Groucho Reviews (CFB)

I met the man once. After having lunch with Michael Piller at Paramount, he walked me over to tour the sets for “Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” the latter of which was in production. I overheard an AD say Patrick Stewart had wrapped earlier, so I was surprised to see him still there. Michael explained that Stewart made it a point to read off-camera lines for his fellow cast members, including, in this particular case, a guest star. We were introduced, and I found Stewart’s demeanor to be a mix of commanding and casual. After complimenting him on his performances as Sejanus in “I, Claudius” and Lenin in “Fall of Eagles,” his posture noticeably changed. In fact, the director of the episode began ribbing him about how he was now “standing up straighter,” as Stewart wryly remarked in that sonorous voice: “There are a few of your kind that know my work from before.” When I tried to compliment him for hanging around for another performer’s coverage, he told me the story how, on his very first film, Rod Steiger insisted on doing the same for him, overriding a harried director who wanted the script supervisor to dispassionately read the dialogue so the scene could be banged out more quickly. We chatted for a few minutes about Shakespeare and mutual acquaintances before he returned to the scene underway. All the cast members from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” I’ve interacted with have been delightful and gracious. It seemed to be a harmonious ensemble in which they had cast not only the right actors for each role, but the right people. It started with the captain. 🎭