers. They must have known about the problems on set. They knew that some castmembers were unhappy (even the fans shared their criticism). They did nothing about it. Mulgrew's behavior was very unprofessional, but I can imagine her underlying frustration.

Edit: Found this quote in an interview in which Mulgrew admits being unhappy and why. She has a point. Still, taking it out on Ryan was unfair.

How hard was it for you, personally, when, in the middle of the show’s run, Jeri Ryan arrived on the set to play Seven of Nine?

Mulgrew: I found that that was hard, Jeri notwithstanding. Certainly, I could see with my own eyes that she was a va-va-va-voom and beautiful-beautiful bombshell of a girl. Sexuality was brought into Voyager, and that’s what I resented. I chose not to use sexuality. I thought that if Paramount and UPN and Rick (Berman) were being exceptionally prescient and brave, they would give a woman a shot at commanding without sex. “Can we do this without sex?” There are always other ways. So I resented that and I was hurt by the immediate, extraordinary attention given to this character. The numbers went up. And I thought, “Ah, you can’t argue with a business decision and you can’t argue with sex.” That’s just part of life, but all of that is very difficult for a woman, particularly an actress like me. But it had nothing to do with Jeri.

Source

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Wang talks about how he didn't get to direct like no one let him have the good danishes during a break, like they STOLE THEM AND HID THEM FROM HIM goddam it.

Everyone isn't entitled to directing. If he was such hot shit at it why has he directed nothing since?

 

[Scotty]

Wang talks about how he didn't get to direct like no one let him have the good danishes during a break, like they STOLE THEM AND HID THEM FROM HIM goddam it.

Source?

Everyone isn't entitled to directing. If he was such hot shit at it why has he directed nothing since?

True, not everyone's entitled. But after Jonathan Frakes made the succesful transition from actor to director when the producers of Trek gave him a shot, they pretty much gave every actor who asked for a chance to direct a shot. Frakes, Burton, Stewart, McFadden, Dorn, Brooks, Auberjonois, Siddig, Russ, McNeill, Dawson, Picardo even guest stars like Andrew Robinson got a shot at directing after expressing an interest. Why the hell didn't Wang get one? If it's because he voiced criticism, that's a pretty petty reason. Why has Wang never directed anything since? All current Trek actor/directors got their break on Trek and continued on to other shows. I think it would be very hard to break out as a director on a new show.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Source: see 100 conventions. It's one of his big points of whine.

And no I have nothing against the man, he is one of the best Trek con guests I've heard and I would happily see him again. But "oh wah wah they didn't let me direct" is pretty ridiculous. If he'd already ruined his cred with TPTB by being late all the time (which is apparently the case, no idea if true) why should they give him even more responsibility than showing up and mouthing a few lines?

He also complains that he is/was a wonderful comedian and they never let him do comedy on VOY.

 

[Scotty]

Source: see 100 conventions. It's one of his big points of whine.

So, you have no source.

If he'd already ruined his cred with TPTB by being late all the time (which is apparently the case, no idea if true) why should they give him even more responsibility than showing up and mouthing a few lines?

If you have no idea if that's true, why mention it at all?

He also complains that he is/was a wonderful comedian and they never let him do comedy on VOY.

Wang's main criticism is that the humans on Voyager never behaved like humans. They rarely showed emotions of any kind and were discouraged to convery much emotion in their performance. He's right. The proof's on screen.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I'm sure someone can come up with the details about the lateness, it's a common enough bit of trivia.

As to source, I heard it myself at a con. But what I don't get is why you ask as though this is something I pulled out of my butt when the only reason I'm talking about it is in response to your own words:

but Garrett Wang has been vocal about not getting to do anything on the show (not even directing an episode).

And I say yes he whines about this and you ask me what my source is? What is your source?

 

[Scotty]

I'But what I don't get is why you ask as though this is something I pulled out of my butt when the only reason I'm talking about it is in response to your own words:

but Garrett Wang has been vocal about not getting to do anything on the show (not even directing an episode).

And I say yes he whines about this and you ask me what my source is? What is your source?

Source

I have a problem with how you phrase you comments and how you're characterizing Garret Wang as some kind of ingrateful crybaby that got exactly what he deserved. To me Garrett Wang was one of the first actors to honestly voice the creatively restricting conditions on Trek that IMO were huge part of the reason the show disappeared from television.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

To me it was whining. How many years later is it and you have tell a bunch of nerdboys "oh they weren't fair, they didn't let me direct! They didn't let me do comedy!" Wah wah.. and you know what, a lot of people lap it up because the think they are being let into some inner room full of Trek dirt when really it's just the same old same old you get in any office. But some con guests do play it up big.. and some are a whole lot more gracious about it.

