Wesley Snipes Recounts Auditioning for La Forge

[Skipper]

It's the first time I've heard of it. It's like, I don't known, a well known thing around here?

Wesley Snipes Recounts Auditioning for Star Trek: TNG's Geordi La Forge

Film star Wesley Snipes, who headlined the Blade series and has a scene-stealing turn as General Izzi in Coming 2 America, says his career would have been very different if he had been cast as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The role instead went to Levar Burton, who played La Forge through the 1987-1994 run of The Next Generation and three movies based on the series. When asked by Collider if he auditioned for the part, Snipes said "Yes, that is true."

 

[Finn]

Yeah, I've heard of that. Nothing more.

 

[Skipper]

Yeah, I've heard of that. Nothing more.

You know, it made me chuckling a little bit the fact that, while we Star Trek fans know by hearth every single Important Date in the franchise history, he had to guess the right decade.

"I think that was in the eighties. Yeah. And was disappointed that I didn't get it," Snipes said.

 

[Finn]

I suppose. Lot of people tend to guess the period in their lives when talking about an event in their lives. I've seen people be off by ten years or more, when talking about someone and/or an life event. Snipes clearly doesn't give that much shit, just one of many gigs he could have gotten over the years. Levar Burton already was making a name of himself by the time he got the TNG gig. Snipes might have gotten a less noteworthy career if he got the gig, especially if he couldn't do White men can't jump and/or Demolition Man.

 

[Skipper]

I liked the bit where he said that Burton is a better actor than him. Perhaps he doesn't really believe it, but it was a classy thing to say.

 

[Aragorn]

Now imagine LeVar Burton as Blade.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Apparently, Tim Russ came even closer to being cast as LaForge than Snipes, but it really did work out better for Snipes in that he wound up making a name for himself in movies.

 

[Tosk]

I knew that Snipes was a candidate, but I think this is the first time I've seen it confirmed that he did actually audition.

 

[Mojochi]

When you really think about the character he was back in those 80s day, with turns in comedies like Wildcats & Major League, it's not really that unusual of a cast call for him. He was a much more fun & light player in his youth than the later heavy stuff he's most known for

But yeah, for him, it worked out way better that he didn't land it

 

[Qonundrum]

I think he had much more fun auditioning for Simon Phoenix...

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(one of several fantastic scenes, he and Stallone were perfect for this movie... the whole cast was, but I digress. /shock)

He would have made a decent LaForge, would be fun to see any auditioning tapes, but as Simon and Blade... he's absolutely magnifique, making some iconic and impeccably enjoyable larger-than-life characters. Would that still have happened if he got LaForge?

All and all, LeVar still nailed LaForge the best and his on-screen chemistry with the cast, especially Spiner as their double-act had to be nothing less than perfect, couldn't be topped.

 

[XCV330]

Now imagine LeVar Burton as Blade.

the Datawalker kills only android vampires.

 

[amp]

It's hard to imagine Wesley Snipes as the shy, awkward geek who can't get a date.

 

[Skipper]

It's hard to imagine Wesley Snipes as the shy, awkward geek who can't get a date.

Well, it's called "acting" . Joking aside, I think the LaForge's shyness is something they decided in the later seasons. In the first one, he seemed to me assertive and extrovert like the rest of the crew.

 

[Vger23]

I like Wesley Snipes a lot, but it feels to me that he would have been very mis-cast as LaForge.

The biggest "miss" in my opinion was not getting Jenny Agutter cast as Dr. Crusher (she was on the list of considered actresses...not sure if she ever auditioned). I like Gates McFadden just fine, but for some reason I can picture Jenny Agutter leveling that role up a notch.

 

[Mojochi]

Would that still have happened if he got LaForge

I really doubt it. I really do think being a TV character for any length of time hampers your options with type casting... Especially a Star Trek character.

It's hard to imagine Wesley Snipes as the shy, awkward geek who can't get a date.

That's not really the character in its inception though. That's the ultimate final outcome

If anything, I imagine the reason he wasn't cast is because he'd have made the character too dynamic & fun, which I sense was how they'd wanted Riker's character to be... & of course having Data provide some comic relief as well.

Having another guy in that mix might've overpowered the other 2, especially since Riker never ended up playing all that fun & dynamic in the end anyhow. It was a talking point more than an actual demonstrated trait.

Interestingly, I imagine Tim Russ wasn't dynamic enough (Hence why he makes a great Tuvok), & Snipes too much so. Burton seems like a very healthy middle ground between those two, & better for an overall cast blend

 

[XCV330]

I really doubt it. I really do think being a TV character for any length of time hampers your options with type casting... Especially a Star Trek character.

That's not really the character in its inception though. That's the ultimate final outcome

If anything, I imagine the reason he wasn't cast is because he'd have made the character too dynamic & fun, which I sense was how they'd wanted Riker's character to be... & of course having Data provide some comic relief as well.

Having another guy in that mix might've overpowered the other 2, especially since Riker never ended up playing all that fun & dynamic in the end anyhow. It was a talking point more than an actual demonstrated trait.

Interestingly, I imagine Tim Russ wasn't dynamic enough (Hence why he makes a great Tuvok), & Snipes too much so. Burton seems like a very healthy middle ground between those two, & better for an overall cast blend

Snipes as Riker would have been cool. Snipes could make a trombone cool.

 

[Mojochi]

^ I'd buy that for a dollar. He could've very much been the Riker they initially intended

 

[Qonundrum]

Up next: Commander Simon T. Riker...

 

[Qonundrum]

Amazing what a day can do; just imagine a character named "Geordi Snipes". That'd be a bit different...

 

[DonIago]

Great, now I'm imagining Ben Sisko meeting Geordi Snipes...