[CON] Kate Mulgrew Convention Review

[Sashi Alexandra German]

Make It So Productions Women of Star Trek Convention, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Saturday May 26, 2001
Guest: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager)
By Sashi Alexandra German <sa...@feith.com>
(C) Copyright 2001 Sashi Alexandra German, <sa...@feith.com>
All Rights Reserved

In the end the long drive from Philadelphia to Cleveland and back was worth
it - Kate Mulgrew was beyond stunning in her convention appearance on this
day, showing elegance, style, graciousness and patience as she faced a crowd
of what must have been over a thousand people in the Ballroom of the
Renaissance Hotel. Dressed in a stunning white pantsuit with black sweater
and gold necklace, she enchanted the crowd from the very beginning and held
everyone's attention for the over the hour time that she spoke and then
signed autographs.

Kate has not done many conventions during her seven year run with Star Trek:
Voyager. There have been precious few here and there and half of them have
been out of the country. It was interesting to see her in her new home city
of Cleveland, which delighted the local folks no end. My understanding is
that this appearance of hers was the beginning of a string of upcoming
conventions she is doing around the country now that Trek is over for her -
catch her now while you can.

I first saw Kate Mulgrew in Denver in 1996... one of her early appearances.
And talk about how people haven't changed... she was still the same
gracious, stunning and terrific person she was back in Denver. I found this
rather interesting because many of my experiences of Star Trek stars have
been how, when starting out with conventions, they have been nice and
gracious and real people. By the end of the run of their series they are
*far* different, in many cases obnoxious, rude and arrogant (Michael Dorn
and Gates McFadden among them). So it was really nice to see how she could
be so professional on stage and off (during the autograph line) and be so
nice, attentive and *listening* to the audience because that was what she
did back in 1996. She has obviously not forgotten who has been her bread and
butter these past seven years during Voyager's run... as unfortunately many
of the TNG and DS9 stars have. (I have a detailed convention review of her
Denver 1996 appearance if you are interested. Just contact me and ask:
sa...@feith.com).

What also made this convention appearance of hers interesting was almost
half - and I mean HALF - the people "asking" questions at the mic were
really people who were giving Kate heart-wrenching, personal testimonials on
how Kate herself and\or the Janeway character had changed them in some
dramatic way... in some cases saved their lives from suicide or other
devastating things. So I would have more quotes and facts in this review,
except half the conversations going on with Kate with the audience members
at the mic were personal testimonials which Kate listened to patiently,
hugged each person, and then apparently saw many of them personally after
her talk was over. Having been going to conventions since 1980, never since
Lucy Lawless (Xena) in 1997 had I *ever* seen a guest star get so much
adulation and personal testimonials of life affirmations. It was pretty
incredible to witness, although I think there people who might have wanted
to ask Kate some more questions.

This being Kate's hometown now, her husband, Tim Hagen, was present, looking
ever the politician. He is a major political figure in Cleveland and Ohio in
general and it has been rumored for some time that he may run for Governor.
Hagan's appearance there did reek a bit of politics, standing by Kate on
stage through the last part of her talk, although he did get fun comments
like being called "Mr. Mulgrew" (which I personally called him in the
autograph line... as he was sitting beside her the whole time). It brought
an aspect of the "real world" of politics into a place I didn't think it
belonged, but Kate made it VERY clear that her priorities were now to follow
Hagan and his plans because he had had to follow her career and her plans
the last few years they had been married.

Toward the end of Kate's talk, while Hagan was on stage, he was asked by a
fan what it was like to be married to "such a strong-willed woman?" His
response was to suddenly drop to his knees on stage and bow down three times
to her in supplication - got great laughs from the audience. He said he'd
been in Cleveland politics for years and was rather well known in the area.
But now he was known as "Captain Janeway's husband." Kate laughed in
response and called him "Mr. Mulgrew" and everyone laughed heartily.

Perhaps Hagan's presence and that of her mother-in-law (also on stage) and
perhaps other family members present led to Kate being "on" so much of her
talk. But it didn't matter - she was simply terrific on stage - looked it
and acted like it and that was all the fans could ask for, especially
considering the convention outrageous prices that were being charged by Make
It So Productions.

