“That was a really interesting series [Threshold ] that I think would've been really great had it continued. I know Brannon Braga, who was running the show at the time, had a lot of really interesting ideas for what was going to happen the second, third, fourth, and fifth seasons, and they had it really planned out what was going to go on. But CBS just decided to pull the plug on it.” ThinkingKnowsIdeasShowsHappensRunningInterestingGoes OnDecidedThirdsSeasonsSeriesFourthReally GreatFifthReally InterestingThresholdPlugsInteresting Ideas Author:Brent Spiner
“We were kind of never one of CBS favorites [with Threshold], even though we'd gotten really good reviews for the pilot. We were on at, what was it, 10 o'clock on a Friday night? That's kind of where you bury a show if you don't want it to last. But, wow, what a cast, huh? You could never get that cast together again.” IfsWantKindShowsTogetherLastsNightCastsClockReviewsWowPilotsFridayThresholdTogether AgainFriday Night Author:Brent Spiner
“One of the things about working on Star Trek that was always so great was that we all got along as well as we did. We really became family.” WellsStars Author:Brent Spiner
“I was, like, "Wow, is this ever going to happen again? Am I ever going to work with another bunch of people I get along with this well?" And then, sure enough, Threshold was just a great bunch of people, and I thought, "Hey, I could hang with these people for a long time!" But, unfortunately, it was 13 episodes and we were out of there.” PeopleWellsLongEnoughHappensLong TimeBunchHeyWowEpisodesGoing To WorkThreshold Author:Brent Spiner
“[Out To Sea] was like a dream come true for me, because I got to work with Jack [Lemmon] and Walter [Matthau], who were unbelievable.” DreamSeaUnbelievableDreams Come True Author:Brent Spiner
“That job [on Out to Sea], more than any I've ever done, I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning. And not only that, but I had a great part. So it was just beyond fun on every level.” DoneJobsFunWaitingLevelsMorningSea Author:Brent Spiner
“When I go to the old folks' home, I'm gonna be sitting in a rocking chair, telling everybody how I worked with Jack [Lemmon] and Walter [Matthau].” HomeSittingFolksChairsRocking ChairsFolks Home Author:Brent Spiner
“We got to be really good friends [Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau]. It was just thrilling, every day. Every single day. I had a big couple of musical numbers in [Out to Sea], and I remember doing one of them and shooting it from beginning to end.” EndsBigsRememberNumbersSeaCoupleMusicalShootingGood FriendThrillingReally Good Friends Author:Brent Spiner
“Of course, when you see [ musical numbers] in the movie [Out To Sea ], it's cut into a lot with other scenes, but we shot the number straight through, so here I am doing it, and sitting right in front of me in the audience was Donald O'Connor. And I was, like, "Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm performing a musical number in front of Donald O'Connor," who's one of the greats of the silver screen. But it was a thrilling experience, it really was.” BelieveI CanCoursesNumbersAudienceCuttingSeaFrontsSceneShotsSittingMusicalScreensPerformingSilverThrillingHere I Am Author:Brent Spiner
“[Out To Sea] began a relationship I had with [director] Martha Coolidge for a few years that was wonderful, and she certainly cast me in the best roles I've ever had in film.” YearsFilmRolesWonderfulSeaDirectorsCasts Author:Brent Spiner
“[The Aviator] came about through John Logan, who I've been friends with for many years.” YearsAviator Author:Brent Spiner
“John Logan is maybe the No. 1 screenwriter in the world today, not to mention that he won a Tony for Best Play for Red. So he may just be the best writer period right now. He wrote The Aviator, and I was in New York doing a play, and he asked if they would see me for the film, just meet with me. 'Cause that's what Martin Scorsese does.” IfsWorldMayDoePlayTodayFilmCausesNew YorkPeriodsRight NowRedBeing The BestWorld TodayScreenwritersAviatorScorsese Author:Brent Spiner
“John Logan pretty much does the Woody Allen thing of just bringing people in and meeting them.” PeopleDoeMeetingsWoody Author:Brent Spiner
