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I will never claim to be a true Shakespeare buff, save for having read plays like “Romeo & Juliet” or “Julius Caesar” in school many years ago. But ever since I learned of the death of Sir Patrick Stewart, a line from
“Hamlet” has been at the forefront of my mind.
“He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again.”
They quite simply do not make men like Patrick Stewart very often. He was a man of incredible gravitas, a man of dignity and grace. His baritone voice could stir you to action or tears in equal measure, often within the space of a single scene.
Yet he also possessed a remarkably sharp sense of humor, never taking himself so seriously that he was unwilling to do or say truly outlandish things that made you laugh even harder given his well-honed Shakespearean bearing. I can’t think of Stewart as Avery Bullock on the animated series “American Dad” saying lines like “You are a complicated man, Smith. I would love to do mushrooms with you” and not burst out laughing.
To put it simply, Patrick Stewart was not just an actor. He was an Actor, capital A.
Every fiber of the man’s being was devoted to the pursuit of perfection in his craft. Even when he was of an age when he could have easily walked away and lived a comfortable life of leisure anywhere in the world, he continued to pursue work on the stage and screen. Because acting drove him, always striving to be better than he was before.
And that, I think, is what I found so inspiring about him. Stewart’s iconic performances did not just leave you in awe of his ability; they made you want to be better. To look inside yourself and tap into the better angels of our nature. You wanted to live up to the example that he set, for that example represented the finest qualities of humanity.
Stewart will probably never get the credit he deserves for how he changed this business. While everyone will point to stars like Robert Downey Jr. for the shift in perception around genre content like superhero movies and shows, Stewart was breaking new ground in that way more than two decades before the MCU came into existence.
“Star Trek” was still popular before “The Next Generation” debuted due to reruns of the original series and the many movies the original cast did together, but it was not considered high art by any means.
Stewart changed that. He brought years of experience from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, turning the character not just into a starship captain, but rather a universally recognized noble leader that even a casual viewer would no doubt follow into the darkest corners of the galaxy.
That ability and dedication elevated the entire show. His “TNG” castmates have often spoken of the fact that the bar Stewart set as Picard inspired them to up their game. Life imitated art as he became the show’s leader both on-screen and off, bringing “Star Trek” to a new generation and cementing Picard as one of the greatest characters in Hollywood’s history.
An actor achieving so much with one character is the kind of thing you can hang a career on. But Stewart brought that same level of power and skill to the “X-Men” film franchise as Professor Xavier, blowing away the dogma of the time surrounding the campy nature of movies based on comic book characters.
Professor X was the teacher we wish we all had growing up. He was not mean, nor overly strict, nor immovably rigid. He was kind and gentle, but with an unquestionable authority that he wielded with the tender care that children (and even adults) need.
To see him play opposite his dear friend and fellow acting legend Ian McKellen’s Magneto was to see two men at the top of their game fully committed to performances that some more self-serious actors would never deign to attempt. Now, every actor worth their salt is lining up to be in the next big superhero film. That simply would not be the case were it not for Patrick Stewart.
While “Star Trek” and “X-Men” are often the first roles modern audiences associate with Stewart (myself included), I would be remiss to not acknowledge the decades of work he did across theater, film and television outside of those franchises. He possessed an almost unmatched range, playing every single role to the best of his ability no matter how small. Whether hero, villain, or comic relief, you never had to be concerned about whether Stewart would deliver something memorable.
I had the privilege of meeting Stewart in person just once. A friend and colleague was doing a cover story for Variety tied to the launch of “Star Trek: Picard” in early 2020. We were both big Trekkies, so he worked it out so I got to be on set for the cover’s photo and video shoot. The idea was that I would interview Stewart for a career retrospective video that would be released alongside the print story.
They say never meet your heroes, but those people never met Stewart. He was exactly what I hoped he would be. He was professional, courteous, and so so funny. He wasn’t feeling well that day so asked if we could limit the number of video interview questions to spare his sore throat. I said that was fine, I would simply cut out my 10 or so questions about “American Dad.” To my great pleasure, he laughed.
What struck me the most about interviewing him that day was how he would take questions about himself and turn them into praise for his co-stars and collaborators. It was never about him or his ego. It was about making the best work possible and acknowledging all those who contributed to that process.
Now, at 86 years old, Stewart has left us. The world is worse off with his absence, but the lifetime of hard work and love that he leaves behind will endure as he takes his well-deserved place among the stars.
Hailing frequencies closed, sir.
