Making It So: A Memoir

by Patrick Stewart

Reading 1: What is the narrative, the story? Reading 2: What is the play about? Reading 3: What does my character say about himself? Reading 4: What do other characters say about my character when he is present? Reading 5: What do other characters say about my character when he is absent? Reading 6: What is true in the play? Reading 7: What is false in the play? Reading 8: What does the character actually do?

Oooooh! I can’t wait to share this with Alistair as he continues with theater into high school! MAYBE he’ll use the advice. Or not.

“You must understand, Patrick, the camera photographs thoughts.” Simple but profound. No matter what kind of acting you’re doing, you of course have to think. But the camera gets closer to you than any audience member ever will. What might be missed onstage, the camera will absolutely see.

“Patrick,” he said, “you will never achieve success…” Oh God, no. “…by insuring against failure.”

I - took this personally. Guilty as charged.

I know that I missed out on a lot of joy and creative opportunity by thinking too much about failure.

Again - I took this personally. And have yet to succeed where I want for all the ways I guard against failure.

I will reveal a secret I have withheld until now. Every time I am about to make a first entrance in a play, or the camera is about to roll on an important scene, I say to myself, out loud but very softly, “I don’t give a damn.”

All of this was accompanied by a whiny, rather caricatured East London Jewish accent that I loved at the time, but now realize was probably offensive to many members of the audience. I was happy with my performance then, but regret it now. Sometimes the sentiment It was a different time isn’t enough of a justification.

“It was a different time” isn’t enough of a justification. He said it out loud. Amen!

As the cliché goes, there are no small roles, only small actors.

I try and try and try to instill this into Alistair in his dance and theater roles. He still gets sizable parts, but one day, he might not. And this is VALUABLE. Everyone has a part to play, on stage and off.

But I suspect that what Whoopi Goldberg said to me rings true with many people of color: that Star Trek, in its different incarnations, presents an aspirational future preferable to our present—a future where inclusivity is a given rather than an effort.

We’re still not there. Not yet. But I keep hoping.