- Q&A session at StarTrek.com -
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01.17.01 |
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Kate Mulgrew ("Captain Kathryn Janeway") is currently rehearsing for her one-woman show, "Tea at Five," based on the life of Katharine Hepburn. The play, written by Matthew Lombardo, will open at the Hartford Stage on February 7, 2002. STARTREK.COM welcomes Ms. Kate Mulgrew to our chat. Kate Mulgrew: Well, hello everyone! I'm most anxious to find out what provocative and compelling questions you have for me. Question: How do you feel about "Tea at Five" being a one-woman play? Do you find it liberating or frightening to be alone on stage? Kate Mulgrew: Both. This is the first time I've been on the stage in eight years and I can think of no more challenging prospect than portraying the life of this extraordinary creature. Q: Have you actually met Kate Hepburn? KM: I have not, although rumor has it the lady herself will be attending the theatre. Talk about frightening. Q: How's your husband's campaign for governor of Ohio progressing? And how do you like living in the Cleveland area? KM: Thank you for that question, captain. My husband's campaign as you might imagine is rigorous, arduous and daunting but there is no man better suited to this particular undertaking than my extraordinary husband. KM: And anywhere he goes is bliss to me including Cleveland. Q: Any plans to take "Tea at Five" anywhere besides Hartford? KM: Evidently! The artistic director, Michael Wilson, informs me that this is the case and I will be meeting with him to discuss these future prospects at the end of the week. Q: What is the most important legacy your parents have left you?? And what legacy do you hope to leave your own children? KM: Empathy. It is the key to happiness in life and beyond that discipline. Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? KM: What spare time? KM: When I have leisure I love to read, I love to cook, I love to entertain but above all I love to laugh. Q: Who's your favorite playwright for the theatre and why? KM: Clearly Matthew Lombardo for he has written "Tea At Five" exclusively for me. But there is a list you know...Tennessee Williams, Shakespeare of course, Ibsen was great. It's endless. Q: Hi Kate, which is your favorite Voyager episode? KM: Impossible to choose. When I reflect on my Voyager experience it seems to me that I was totally present for all of the stories but it certainly didn't hurt being kissed every now and then. Q: What was it like to work with both John de Lancie and Keegan de Lancie together in Q2? KM: Remarkable and disconcerting. John I know he's extraordinary, extravagant and unpredictable but to see this smaller imagining of himself with the same gifts apparent was truly disarming. Q: Is there any thing you learned playing Capt. Janeway that you take with you now? KM: Again, discipline. A funny lesson and that is that there is really time for everything except cruelty. KM: I have learned in my life not to sweat the small stuff. Q: What was your favorite comical moment on Voyager? KM: Any time Bob Picardo was behaving outrageously ... whether in costume or out. I found myself absolutely dissolved. Q: Ms. Mulgrew, how big of a part do you have in "Strek Trek: Nemesis"? KM: Oh, very small. It's just one scene but crucial to the plot. I have to give Captain Picard his instructions. Q: Hi Kate. I am from Limerick, in the south east of Ireland. I know Tim is Irish. Have you ever been to my part of the world? KM: Certainly I have! Many times and this is for all of you Irish people: my husband's and my dream is to retire on the west coast of Ireland. There is no more beautiful place in the entire world. Q: Are you enjoying your return to the theatre? KM: Enormously! Today was revealing because it showed me that I must pace myself in an entirely new way because this work is very deep and by necessity quite exhausting. Q: What inspired you to get into acting? KM: The corn fields of Iowa. Need I say more?
KM: What a marvelous name! Hedda Gabler, no question about it. And I think this one will leave an indelible mark. However, having said that I must also say that I have loved every role I have ever played at the time I was playing it. Q: What is your favorite book and what do you like to cook? KM: Book, cook ... my favorite book? Almost impossible to choose. The treasure trove of literature is so vast and life is oh so short. Fiction, "War and Peace," non-fiction ... any of the superb autobiographies or biographies. Most recently "Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay." KM: Cooking? I can cook a chicken 102 different ways. Q: What makes you laugh? KM: Ribald, risque, shocking humor. Let me put it another way ... Robbie McNeill, Tim Russ and Robert Beltran. After midnight, on the bridge. KM: That makes me laugh. Q: Do you know that the Star Trek saga is very popular in Poland? KM: No, I didn't! How fascinating. Q: Who is you second-favorite captain? KM: I can't really say that ... Q: Hi ... Janeway had many hairstyles, which one was your fave? KM: OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! KM: The bun of steel or the pageboy, or could it have been one of the eighty-two in between? Q: Do you wish Voyager could have lasted longer? KM: No, as in all things in life it ended when it needed to end. Q: If you could change something about your character, what would it be? KM: I would fill her up with more laughter and more life. Q: What do you think of Enterprise? KM: I haven't seen it but I hear it's quite good. Scott Bakula in particular. Q: What do you miss most about Voyager? KM: My friends. Q: Who are your role models in life? KM: My mother and although this sounds Pollyanna, my husband...that's the truth. Q: Hello from South Korea Ms.Mulgrew!! I have this question that I always wanted to ask: If there is a real Starfleet, would you join it? KM: Gee, and give up the life of Katharine Hepburn? I don't think I could ever forgive myself. Q: Do you really like black coffee? KM: No, I take mine with cream. Q: Do you get to see the other Voyager cast members often? KM: Those who