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Making it So

 


I have finished reading Patrick Stewart’s autobiography, Making it So. I have long been an admirer of Stewart. Being a fan of Star Trek, I was thrilled in 1986 when it was announced that the new Star Trek series which was to be called Star trek; The Next Generation, was to feature him as the captain of the Enterprise: Jean-Luc Picard. It had been a long time since the end of the original series, and us Trekkies eagerly awaited the new one.

I had seen Patrick Stewart a number of times before this. The first time I had seen him (though I didn’t realize it until years later) was in the wonderful miniseries I Claudius. I saw him in Dune and A few other things. It was enough for me to start noticing him. He had a great voice and spoke with conviction. Until reading his book I had no idea that he grew up in a poor household in Yorkshire and had a thick Yorkshire accent. His accent would have sounded something like the scullery maid Daisy or some of the other lower servants in Downton Abbey. This is very different from that Shakespearean baritone we think of coming out of his mouth today.

In Making it So, we watch this young boy discover his love for acting. He was given an opportunity to train and then set off to make his way. His first paid job was at a weekly repertory theater where he was hired to be a part-time actor and part-time stage hand. I said weekly repertory theater. They opened a new show every week. Sunday they would learn lines, then Monday through Thursday they would rehearse, then open the show on Friday and have a matinee and an evening performance on Saturday. Then start all over again. The only word I can think of for this schedule is: relentless.

From that humble beginning, the jobs got better and we watch his rise on the ladder of what would be success. I enjoy acting myself, So I liked watching the journey of an actor I respect. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he participated in a 1984 television show called Playing Shakespeare, which was instrumental for my acting education.

If you, like me, are a fan of Stewart’s work, this is a fun ride.


Star Liner

Comments

  1. Deb ParrJanuary 28, 2024 at 1:04 PM

    Hearing you talk about this book in Person - got ME interested in his story even though I am not a fan of Star Trek !

    ReplyDelete

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