 

[KaraBear]

Garret Wang was frequently late on set and was even suspended from a few episodes. He was suspended halfway through season 3 and was going to be released from his contract. He was supposed to die at the end of Scorpion part 1. But then he was in People's 50 most beautiful people so they kept him on.

as far as the set being unhappy, from all the conventions I've been to this is not true. They were always joking and playing pranks on each other. They even still meet a few times a year for dinner together.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

The guys all meet pretty regularly, up to once a month I think. They go out to dinner together.

 

[Scotty]

Sure, the actors meet up and especially the guys got along fine. But that doesn't mean the set was a fun place. Garrett Wang in his Geekson audio interview says that the set often was tense because Mulgrew was unhappy with the direction the show had taken and she was taking it out on her fellow actors. Mulgrew herself admits that she was not happy (see above) and now Jeri Ryan in her Aisha Tyler interview has also said that she wasn't happy on set especially when she had scenes with Mulgrew.

Since Mulgrew was in a sense the leader of the company troupe as Stewart was in TNG and Bakula was on ENT, she basically set the tone. And that tone I've come to learn from these interviews was pretty grim. It's a shame, but as I have said above, to me these stories also say a lot about the producers and showrunners and their lack of passion for the show they were creating.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'But what I don't get is why you ask as though this is something I pulled out of my butt when the only reason I'm talking about it is in response to your own words:

but Garrett Wang has been vocal about not getting to do anything on the show (not even directing an episode).

And I say yes he whines about this and you ask me what my source is? What is your source?

Source

I have a problem with how you phrase you comments and how you're characterizing Garret Wang as some kind of ingrateful crybaby that got exactly what he deserved. To me Garrett Wang was one of the first actors to honestly voice the creatively restricting conditions on Trek that IMO were huge part of the reason the show disappeared from television.

As soon as Garret said that they didn't let him direct because he was Asian, it was clear he wasn't playing with a full deck.

Prima donna in bubble, not banapants, but it amounts tot he samething.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

I'But what I don't get is why you ask as though this is something I pulled out of my butt when the only reason I'm talking about it is in response to your own words:

but Garrett Wang has been vocal about not getting to do anything on the show (not even directing an episode).

And I say yes he whines about this and you ask me what my source is? What is your source?

Source

I have a problem with how you phrase you comments and how you're characterizing Garret Wang as some kind of ingrateful crybaby that got exactly what he deserved. To me Garrett Wang was one of the first actors to honestly voice the creatively restricting conditions on Trek that IMO were huge part of the reason the show disappeared from television.

"I was the first actor in ST hx denied the chance to direct"???

http://trekmovie.com/2011/06/22/gar...lost-opportunity-for-star-trek-voyager-movie/

You know, just being an actor on the show doesn't give one the right to direct. You show your willingness to learn the craft by sitting next to the Director or his/her AD or the Director of Photography whenever you have a free moment and bug the hell out of them re: which lens they are using, how to position a shot etc. In articles and podcasts, that was what Renee o'Conmnor did on her show "Xena: WP" until TPPB caught a clue and gave her 2 eps to direct in her 6 years.

RDM suggests a similar bar was used on the Star trek set.

http://www.trektoday.com/news/140801_02.shtml

 

[Scotty]

As soon as Garret said that they didn't let him direct because he was Asian, it was clear he wasn't playing with a full deck.

Wang never said it was because he was Asian. He wondered IF it was a racial thing. Pretty big semantic difference. I suspect it was a personality clash. Berman and Wang disliked each other and I suspect I'm understating the situation slightly. Is there any reason to think that Wang was unable to direct an episode of Voyager besides that he's not punctual? Then it isn't a stretch to conclude that Berman just didn't want to give Wang a shot because he disliked him personally.

 

[Scotty]

"I was the first actor in ST hx denied the chance to direct"???

http://trekmovie.com/2011/06/22/gar...lost-opportunity-for-star-trek-voyager-movie/

You know, just being an actor on the show doesn't give one the right to direct. You show your willingness to learn the craft by sitting next to the Director or his/her AD of Director of Photography whenever you have a free moment and bug the hell out of them re: which lens they are using, how to position a shot etc. In articles and podcasts, that was what Renee o'Conmnor did on her show "Xena: WP" until TPPB caught a clue and gave her 2 eps to direct in her 6 years.

RDM suggests a similar bar was used on the Star trek set.

http://www.trektoday.com/news/140801_02.shtml

Jonathan Frakes did exactly the same thing. Whenever he wasn't shooting scenes he followed the production process intimately to familiarize himself with it. He had to wait for about 2 years before het got the chance to direct The Offspring. I doubt that all Trek actors turned director had to wait THAT long for their chance. Sure being an actor on Trek does not give you the right, but for a show that's known for being supportive of actors wanting to direct, it sure is remarkable that he wasn't given the chance.