“I didn't audition or anything like that. But I went into John Loganhis office... It was his screening room in his office, actually, and I sat and schmoozed with him for about two minutes, which I think is standard, and, y'know, we got on fine.” ThinkingKnowsTwoRoomsMinutesFineOfficeStandardsSatAuditionsScreening Author:Brent Spiner
“John Logan was kind of wrapping up - "Well, thanks for coming in..." - and I thought, "Oh, God, this is over and I'm out of here, and I really don't want to leave."So I said, "Can I ask you a question?" He said, "Sure." "What movie do you think you've seen more than any other movie?" And he said, "Wow, let me think about that. I guess probably The Searchers." And I said, "Well, oddly, that's the movie I've seen more than any other movie." And I wasn't just BS-ing. It's true. It's my favorite movie.” ThinkingWantWellsKindSaidAsksLet MeMy FavoriteThanksWowWrappingSearchersWrapping Up Author:Brent Spiner
“We [with John Logan] started talking about The Searchers, and then he went on to tell me a story about when he first met John Wayne, and he said, "Hey, you be me and I'll be Wayne," and I said, "No, let me be Wayne!" Anyway, it was a very pleasant conversation, it was clear to him that I was a big movie fan, and by the time I got home, there was a phone call, asking if I'd mind doing one scene in the movie [The Aviator].” IfsMindFirstsSaidStoriesHomeBigsTalkingClearFansMetsSceneConversationLet MeAskingPhonesHeyPleasantPhone CallsWayneHey YouBig MovieAviatorSearchers Author:Brent Spiner
“I'm, like, y'know, I didn't have a problem doing one scene in Dude, Where's My Car? I'm certainly not going to have a problem doing one scene in a [Martin] Scorsese movie!” KnowsProblemCarSceneScorsese Author:Brent Spiner
“It was a fabulous experience shooting [in the Aviator], working with Leo [DiCaprio] and Danny Huston in the scene. It was great. I think what was most eye-opening about it was that [Martin] Scorsese was just like any good director you work with.” ThinkingEyeSceneDirectorsOpeningShootingFabulousEye OpeningGood DirectorsAviatorScorseseLeo Dicaprio Author:Brent Spiner
“[Martin Scorsese ] basically works just like any other director. You work the scene, you try to find what's best in it and make it work. That's what it was like.” TryingSceneDirectorsScorsese Author:Brent Spiner
“Pierre [from Dude, Where's My Car?] could be the best thing I've ever done. When you distill it down to a minute and a half of work, that may be my finest effort.” MayDoneEffortHalfMinutesCarBest ThingsBeing The BestFinest Author:Brent Spiner
“I think honestly, believe it or not, that Dude, Where's My Car? in a way represents its time better than almost any film made around that.” ThinkingWayBelieveMadeFilmCarHonestly Author:Brent Spiner
“You look at that movie [Dude, Where's My Car?] now, and you know exactly when it was made. And that's what kids were like then.” KnowsLooksMadeKidsCar Author:Brent Spiner
“That's what kids were like then. So I really like the movie [Dude, Where's My Car? ], I think it's genuinely funny, and I wish I hadn't been so arrogant about it. And, of course, I didn't know it was going to be my best work, either.” ThinkingKnowsKidsCoursesWishCarArrogantBest Work Author:Brent Spiner
“I think Night Court was the first thing I did when I came out to Hollywood. It was just one of those things that... I'm from Texas, and it was a character I'd been doing when I was a kid, just for fun.” ThinkingFirstsCharacterKidsNightFunHollywoodCourtJust OneTexasJust For FunNight Court Author:Brent Spiner
“Rick Berman, who produced Star Trek, was a big Night Court fan. So he knew who I was as soon as I walked in.” BigsNightStarsFansCourtNight Court Author:Brent Spiner
“[Billy Bob Conroy role] that was a favor. Actually, the lady who cast Night Court asked me to do it, because it was a Friday, and the person who'd been rehearsing it all week got sick and couldn't come to the taping. And she figured I could put it together pretty quickly - it was not all that big a challenge, frankly - and I said, "Of course." I owed her, after all. Gilda Stratton was her name. She was a really, really nice person. So I did it.” PersonsSaidBigsTogetherNightCoursesNamesChallengesRolesNiceWeekSickCourtCastsFavorsBobFridayReally NiceRehearsingNice PersonNight Court Author:Brent Spiner
