Picard Quotes

One of the things that I`ve come to understand is that as I talk a lot about Picard, what I find is that I`m talking about myself.

(Discussing whether or not he is typecast by audiences as Jean-Luc Picard): I think perhaps when I first walk in front of the camera they`ll say, "Aha, there, ah, yeah, Jean-Luc, we recognize him despite that charming little mustache." I believe that audiences are really smart enough to let go of that pretty quickly, but that`s also my job as an actor to persuade them that, you know, Jean-Luc Picard is left behind and this is someone entirely different... I mean, I`m an actor dedicated to transforming myself and to creating original pieces of work, and I will not accept that my life is going to be forever connected to Jean-Luc Picard in the roles that I play. On the other hand, I`m absolutely delighted that he`s still in my life. Actually, I think my appearance in The Simpsons and an appearance that I did on Sesame Street - in praise of the letter B - were perhaps the two most distinguished bits of work that I`ve done in the United States. (Discussing his love for Beavis & Butthead): Oh, yes, my passion for them remains the same... I think it`s one of the most original and brilliant pieces of television that we`ve seen in recent years. The dialogue is delightful. I simply sit and giggle and laugh all the time.

Her thoughts on why Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) failed at the box office: "I think the fans want to see the whole team in action, while that was very much Picard taking center stage. Also, I didn`t think Tom (Hardy) was at all convincing as a young Patrick (Stewart). Don`t get me wrong - he`s a great, great actor and a really lovely guy, but he didn`t look a bit like Patrick at all. They should have cast James Marsters. They auditioned him, you know. I think, physically, he was much more suitable for the part" (SFX magazine, Sept 2006).

The character was like the Prince and the Pauper or more like Greystoke to me. He essentially has not had the same circumstances and experiences. Picard doesn`t have the same baggage that Shinzon carries. So, that was more freeing. He is essentially an orphan and an abused child, who becomes an emperor. There were moves that I had to play with, that did not have anything to do with Picard. The whole film is about why they are not similar. So, the relationship had a ground basis to work from. - on Shinzon, his character from "Nemesis"

If Picard can baldly go, why not Picardo?

On working in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998): "I hadn`t seen much of Star Trek, so this really was like stepping into a whole new universe. But I feel a sense of honor and responsibility being in it, because I know that the fans of the series and films have such affection for and devotion to all the cast members, and particularly Picard. So I take my seduction of him very seriously." (1998)

Oh, my God - I am really shaping the destiny of these characters. There`s Patrick as Jean-Luc Picard, and he`s now going to do a scene that I wrote. So that for me was the biggest sort of fan/professional synthesis.