Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 22, 1994 TAG: 9402220233
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ian Spelling
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
At the time, he was yearning to move on professionally and grow personally. He also wanted to escape the wrath of fans who despised his character, Wesley Crusher, the young, brainy son of Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden).
"I've been afforded a lot of opportunities since leaving," Wheaton says.
"I got in the trenches, went to auditions and acting school. I worked real hard just to make bill payments. I never had to do that before."
Having "real-life experiences" helped the young actor mature, he says.
"Being in the industry, especially on a series, tends to shelter you from reality. You never worry about money or your job.
"Being in the real world has helped me grow immensely."
Since ending his stint as a "Next Gen" regular, Wheaton, now 21, has starred in the features "Toy Soldiers," "December" and "Liars' Club"; the telemovie "Last Prostitute"; and a recent episode of HBO's "Tales from the Crypt."
He also returned to "Next Gen" for the fifth-season episodes "The Game" and "The First Duty" and this year's "Parallells." His next "Trek" appearance will be in a "Next Gen" episode titled "Journey's End," which will air in late March.
Before his two recent "Trek" voyages, however, Wheaton had decided to put his acting career on the back burner for a while.
He was living in Kansas and working for a high-tech computer company called NewTek. Stationed in the product-development division, Wheaton also served as an in-house producer for NewTek videos.
"I loved it," Wheaton says. "I enjoyed the anonymity. No one was able to scrutinize me over whether or not I was doing the right career thing."
But after filming "Journey's End" and attending a recent Trek convention in Illinois, Wheaton realized how much he missed the acting world.
In January he resigned from NewTek and moved back to Los Angeles, where he is taking acting lessons and pursuing film and television roles.
One of the things that probably helped change Wheaton's mind about acting was his discovery, at the Illinois con, that many "Trek" fans who were once derisive of Wesley are now fond of both Wheaton and his character.
"I tend to sympathize with some of the people who said Wesley was annoying," Wheaton says. "As I watched reruns of the first couple of years I could see where he was annoying."
Still, he thinks some Trekkers went overboard in their hatred of the character - wearing buttons that read "Nuke Wesley" and taunting the actor who played him.
"Wesley had his place, and I think the writers screwed up here and there, but I definitely think the fans overreacted.
"Wesley was extremely brilliant and gave his input, and people were thinking, `Where's this kid coming from?' I just think they didn't understand.''
Now that he's back in the actign saddle, one of the first big-screen roles that could come his way is that of Wesley in the impending "Next Gen" movies.
"I'd love to do it," Wheaton says ```Parallels' came out of nowhere, so who knows what will happen with the films? I'm open and available."
\ Con calendar March 4-6
Wiscon 18 at the Holiday Inn Southeast, in Madison, Wis., featuring Melinda Snodgrass. Call (608) 233-8850.
Vulkon at the Sheraton North in Baltimore, featuring Siddig El Fadil. Calkl (305) 434-6060.
Creation at the Coast Terrace Inn in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, featuring Michael Dorn (Marcg 5-6). Call (818) 409-0960.
\ Trek alert
If you have Trek news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to ``Star Trek'' - write to Ian Spelling, in care of the features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply.
by CNB