“I know a guy who writes on the show, it was his episode, and he called and said, "Would you do it?" And I said, "Yeah." There's not really much else to tell, except that I was thrilled to be on The Simpsons, because it's one of the greatest series in the history of television.” KnowsWritingSaidShowsGuyTelevisionYeahSeriesEpisodes Author:Brent Spiner
“Voice acting is about the easiest thing to do. You roll out of bed, throw your clothes on that you had on the night before, you go into the studio, and nobody cares, just as long as you can speak.” LongCareNightSpeakVoiceActingBedClothesStudiosThings To DoNobody CaresVoice Acting Author:Brent Spiner
“[Voice acting] is such an easy job. It's like stealing money, really. Which I'm always happy to do.” JobsEasyVoiceActingStealingAlways HappyVoice Acting Author:Brent Spiner
“Dana Carvey is hilarious. He's a really, really funny, talented guy. You know, I can't think of anything I've ever done that I regret doing, and I certainly don't regret doing Master Of Disguise, because I got to hang around Dana.” ThinkingKnowsI CanDoneGuyMastersRegretDisguiseI RegretDon't Regret Author:Brent Spiner
“I got to play a funny part [in the The Master Of Disguise]. There was one thing my character did that involved flatulence and laughing at the same time - that was in the script - and that was basically what sold me on it. I really thought, "This can't help but be funny." And when I saw the film, I was proud that I'd had those moments.” PlayMomentsCharacterHelpingFilmLaughingSawsOne ThingMastersProudInvolvedScriptsDisguiseFlatulence Author:Brent Spiner
“Of those, the only one that really stands out for me is Tales From The Darkside, for a couple of reasons, one in particular being who I got to work with on it, which was Eddie Bracken. I mean, what a man. Someone who's done Preston Sturges movies, and I actually got to work with him? And he was great.” MenMeanReasonDoneParticularCoupleTalesStanding Out Author:Brent Spiner
“I really enjoyed Eddie Bracken. He told me a great story. He did The Odd Couple on Broadway, replacing Art Carney, and he said, "Art Carney did it for six months and I did it for three years, and I don't think anyone I've ever spoken to saw me. They all saw Art Carney."” ThinkingYearsArtSaidStoriesThreeSawsMonthsCoupleSixEnjoyedOddThree YearsBroadwaySix MonthsOdd Couple Author:Brent Spiner
“The kid in the episode [of Tales From The Darkside ] was played by Christian Slater! He was all of about 12 or so, but I've run into Christian many times since then, and he always does his line from Tales From The Darkside whenever he sees me.” DoeRunningKidsChristianLinesTalesEpisodes Author:Brent Spiner
“There's such a grand fraternity of actors who've played the Joker, not the least of whom is Mark Hamill, who voiced it for so long and was so great. I did it one time and... I've gotten some feedback on it from people who've seen it and really enjoyed it, but I don't know.” PeopleKnowsLongActorsMarkEnjoyedOne TimeFeedbackFraternity Author:Brent Spiner
“I don't know if the character's come back and it was someone else playing it, or maybe they never did it again. But I loved it. It was a great part [The Joker] to play.” IfsKnowsPlayCharacter Author:Brent Spiner
“Rent Control was an interesting movie. It was directed by... I had done a couple of plays off Broadway, and this Italian director came, his name was Gian Luigi Polidoro, and he determined I was the person to play the lead in his low-budget comedy. He'd won an award at the Venice Film Festival, and... He was, y'know, a skilled director.” KnowsPersonsDonePlayFilmNamesInterestingComedyCoupleDirectorsLowsDeterminedBudgetsAwardsItalianBroadwayFestivalsVeniceLead InFilm FestivalsRent Control Author:Brent Spiner
“Gian Luigi Polidoro and his girlfriend had written this script, it was an American comedy, and they decided I was the guy to play the part. I was young, they offered me the lead in the film, and I said, "Sure, I'll do it." And I'm telling you, there is a movie waiting to be made about the making of a movie like that, particularly at that time in New York. I mean, we shot all over the streets of New York without permits. We would literally grab a shot and run. But Rent Control... I think the total cost was $100,000, and to this director's credit, I think it looks like $200,000.” ThinkingLooksMeanMadeSaidPlayRunningFilmYoungGuyWaitingComedyWrittenStreetsNew YorkCostDirectorsShotsDecidedScriptsCreditGirlfriendPermitLead InRent Control Author:Brent Spiner