have become my very close friends. Picardo, McNeill and John Ethan. Q: Are you planning any cast reunions? KM: Well, we are inclined upon occasion to reunite at these conventions which solves that problem for us. Q: Kate. As you are appearing as Katharine Hepburn, which fellow cast member would you like to see on the stage playing a celebrity and why? KM: You mean they weren't all those years?! KM: Robert Beltran does an absolutely stunning imitation of Marlon Brando, Ronald Reagan and Burt Lancaster all at once. Q: Please tell us more about your project playing Katharine Hepburn she is a phenomenal actress and I can't think of anyone more suited for the role. KM: Thank you. This is not a vanity piece. This is a very bold and subtle exploration of Ms. Hepburn's life in which I span her entire career. I must be out of my mind ... Q: Who is your favorite actor/actress? KM: Meryl Streep always comes instantly to mind but the Brits are pretty remarkable. KM: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith ... all of them. Q: What is your favorite Hepburn movie? (You MUST pick one) KM: I've seen them all ..."A Lion In Winter" bedazzled me. Q: Are you as a good singer as Bob Picardo? KM: Are you kidding?! I was never allowed to open my mouth if you may recall for one moment in Voyager and burst into song lest our ratings plummet. Q: Do you go to a lot of movies? Which ones have you seen recently, and which are your favourites? KM: Interesting because I don't go to nearly as many movies as I once did. This I think is a natural byproduct of shooting in my own career. Recently I saw "A Beautiful Mind," pretty good though inaccurate but "Sexy Beast" was out of this world! Q: Do you have any other plans after your stage play? KM: I nap. I have to get back on the campaign trail with my husband or else ... Q: Does Neelix really know how to cook? KM: *laughs* You know he's asked me to dinner a few times and strangely enough something's always come up to pre-empt it ... that should answer your question. Q: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind and what are their names? KM: I do indeed ... a chocolate lab ... very old, her name is Gracie and my darling and very smart cockatiel Butler. Q: How is your daily routine different now that you are back in theater? KM: One could say judging from the schedule that it's easier but it doesn't feel that way at all. I work a steady six hours and believe me it is as straining as eighteen hours on the soundstage. Q: If you were confronted with some of the crises that faced Janeway how do you think you would have coped? KM: As a Roman Catholic, on my knees. Certainly with very little of her esteemable chops but hopefully without absolute cowardice. Q: Will you becoming back for more conventions in the UK? We loved you at the Blackpool convention. How did it feel to sign 3700 autographs? KM: Make that 4500! KM: My poor hand ... but a greater group of people I have not yet encountered and it would be a pleasure to return. KM: What about London proper? Q: Do you practice any sports? KM: I swim almost everyday. In my pool at home 100 laps. KM: Of course, it's a rather small pool. *laughs* Q: You are catholic? How interesting! Do you have a favorite saint? KM: Indeed I do, Terese of Lisieux, otherwise known as The Little Flower. I love her simplicity and beauty. Q: If asked, how soon would you do another television series? KM: It's almost impossible to speculate at this point, but it is not in my immediate future plans. I would very much like to indulge myself in the theatre for a while. Q: Will we see you in New York anytime soon? KM: I live in New York so I imagine yes, I will be. *laughs* Q: Do you have any siblings? KM: There were eight of us. Two of my sisters died and there are six surviving all of whom I adore. Q: Are you artistic? KM: No, but I come from a painting background. My mother is a wonderful artist so I think that creative gene was passed on. Q: How do you feel just seconds before you go on stage? KM: You don't want to know... KM: It is beyond anything most people will ever experience and that I suppose is the bright side of the picture. Q: What do you think of all the attention you get from being a TV star? Do you ever get any privacy? KM: It certainly isn't overwhelming, and it is after all to be expected in view of the fact that one has a modicum of notoriety. I have always tried to accept my celebrity with grace and a scintilla of absurdity. Q: Kate, ever work with Bill Shatner?? KM: Not worked with him but I've played with him and that's a lot of fun! Q: If you could rename the USS VOYAGER what would you call it? Or would you rename it? KM: Oh, I couldn't possibly rename it. It would be like renaming one of my children. Q: Any embarrassing moments on stage you could tell us about? KM: On the opening night of Othello, when Othello was putting out the light (meaning strangling me) he shook me so hard my wig fell off and flew into the front row. Q: Do you have a favorite period in history? KM: The Romans intrigue me ... the Roman Empire. Of course the turn of the 20th century was splendid and 2002 ain't chopped liver. Q: Do you like to Dance? KM: I love to dance. Salsa preferably. KM: I actually have thought about writing my memoirs but I think it might be a bit precipitous right now. However, in the future when I do, Voyager will undoubtedly claim at least three chapters. Regarding any Star Trek fan events in Hartford, Connecticut having to do with "Tea At Five," if you're interested go to this website for details: www.ussnautilus.com. STARTREK.COM: Let's have a big round of applause for Ms. Mulgrew, who graciously took time out from her rigorous rehearsals for "Tea at Five." We wish her all the best with the production and hope that some of you are fortunate enough to see the play in Hartford, CT. KM: I begin and end this play with a line that fits this occasion "What fun!" Thank you very much. mellieanne: Break a leg! annamarie: Bye!!!!! From Holland! syphro: *clapping* ivanv: Greetings from Montenegro littlejaneway: *hugs* mireille22: love you darlantan: *claps lots* Way to Kate!! ikonian: Bye from Canada! |