Kate started her talk by addressing the native Cleveland residents and how
wonderful it was just a few days ago to be sitting at home with her husband
and stepdaughters and watching the end of "Voyager" (Endgame). She talked
about how she cooked a big meal for everyone, sat down and started to cry
and just couldn't stop every time one of her cast mates came on screen. "It
was a very brutal finish to something that has meant a great deal." She said
when she went to bed that night she slept right into the next day and in the
end was "proud, deeply proud" of what she had been a part of. She felt that
since Day One on the set of Voyager she had "set a high bar for Janeway and
kept that bar to the end." She felt she was able to "flesh out the skeleton
for the character... giving her nuances, emotions, subtleties, emotion" and
so on.

STAR TREK:
Towards the beginning of her talk, Kate addressed all the women in the
audience and thanked them "for your unfailing support over the years. That
without that support, Janeway would never have been able to be what she
was." She said women were the constant source of love, comfort and joy in
life and without that she wouldn't have been able to do the part. She then
addressed the men in the audience: "How could you trust me to run the ship?"
She then thanked the fathers in the audience for letting their sons watch
the show.
What was her favorite line of the series? "Engage." She said that in
"Caretaker", brought in after former Janeway actress Genevieve Bujold has
given up the part. Kate said "there were 20 suits on the set and director
Rick Kolbe pulled me aside and said, 'this is your room, do it your way,
Babe.'" And she said uttering that "Engage" was just a "great moment."
Did Bujold ever call her up and say, "Hey - doing a great job", etc.?
No, but Kate said that she had nothing but admiration for Bujold for turning
down the part because she realized early on that "Trek wasn't for her... I
am SO glad she left!" Kate said she wondered what would have happened had
Bujold STAYED for 4-6 months and THEN left... it would have been a disaster
for the show. It was good that she realized the situation and left when she
did. Kate mentioned that one of Bujold's priorities at the time was brining
up a young son... and that was the choice that she chose to make instead of
doing Voyager.
Kate talked about how, when she was first hired to do Voyager, she was
sent 10 videotapes of Trek to study. She had two days to prepare for the
role before she had to go before the cameras... and she didn't want to watch
the tapes. "I had an original concept for Janeway and was glad I went with
my gut."
Did Kate see Janeway running Voyager as a democracy or a dictatorship?
"I didn't rule by dictatorship, but from the high of femininity."
TV Guide left her out of the list of "Sexiest Women in Sci-Fi." Where was
Kate? "I was working," she laughed.
Kate was asked if she would do a Voyager movie? "I have learned to never
say die." She feels a movie would be speculation only but would seriously
consider it if it were to become a reality.
Toward the final filming of "Endgame", her work hours often went to
85-hours per week because of the constant filming of double Janeways. She
said every shot with the two Janeways (Admiral and Captain) had to be done
three times: one shot delivering the lines, one with the double, and one
with no one there. They tried to do interesting things like the Captain
passing off a coffee cup to the Admiral, "That shot took 10 hours to film."
She said the measurements of the people and objects had to exact.
She was asked yet AGAIN (at every convention appearance, just like
Robert Beltran) about the whole Janeway\Chakotay relationship and why
couldn't they have finally gotten together in the end. Kate said that she
simply felt it wasn't a good idea for her, at the age of 38, still of
child-bearing years to be in a relationship with her first officer. She felt
romance would be better... which she had with a hologram. "I needed a First
Officer I could count on and that he wouldn't be thinking of something
else..." Shortly after this question, a man dressed in a command Voyager
uniform and tight leather pants came up to the mic and Kate joked -- as she
had him come up on stage -- that perhaps if Chakotay had worn this outfit
every day than maybe things would have been different (everyone laughed).
After series creator and Executive Producer Jeri Taylor left, did she
stick with what Taylor had outlined for the Janeway character? Kate said
that Taylor "wrote the blueprint for Janeway but that I threw that out and
rewrote it." When Taylor left Kate said she simply took off with the part
with Taylor gone.
One question from a fan involved the original Star Trek series and how it
was able to comment on the Vietnam War and other social issues of the
1960's. Did Kate think that Voyager had done the same in its time period?
Kate said, yes, she felt Voyager tackled many issues of the day including
suicide, the Vidians problem and the episodes dealing with the Prime
Directive. "I felt every topic was topical and on the mark... I feel Voyager
attacked with fervor and resolution many current issues of the day."
Kate said she found it "daunting" to be considered someone who was
helping bring people into the 21st century in terms of science and
technology. She knew from the beginning when she learned how Trek affected
science.
The dreaded "hair issue": which hair style did she like best? Kate said
that actually she had no favorite hair style of the many she wore. "They
drove me crazy with it. Patrick Stewart had it easy." She commented in
hindsight how the suits were SO nervous about a woman in charge that they
applied themselves to a symbol - her hair - and that would decide whether
she would succeed or not.
About make-up on set: Kate said she didn't like people touching her all
the time, "It was annoying." At this point husband Hagan came on stage and
talked about how the make-up people drove HIM nuts because they would shoot
10 seconds of one scene and suddenly the make-up people would descend on
Kate again and again, with touch-ups having to be done constantly.
Why didn't Harry Kim ever get promoted? "We waited until the 7th season
finale - he got himself into a lot of trouble!"
A child asked her what was it like fighting the Borg? "It was fun! What
did Janeway do to the Borg Queen in the end? She killed her!"
One of the very last questions was about the fun moments on the set.
"Especially after midnight with the boys. Most men between the ages of 10
and 80 after midnight turn into something their mothers would rather they
didn't." With her often being the only woman there they would often overlook
her... but there were spit-ball fights, people dropping their pants to moon
others... weird behavior.

