Patrick Stewart Says Ian McKellen Tried Talking Him Out of Star Trek

Jo Vito
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The post Patrick Stewart Says Ian McKellen Tried Talking Him Out of Star Trek appeared first on Consequence.

When people think of Patrick Stewart, one of the first things that comes to mind is his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. But according to the actor’s new memoir, Making It So (out October 3rd), he almost didn’t accept the role because of input from his friend and frequent-collaborator, Ian McKellen.

According to Stewart’s recounting of the incident, McKellen’s opposition to the Star Trek role was because the latter felt that Stewart had “too much important theater work to do,” and that he’d be “throwing it away” if he stepped off the stage and onto the syndicated screen.

“When I told him I was going to sign the contract, he almost bodily prevented me from doing so,” Stewart wrote (per Insider). “‘No!’ he said. ‘No, you must not do that. You must not. You have too much important theater work to do. You can’t throw that away to do TV. You can’t. No!’”

Thankfully, though, Stewart’s intuition told him to take the role anyways… even if it was difficult to let his friend down. “There are few people, particularly with regard to acting, whose counsel I trust more than Ian’s,” Stewart wrote. “But this time, I had to tell him that I felt theater would return to my life whenever I was ready for it, whereas an offer of the lead role in an American TV series might never come again. Ian shook his head sadly, as if I were enlisting in the army, but, nevertheless, wished me good luck and gave me a big hug.”

As time proved, Stewart made the right decision. He became a household name thanks to the role, and was catapulted to a new level of success, leading to many additional opportunities. Accordingly, McKellen eventually came around, and later admitted that he was wrong for discouraging Stewart. Years later, the two former Royal Shakespeare Company members bonded over their roles in the X-Men franchise, and shared a laugh over their one-time hesitation to jump into the world of sci-fi.

“In the years since, we have become dear pals and X-Men colleagues, and Ian has acknowledged that he was wrong and I was right,” Stewart wrote. “More than once, in fact – primarily because I like making him say those words.” Meanwhile, Stewart recently reprised the role of Picard for the Paramount+ series, Star Trek: Picard, which wrapped earlier this year.

Patrick Stewart Says Ian McKellen Tried Talking Him Out of Star Trek
Jo Vito

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