Insightful Quotes From Patrick Stewart About Playing Captain Picard
Jean-Luc Picard, the benevolent and decisive captain of starship USS Enterprise in Star Trek, skillfully shepherded his adventurous crew on their adventures through the galaxy. Accomplished Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart sculpted the character into the noble, pensive officer that fans adore. Although his saga in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its associated films came to an end years ago, Stewart reprised the role in the new series Star Trek: Picard, hoping to show how a life of adventure has taken a mental and physical toll on the character. When reflecting on his most famous role, Stewart reveals that not only has he had a great deal of creative control over the character, but the spacefaring hero has also merged with his own personality, changing him.
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Picard's Personality Evolved Over Time As A Collaboration Between Patrick Stewart And The Writers
By the end of Next Generation's run, Jean-Luc Picard had a sharply defined personality. The ever-evolving character of Picard made his transformation over the years from a close collaboration between Patrick Stewart and the writers. Stewart recalls:
In the pilot episode and throughout the first season I was following that path of a rather heroic, romantic leading officer who was on a voyage of discovery. Then, working with the writers, talking to the writers, different aspects of his character, the rather more complex and at times ambivalent aspects of his character began to emerge.
By The End Of 'Star Trek', Stewart And Picard Were Very Much The Same Person
Stewart worked so closely with Star Trek producer Rick Berman that Stewart was able to incorporate aspects of his own personality into the character of Picard. When it came to major plotlines, Stewart was able to project his own interests - such as social issues and politics - into Picard's character so much that by the end of the series, it was hard to distinguish between the two. Stewart says:
By the time we got into the seventh season there was a total overlap between Jean-Luc Picard and Patrick Stewart. I no longer had to sit in my trailer getting into character. I knew this man intimately. He was very, very close to me.
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Picard's Positive Vision Of Life Made Him Excellent At Negotiating
Picard was gifted with an unshakeable optimism for the future. Stewart feels that this hopefulness and confidence made the character a prime negotiator:
I used to get asked, "In a fight between Kirk and Picard, who would win?" And my answer always was there wouldn’t be a fight because Picard would negotiate his way around it. Picard saw force as a last resort. Absolute last resort.
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- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- CBS Television Distribution
Picard's Stern Demeanor Didn't Keep Him From Having Intimate Relationships
Stewart believes that, even though Picard was the smart and silent type, he had a very active personal life in regard to intimacy:
In the seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard only had [intercourse] twice. His predecessor, Kirk, was a regular Casanova. He had a babe in every galaxy. I personally like to think Picard had a very active [personal] life. I can't believe the captain just read Shakespeare up there in his room all those years.
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The Character Traits Of Picard Are Bonded To Stewart Like A Long Marriage
After a hiatus, coming back to the Star Trek character is always a pleasure - much like coming back to a marriage after a break. Stewart says:
It embarrasses me a little to say it, but I truly no longer know where I begin and he leaves off. A lot of me has gone into this man, and there are some aspects of him - such as being a capable listener - that I've tried to absorb myself.
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- Jeffrey
- Orion Classics
Although Stewart Heavily Identified With Picard, He Didn't Want The Role To Define His Acting Career
Taking on roles after Picard proved difficult for Stewart because the character was also associated with his career as an actor. He tried to break out of typecasting by acting in unexpected movies, such as the 1995 drama Jeffrey. According to Stewart:
Not everything that came out of my world of Captain Picard was good. I found that competing for other roles was challenging... I realized I had... to fight to persuade people that I was not just Jean Luc-Picard. I am very proud to be Jean-Luc Picard, but I certainly didn’t need to have it dominate my life.
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