Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 6, 1994 TAG: 9409080042
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ian Spelling
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Unfortunately, ``Next Gen's'' formidable Capt. Picard was pretty much alone in his thinking.
``A lot of my colleagues didn't share this point of view,'' the actor says during a phone conversation from the Manhattan set of ``Jeffrey,'' his newest film.
But that didn't stop Stewart from lobbying the film's producers.
``Given that Bill Shatner and his colleagues had already made six movies, just to cut them off and start up with us would've been missing a golden opportunity to do something quite intense and dramatic,'' he explains.
As it turned out, the first draft of the ``Generations'' script featured the entire ``Trek''-classic cast. Stewart says he was ``thrilled and relieved'' to learn that offers had gone out to the original crew.
But that wasn't the end of the story.
For various reasons - including the displeasure of some actors with the size of their roles and/or salaries - only Shatner (Kirk), James Doohan (Scotty) and Walter Koenig (Chekov) signed on.
Still, Stewart seems satisfied.
``Critical to all of this was to have Bill,'' he says. ``Having the captains share screen space was something I thought people would enjoy seeing.''
Stewart, 54, and Shatner, 63, had met only a few times prior to signing on for ``Generations.'' Then, last February, they shared a plane ride to Los Angeles after making a joint promotional appearance at a Las Vegas film-industry gathering.
Despite tabloid reports to the contrary, the two hit it off, Stewart says.
``I was delighted to find what a delightful, sensitive and gentle man Bill was. When the time came to work together I had a feeling it was going to be good.
``Well, it proved to be one of the movie's most delightful experiences. We worked well together. We spent a lot of social time together and found we had many things in common.''
Stewart, who has already agreed to do a ``Generations'' sequel, sees the film as a fitting follow-up to ``Next Gen's'' seven seasons.
``There was nothing like it on TV,'' he says, citing the series' high-quality writing, direction, production values and acting. ``It's a body of work I'm thrilled to have been so significantly associated with.''
The British actor, who grew up in the town of Mirfield, brought a wealth of professional experience to ``Next Gen.'' Among his credits are a one-man Broadway rendition of ``A Christmas Carol'' and a television production of ``I, Claudius.''
Film audiences have seen him in ``Dune'' (1984), ``L.A. Story'' (1991) and ``Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993).
A familiar voice in commercials, Stewart will be heard as the character Adventure in the animated/live-action holiday fantasy ``The Pagemaster'' and seen in a November TBS cable tribute to Dr. Seuss.
His future plans include a London revival of ``Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,'' a TV version of ``Christmas Carol'' and a month-long holiday in his new English home. But right now Stewart is very excited about ``Jeffrey.''
Based on Paul Rudnick's play, the film focuses on the title character (played by Steven Weber), a gay man whose decision to swear off sex greatly affects the lives of his would-be lover (Michael Weiss) and his friends, Sterling (Stewart) and Darius (Brian Batt).
``It's the first gay role I've ever played,'' Stewart says. ``I'm thrilled to be doing it. I confess to being a little nervous at the beginning.
``My agent brought me this script. We'd discussed that the first major part I should undertake when (``Generations'') was complete was something that would take me as far away as possible from Capt. Picard, science-fiction and spaceships.
``So to be playing a contemporary, middle-aged gay man in New York was a dream for me, and absolutely perfect.''
Trek/sci-fi alert
If you have Trek or science-fiction news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to ``Star Trek'' - write to Ian Spelling, care of The Features Department, Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va., 24010-2491. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.
by CNB