One of Patrick Stewart’s most iconic roles is that of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise. But if he had listened to his friend Ian McKellen’s advice, he might not done it.
In his new memoir, Making It So: A Memoir, Stewart wrote that McKellen nearly “bodily prevented” him from signing the contract to appear in Star Trek, according to Variety. “‘No!’ he said. ‘No, you must not do that. You must not.'”
Just received the very first copy of my memoir, Making It So.
Available October 3 ➡️ https://t.co/nRy2LWkIu9 #MakingItSo @GalleryBooks @simonschusterUK @SimonSchusterCA @SimonSchusterIN pic.twitter.com/6LW6gTaeKJ
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) September 27, 2023
Before Stewart became a household name in film and television, he was an established, award-winning actor in the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stewart said that McKellen, a theater actor as well, told him, “You have too much important theater work to do. You can’t throw that away to do TV.”