Patrick Stewart bids farewell to Jean-Luc Picard at ‘Star Trek: Picard’ finale screening in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After 36 years, Patrick Stewart bid an emotional farewell to his iconic 'Star Trek' character, Jean-Luc Picard, at a finale screening for ‘Star Trek: Picard’. The 82-year-old British actor looked sharp in a classy ensemble at the season finale screening that was held at The Grove in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 19.
The ‘Macbeth’ actor oozed confidence in a slate blue coat that was paired with black dress pants. Stewart layered the ensemble with a classy turtle neck and rocked a pair of white sneakers for the event. The screening took place just hours before the Season 3 finale and series finale of ‘Star Trek: Picard’ aired on the Paramount Plus streaming service. Stewart's co-stars, including Michael Dorn, who portrayed Worf in the 'Star Trek' series, joined him on the red carpet. Other attendees of the screening were Jeri Ryan, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, and Brent Spiner, among others.
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Stewart almost turned down the role
With the series finale, Stewart said goodbye to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, whom he first played in 1987 when he appeared in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation'. Patrick not only stars as retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in the critically-acclaimed sci-fi spin-off, but he also serves as executive producer. Last month, Stewart admitted that he almost turned down Picard’s role in the debut movie when producers first approached him.
The 'X-Men' actor, who was classically trained at the British Old Vic Theatre School, recalled he was "giving lectures and talking at universities" in California, and 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry heard about it. "I got a call from my Hollywood agent, who I'd never met," Stewart said during an interview on ‘This Morning’, according to the Daily Mail. The actor said his agent asked him two questions that left him surprised.
Are there more seasons of ‘Star Trek: Picard’?
"He said, "I've got two questions... what were you doing at UCLA last night and why would Gene want to see you this morning?"' Stewart said, adding, "Back then, it seemed improbable and unlikely. It was a six-year contract. I said, "No, I have theatre commitments. My agent said, "You'd be lucky to make it through the first year.” I quickly found the experiences I had at the Royal Shakespeare Company were perfect and ideal for putting on the captain's uniform and commanding the enterprise."
While Stewart bid farewell to Jean-Luc Picard, he previously teased that there might be more seasons of ‘Star Trek: Picard’ ahead of the 10-episode third season. "If we can maintain the work that we did on Seasons One, two, and Three of Picard, then absolutely, yes. Because there is still enormous potential for narrative in what we've been doing, and there are doors left open, still. We didn't close all of them," he said at the Television Critics Association's 2023 winter press tour, as per Daily Mail. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman also agreed with Stewart and said, "Anything is possible. If a show blows the doors of the place, as we're certainly hoping it will, and we're very, very proud of season three, who knows?"