Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 8, 1993 TAG: 9303060220
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
AUBERJONOIS EXPLORES NEW WORLDS
Every day Rene Auberjonois, who plays shape-shifting security chief Odo on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," peddles his bike up into the hills above Hollywood.Unwittingly, his daily trek has become a "Deep Space Nine" litmus test.
"Yesterday I ran into six people who, of course, I've never met," he explains. "Three of them saw me and said, `We love the show!' That tells me at least 50 percent of the people out there love it."
Auberjonois, a friendly, talkative man, is thrilled by the attention and stellar ratings "DS9" has received since its January launch. But he realizes the show is riding the coattails of the original "Star Trek" series and its first spinoff, "The Next Generation."
" `DS9' is a new team of characters, a new ensemble of actors," he says. "We have to prove ourselves. I'm looking forward to that."
Born in New York, Auberjonois, 52, is a classically trained actor who was nominated for a 1985 Tony Award for his role in the musical "Big River."
When he left the play to return to TV's "Benson," in which he played prissy Clayton Endicott III, his "Big River" role was filled by future "Next Generation" star Brent Spiner.
"Isn't that ironic?" Auberjonois asks.
The actor says he is pleased so far with the development of his "DS9" character. In particular, he enjoys Odo's relationships with Quark (Armin Shimerman), the money-hungry proprietor of DS9's bar, and Major Kira (Nana Visitor), who turns to Odo for professional and personal advice despite the fact that she outranks him.
"They're both relationships I hope the writers develop further," he says. "Hopefully, we'll be doing this for a long time and there will be a lot of different roads we can go down with every character."
Auberjonois initially beamed into the "Trek" universe in a cameo for "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." His scenes were cut from the 1991 movie but were resurrected in the video version.
The actor, who has yet to see the video, says he is no fan of watching his own work.
The exception is "Deep Space Nine."
"I've watched every episode because the series and Odo, who is still a mystery to me, are in development," says Auberjonois, who transforms into the pale, hollow-faced Odo after two and a half hours in the chair of makeup artist Michael Westmore.
"The makeup is still in development too. If you watch the first episodes you can see slight variations in Odo's appearance. It will take time to finalize his look."
The special effects intrigue Auberjonois as well.
"When I saw the pilot, this evil person threw something at my head, my head turned to liquid and the object passed right through my head! It's a nice little surprise every time to see what the technical people have done."
Away from "Trek," the actor can be heard on video as the voice of animated characters in "The Little Mermaid" (1989) and "Little Nemo" (1992).
In the fall he will make a cameo appearance in a Western called "The Ballad of Little Jo."
Auberjonois, who lives with his wife, Judith, and their children in the Los Angeles area, foresees a long and fulfilling run on "DS9." Might that run, say 10 years from now, include a big-screen "DS9" adventure?
"Wow, that's really getting ahead of ourselves; but it's fun to think about, isn't it?" he says, chuckling. "I'll be pleased to talk about `Deep Space Nine,' whatever form it takes."