 

[KaraBear]

I've heard from many actors at many conventions that the set was a lot of fun. They often said tey ruined a lot of takes by laughing. They played a lot of pranks on each other and joked around a lot. There are a few famous stories, one people refer to as the pon farr story. I heard Garret Wang tell it and it was fun

in fact when DS9 actors are asked about life on the set, they say it was very serious for them "we weren't like the Voyager crew, we didn't goof around and have a lot of fun" Several DS9 actors have said that


and you know what.....so what if it wasn't super fun on the set. They're not really there to goof off. My job isn't super fun either

 

[KaraBear]

I'But what I don't get is why you ask as though this is something I pulled out of my butt when the only reason I'm talking about it is in response to your own words:

And I say yes he whines about this and you ask me what my source is? What is your source?

Source

I have a problem with how you phrase you comments and how you're characterizing Garret Wang as some kind of ingrateful crybaby that got exactly what he deserved. To me Garrett Wang was one of the first actors to honestly voice the creatively restricting conditions on Trek that IMO were huge part of the reason the show disappeared from television.

"I was the first actor in ST hx denied the chance to direct"???

http://trekmovie.com/2011/06/22/gar...lost-opportunity-for-star-trek-voyager-movie/

You know, just being an actor on the show doesn't give one the right to direct. You show your willingness to learn the craft by sitting next to the Director or his/her AD or the Director of Photography whenever you have a free moment and bug the hell out of them re: which lens they are using, how to position a shot etc. In articles and podcasts, that was what Renee o'Conmnor did on her show "Xena: WP" until TPPB caught a clue and gave her 2 eps to direct in her 6 years.

RDM suggests a similar bar was used on the Star trek set.

http://www.trektoday.com/news/140801_02.shtml

Roxann Dawson who directed two Voyager episodes said something similar. She said there was something along the lines of a "class" that you had to go to first.

 

[teya]

Garret Wang was frequently late on set and was even suspended from a few episodes. He was suspended halfway through season 3 and was going to be released from his contract. He was supposed to die at the end of Scorpion part 1. But then he was in People's 50 most beautiful people so they kept him on.

as far as the set being unhappy, from all the conventions I've been to this is not true. They were always joking and playing pranks on each other. They even still meet a few times a year for dinner together.

The guys meet.

It's no secret that there was no love lost between Jeri and Kate. Garrett did a radio interview a couple of years ago where he said that Kate making Jeri's life miserable made the rest of the set miserable. Now Jeri's finally saying the same thing.

 

[KaraBear]

Garret Wang was frequently late on set and was even suspended from a few episodes. He was suspended halfway through season 3 and was going to be released from his contract. He was supposed to die at the end of Scorpion part 1. But then he was in People's 50 most beautiful people so they kept him on.

as far as the set being unhappy, from all the conventions I've been to this is not true. They were always joking and playing pranks on each other. They even still meet a few times a year for dinner together.

The guys meet.

It's no secret that there was no love lost between Jeri and Kate. Garrett did a radio interview a couple of years ago where he said that Kate making Jeri's life miserable made the rest of the set miserable. Now Jeri's finally saying the same thing.

I'm sure there were times when it was miserable. There are times at my job where it's miserable too.

But the Voyager cast is also well known for goofing around and having a lot of fun. Most of the cast members themselves have said that hey had a lot of fun on set. I've heard many stories over the years from the actors themselves about pranks they pulled on each other and funny things that happened on set.

You don't have to love all your coworkers. But most of them got along fine.

If Kate and Jeri didn't get along, then props to them for not letting it show on screen.

 

[propita]

I've heard from many actors at many conventions that the set was a lot of fun. They often said tey ruined a lot of takes by laughing. They played a lot of pranks on each other and joked around a lot. There are a few famous stories, one people refer to as the pon farr story. I heard Garret Wang tell it and it was fun

in fact when DS9 actors are asked about life on the set, they say it was very serious for them "we weren't like the Voyager crew, we didn't goof around and have a lot of fun" Several DS9 actors have said that


and you know what.....so what if it wasn't super fun on the set. They're not really there to goof off. My job isn't super fun either

This is exactly what Aron Eisenberg said at Galaxy Ball 2001. He played Nog on DS9 and the young Kazon in a VOY episode. He's aid DS9's set was, if not tense, then serious, while VOY's set was fun.

The fact that the men of VOY try to get together once a month shows there weren't a lot of hard feelings on the part of many of them. In fact, it tends to show that they were friends as much as co-workers, which is not that common. But it was, in many ways, "just a job" like many of the other acting jobs these people get.