Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 29, 1994 TAG: 9411300001
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: IAN SPELLING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In the new movie ``Star Trek Generations,'' Malcolm McDowell, as Soran, kills William Shatner's legendary Captain Kirk ... sort of.
``I killed him for real, blasted him, actually, the first time we shot the ending,'' the actor says.
But a few months after production had wrapped, McDowell, Shatner and Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard) were called back to reshoot several sequences - including the film's climactic moment.
``Now, as it turns out, I'm involved in Kirk's death by shooting the bridge he's on and causing it to fall, which causes his death,'' McDowell says. ``So his demise is not quite at my door anymore, and I'm actually quite glad about that.
``But I must be honest with you. For an actor, even though I may be killing a legend like Captain Kirk, the fact is it's just a scene to me, no more, no less.''
McDowell, whose black jeans and black sweater contrast sharply with his spiky gray hair and bright blue eyes, has come to a New York hotel to talk about his work on ``Generations.''
What this admitted non-Trekker enjoyed most, he says, was the opportunity to transform Soran - who will stop at nothing to reach the Eden-like Nexus he tasted briefly nearly 80 years earlier - into an ``obsessive, driven'' figure without having to make him ``evil.''
He also had fun sharing the screen with Shatner, with Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh (who play two power-hungry Klingon sisters) and with Stewart, whom he knew from his days with London's Royal Shakespeare Company.
Nearly 30 years ago, Stewart and McDowell worked together on the theater company's production of ``Henry V.''
Though McDowell left the acting troupe after little more than a year, Stewart remained for more than a decade.
``Patrick went on to do very well there,'' McDowell says. ``He was exactly the same as he is now - bald as a coot - and he could have played any old man at 22.
``He's always been a good, solid actor, a wonderful company man, and I think he was a wonderful leader of the company of `Star Trek Generations.'
``I think he's a bit more relaxed now that he's rich. I enjoyed working with him again. It was a good experience all around.''
Soran is just the latest of many villains the 51-year-old McDowell has brought to vivid life during his long career. Among the others are the punkish Alex in the Stanley Kubrick classic ``A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), the cruel Caesar in ``Caligula'' (1979) and a racist South African policeman in ``Bopha!'' (1993).
``I've always thought the villain is the best part,'' McDowell says. ``They're the most fun. I think the big danger is that you can overdo it.
``There has to be a core of total reality to these parts. If they get too cartoonish, you belittle your audience.''
A versatile and often underrated actor, McDowell has also played memorable non-villainous characters in such films as ``if...'' (1968), ``O Lucky Man!'' (1973), ``Time After Time'' (1979) and ``The Player'' (1992).
It was on the set of ``Time After Time'' that he met Mary Steenburgen, who later became his wife. The couple had two children before divorcing in 1989.
McDowell has remarried and lives with his wife, Kelley, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Looking ahead, the actor says his next projects will be a dramatic British miniseries, ``Boys from the North,'' and the big-budget, futurist action-adventure film ``Tank Girl,'' which stars Lori Petty as the rebellious title character.
The film, directed by Rachel Talalay (who is best known for 1991's ``Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare''), is due to open in March.
``It's sort of a `Mad Max' kind of thing but with Lori Petty playing Mel Gibson,'' McDowell says with a laugh. ``I play, surprise, surprise ...''
There is a brief dramatic pause.
``... the villain.''
CON CALENDAR - DEC. 9-11
Creation at the Convention Center in Valley Forge, Pa., featuring Terry Farrell, William Shatner and Marina Sirtis. (Dec. 10-11 only; 818-409-0960)
Creation at the Convention Center in Buffalo, N.Y., featuring Marina Sirtis. (Dec. 11 only; 818-409-0960)
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, in care of the features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, 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