“Rent Control is not a terrible movie, certainly not for the budget they had. And, again, it's such an '80s kind of thing.” KindTerribleBudgets80sRent Control Author:Brent Spiner
“It just occurred to me that there are some beautiful shots [in Rent Control] with the World Trade Center in the background.” WorldBeautifulShotsTradeBackgroundsWorld TradeWorld Trade CenterRent Control Author:Brent Spiner
“I can tell you one other story about Rent Control. The lead actress in the film, her name was Elizabeth Stack, and it turned out she was Robert Stack's daughter. The only problem with that - and she was lovely - was that she was basically hired because [Gian Luigi Polidoro] thought she was [film producer] Ray Stark's daughter. And he figured that if he ran out of money, her father would kick in some more. I can still remember the day he freaked out when he realized she was actually Robert Stack's daughter. He was just screaming "Untouchables!" over and over.” IfsStillsI CanStoriesProblemRememberFilmFatherNamesDaughterActressesLovelyProducersRanKicksRaysStarksUntouchablesRent Control Author:Brent Spiner
“Earl Mills is probably the best role I've ever been given in a film. And it was a great experience to work with Halle [Berry] and Klaus Maria Brandauer, an Austrian actor who's a hero of mine. Martha Coolidge directed the movie [Introducing Dorothy Dandridge], giving me another shot, and it was an amazing experience.” GivingFilmActorsGivenRolesMinesHeroShotsIntroducingMillsBerriesGreat ExperiencesAmazing Experiences Author:Brent Spiner
“I try to do as much as I can. I probably knew more about Earl Mills than anybody on earth besides people who actually knew him.” PeopleTryingI CanEarthMills Author:Brent Spiner
“As it turns out, sometimes that bites you. In this case, I saw pictures of Earl [Mills], and...I actually met him. He was quite old at the time, but he had this sort of curly red hair, so we did that in the film. I got a perm and had red hair, and... It was a mess.” SometimesFilmTurnsCasesSawsHairMetsRedMessBitesMillsRed HairPerms Author:Brent Spiner
“I wanted to look right. I remember a review - a very positive one - in The New York Times that said I was so good in the role [Earl Mills] that I "even managed to overcome a terrible red wig." I wanted to write her and tell her about the agony I'd gone through with the perm, but I thought better of it.” WritingLooksSaidWantedRememberRolesGoneNew YorkTerribleRedOvercomingReviewsAgonyNew York TimesMillsWigsVery PositivePerms Author:Brent Spiner
“I don't think everybody wanted to be on [new Star Trek series] . I certainly didn't.” ThinkingWantedStarsSeries Author:Brent Spiner
“It wasn't exactly a cattle call. I had an agent, and they were seeing people for the parts, so my agent said, "Here's the script, see if there's anything that speaks to you." And I did, and I called my agent and said, "I think this character Data is kind of interesting," and she said, "Well, okay, I'll get you the appointment with Junie Lowry." I had to read with the casting agent first, 'cause nobody really knew me then. Then after that, I had, I think, six different auditions for the role. And finally it was me [on Star Trek].” PeopleIfsThinkingFirstsWellsKindSaidDifferentCharacterSpeakStarsCausesInterestingRolesSeeingSixOkayScriptsAgentsDataAuditionsCastingAppointmentsCattle Author:Brent Spiner
“It really was not that difficult a process, because I was playing [Data from Star Trek] something that doesn't exist. So it was really based on... Imagination was the key element in that, and whatever I could think of, I could do, because there was no precedent for it. It wasn't like someone was going to say, "Well, an android would never do that." They didn't know!” ThinkingKnowsWellsStarsProcessDifficultImaginationKeysElementsDataPrecedentAndroids Author:Brent Spiner
“I didn't really watch the show [Star Trek]. I still haven't seen about 150 of them. So I didn't really think of them too much in terms of episodes. I thought of them as kind of one long seven-year episode.” ThinkingYearsKindLongStillsShowsStarsTermWatchesToo MuchHavensSevenEpisodesSeven Years Author:Brent Spiner