OTHER:
What are her future plans? Kate said that she will not give up acting and
does plan to do some theater, but right now her husband comes first in
everything. "I feel I've been given a good thing with Tim."

PERSONAL:
She felt one negative aspect of her Trek experience was how her sons over
the last seven years had mostly seen her "in the Captain's chair" and not at
home.
During the early part of her talk, Kate pointed off stage to her husband,
"The great love of my life... married two and half years ago." She talked
about how over that time he had been visiting the set of Voyager every 10
days, getting up at 4am with her and standing with her on the set for 15-16
hour days. She felt she owed him a lot.
"There was a rumor that I married into a small family... that's a gross
understatement." She said she married into a HUGE family where Hagan is the
Patriarch.
Who has influenced her the most? Her acting teacher Stella Adler as well
as her mother who told her she "would be a great actress." She credited
those two as her biggest role models.
Kate LOVES coffee. She laughed about the people in the room who had
turned into coffee addicts because of the Janeway character.
"Kiernan" is her middle name... it's her mother's maiden name.
What made her go into acting? Growing up in the cornfields of Iowa and
being one of eight children. She was encouraged to be unorthodox in being
brought up. She tended bar at the age of 14 to subsidize apprenticeships to
prepare for leaving home at the age of 16. "Acting was all I ever wanted. It
has been my salvation. Stella Adler said it would be the one thing that
would always lift me up - how true."
25 years ago, where did she think she would be? (in acting, in life). "I
didn't think I'd be here, certainly." She said Voyager showed how fate and
serendipity were involved. "I never imagined being Captain of a ship - and a
damned good place to be."
Does Kate feel there has been a prejudice against her because of her
voice? She said she feels it has worked in her favor because it has an
"original quality.... and no bimbo roles for me."
Hagan was asked that if he became Governor of Ohio, would he vote for
more money for NASA? "What the Hell do you think my answer would be with
this group??" and everyone laughed.

Two final notes:
-- At one point during her talk, Kate struck the famous Janeway
hands-on-the-hips pose for everyone... and it brought the house down! Very
popular with everyone.
-- At the same convention, Roxann Dawson was asked if there were any props
or any part of Voyager she took home as a souvenir. In the autograph line
for Kate, someone asked her the same question and Kate replied with a big
smile that she took home a uniform "pips, the boots - the whole thing."

(C) Copyright 2001 Sashi Alexandra German, <sa...@feith.com>
All Rights Reserved.

Permission to duplicate electronically, for nonprofit posting on an
electronic fora or for other reading enjoyment, is especially granted, AS
LONG AS THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE IS PRESERVED AND NO CHANGES ARE MADE TO THE
MATERIAL. No other reproduction in any form is authorized without prior
permission from this copyright holder (and that's not hard to get! All you
do is ASK!).

--

Dear Starfleet, Hate you, hate the Federation, taking Voyager -- Janeway
-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-
SASHI ALEXANDRA GERMAN -- sa...@feith.com
-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-
--
Sashi Alexandra German
sa...@feith.com

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