The Real Reason Patrick Stewart Stormed Off The Star Trek: The Next Generation Set
There are a variety of reasons actors storm off of sets, whether it be from a performer calling out the diva antics of their co-star or a an actor being unhappy with the odd behavior of their director. In the case of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" icon Patrick Stewart, the Captain Jean-Luc Picard actor had enough of the tomfoolery of his castmates before unleashing his anger and storming off in disgust.
As Stewart explained in his autobiography, "Making It So: A Memoir," which chronicles his legendary acting career, his traditional Shakespearean theater background did not mesh well with his more laidback colleagues. "On the TNG set, I grew angry with the conduct of my peers, and that's when I called that meeting in which I lectured the cast for goofing off and responded to Denise Crosby's, 'We've got to have some fun sometimes, Patrick' comment by saying, 'We are not here, Denise, to have fun.'"
Luckily, Stewart realized that he was overreacting to the observation of the Lieutenant Tasha Yar actor and was taking himself way too seriously in front of Crosby and their fellow performers. "In retrospect, everyone, me included, finds this story hilarious. But in the moment, when the cast erupted in hysterics at my pompous declaration, I didn't handle it well," Stewart recalled in his memoir. "I didn't enjoy being laughed at. I stormed off the set and into my trailer, slamming the door."
Stewart says Frakes and Spiner called him out over the set lecture
Patrick Stewart eventually found humor in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" lecturing incident and was humbled enough to write about it in "Making it So: A Memoir." However, his co-stars Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner didn't think it was a laughing matter initially.
According to the "X-Men" actor, Frakes and Spiner had a heart-to-heart chat with him, and realized the strict rules he followed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company should have been left behind on stage. "They also made it clear how off-putting it was — and not a case study in good leadership — for me to try to resolve the matter by lecturing and scolding the cast."
It seems as though Stewart's stern lecturing of the cast was an isolated incident. Not only did he and the cast continue to enjoy each other's company for not only the duration of "Star Trek: The Next Generation's" seven-season run in syndication from 1987 to 1994, but they also co-starred in four "Star Trek" movies together from 1994 to 2002. In addition, all of the core "Next Generation" cast members appeared in his spinoff series "Picard," which ran three seasons on Paramount+ from 2020 to 2023.
Essentially, the actor formed a familial bond with his "Next Generation" castmates that has never been broken, leading to a scene in "Star Trek: Nemesis" that made Stewart break down in tears when he realized the impact his co-stars had on him over the years they worked together.