Stewart 'Irritated' At Association with Picard, Sci-Fi

Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard) may have become internationally famous and made a lot of money starring in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature films, but don't suggest to him that he's a science fiction actor.

In a recent interview with Radio Times (via P/C Stories), Stewart snapped at an interviewer who compared his new ITV television series Eleventh Hour to Doctor Who. "That couldn't be more wrong and only came about through some of your lazy colleagues seeing my name and the word 'science' in the same sentence, and the only thing they could think of was science fiction," he said. "It has nothing to do with science fiction."

The series is about a retired physicist investigating scientific issues for the British government, some of which have included excessive (and currently undeveloped) work in cloning and environmental threats. Asked why he had returned to the UK from Hollywood, Stewart said, "I have never, ever understood the idea that once you've done Hollywood movies you've reached the peak of your profession. Because look at them - they're mostly crap." He said homesickness drove him back to England as well, though he misses his Star Trek colleagues.

On the other hand, he doesn't miss Picard. "It continues to irritate now when I'm introduced as 'Star Trek's Patrick Stewart,'" he said. Though he is "very proud of the television series", he noted that he has often been disturbed at being so closely identified with Jean-Luc Picard.

The full interview is at Picard/Crusher Stories. Thanks to TrekWeb for the link. Fans interested in Stewart's Hollywood roles can find an interview about his upcoming X-Men film here.

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