Patrick Stewart Looks Back at 'Star Trek' Career, Working With Gene Roddenberry

The 'Picard' star also opened up about his close friendship with Sir Ian McKellen, saying, "I love him deeply."

Patrick Stewart reprises to the role of Jean-Luc Picard in CBS All Access' series Star Trek: Picard, his first time playing the part since the 2002 feature film Nemesis, the final featuring the Next Generation cast.

Stewart joined The Hollywood Reporter In Studio to look at his Star Trek career, share his favorite film from the Trek universe and talk about working with actor and director Jonathan Frakes.

"I think the second movie, which was the one Jonathan Frakes directed, First Contact, I think was outstanding and was the best of our four movies. And some of the episodes that Jonathan directed are also outstanding, and he is directing Star Trek: Picard, two episodes in the first season. And I think I can say with confidence he will be directing in other seasons if and when that happens," he said.

Stewart opened up about working alongside the late Gene Roddenberry, creator of the original Star Trek television series and its first spin-off The Next Generation, revealing that Roddenberry was reluctant to cast him since he was described as an "unknown British Shakespearean actor."

"I am told that somewhere in the cellars of Paramount, there is a memo which came from Gene to everybody in production saying that he did not want to hear my name mentioned again," he said.

Stewart also discussed his close, beloved friendship with fellow actor Sir Ian McKellen, first bonding after sharing adjoining trailers on the set of X-Men in 2000.

"That was when the relationship really began, and it was a simple matter of that we found we had a huge amount in common. I love him deeply. And of course, I think it's generally known now, he actually married my wife and I. He performed the ceremony. He got himself the documents that gave him permission to marry people, and he's only done it once. I know he's had offers to do it, and I think he's been offered a lot of money to marry people, but at the moment it just remains in us."

Star Trek: Picard premieres Jan. 23 on CBS All Access.

Watch more in the video above.

Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com