| I found this report on the web, and thought it was quite illuminating. It is
a transcript of an interview with Armin Shimerman (Quark).
------------------------------------------
Vulkon Science Fiction Convention, Towson, MD (USA)
Saturday March 15, 1997
Guest: Armin Shimerman (Quark, Star Trek: Deep Space 9)
By Sashi Alexandra German <sashi@feith.com>
(C) Copyright 1997 Sashi Alexandra German, <sashi@feith.com>
All Rights Reserved
*************************************************************
THIS POSTING CONTAINS --SPOILER-- INFORMATION. DO NOT PROCEED
FURTHER IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN READING ABOUT UPCOMING
EPISODES
*************************************************************
For the first time in several years, Armin Shimerman made a guest appearance
in the north eastern part of the United States. The last time I saw him was
back in 1992 at a Wishcon convention in Springfield, MA after "Star Trek:
Deep Space 9" had been on the air for at least a year. At that time he was
very animated and excited about the program. Now, almost five years later,
he still looks great, but seemed more subdued and more serious. He began his
talk by saying that he was not that interested in answering the frivolous
questions usually asked, and that he would prefer instead to answer more
serious questions such as racism and sexism in Star Trek and how next season
(6) would probably be the series' last. He encouraged everyone to ask him
questions along these lines, and he got them, much to his enjoyment. He said
that he always answers all questions asked of him, and answers them
truthfully. He said he wasn't like other actors who would say they could not
answer certain questions.
He stood about 5'4" (but I could be wrong) and wore a dark brown suit with a
tie and eyeglasses, looking very businessy.
STAR TREK
One of the first things Armin said was that he wanted to apologize
to the children in the audience that he wasn't dressed like Quark, and then
wanted to apologize to the adults that the plain truth was there wasn't much
of Quark in Armin Shimerman
To get the issue out of the way, he said it takes two hours every
morning to put his Ferengi make-up on, and about an hour and a half to take
it off.
Armin said filming for fifth season was almost done, and that he
pretty much assumed that next year would be DS9's last. He did not think
there would be a seventh year, and because of that he was already busy
finding work in other places. He recently got the role of a reoccurring
character in the new series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and in "The
Practice." He has always been a Shakespearean actor and when his Trek career
does end, he will probably go back to doing Shakespeare again.
He was asked about Quark being ousted from the SCA in "Looking for
Par'mach in All the Wrong Places." He said that issue will be soon be
addressed in an episode to be aired, which he finished filming a month ago.
The episode is directed by Rene Auberjonois. Quark is welcomed back into the
Association. Regarding the episode "Looking For Par'mach..." he said he
liked the episode and felt he was "trying to do the right thing with help
from Worf."
When asked what the DS9 cast will do between the end of the series
and a possible movie, Armin replied "find work." He said he once got a very
valuable piece of advice from an old friend, "I've been in hits and I've
been in flops. And they all close." Armin said it appears there is a deal
for four "Next Generation" movies, of which the first two ("Generations" and
"First Contact") did rather well. He feels there will be no DS9 movie with
the TNG movies doing good business.
One of the things he feels is great about DS9 is the fact that the
series poses a lot of questions, "but on DS9 we never answer them."
The issue of the Maquis and their status as rebels or freedom
fighters will soon be addressed in an upcoming episode.
When asked "What would a normal Ferengi family be like?" Armin
smartly answered, "Married with Children" (to much laughter in the
audience).
What did Armin think of Alexander Siddig as a director? Armin said
he thought Siddig would be good, but *this* good. He said Siddig really
surprised everyone with how he directed an episode this season, and perhaps
that was the case because he wanted to direct before he even became involved
in Star Trek -- Siddig was a theater director in England. While directing
his Trek episode, Siddig "was thrown a number of curve balls and handled
them very well." He said the big joke on the set is that every first time
actor/director has to film a Ferengi episode. Of all the actors who have
tried directing, Armin felt Siddig was the best of them all. He said regular
directors are often more concerned with getting the show done on time.
Actor/Directors take more time with acting style. The problem becomes that
directors know more about shots and what is effective... while
actor/directors sometimes waste time shooting too much because they are not
that experienced. But in the end, Armin said he would prefer to work with an
actor/director. He says he "hasn't found the thrill yet" to direct anything
himself.
Rene Auberjonois (Odo) is his best friend on the set. They have
known each other for years. The two had four days together filming an
episode earlier this season where they were filming the 5th season episode
"The Ascent" at 7,000 feet above sea level in the mountains. He said it was
the most difficult shoot he has ever done in his career. It was very hot, he
had altitude sickness from the makeup and the height. Air would become
trapped in his headpiece and he almost fainted once. There's a scene by the
waterfall where he was getting really sick, and if he hadn't been given
plenty of water and Vitamin C, he feels he would have not been able to
finish filming the episode. Armin said it was very strange to be filming an
episode where they are supposed to be really cold, but it is actually
104-degrees. He said he loved the episode in general, but with all the heavy
clothing and make-up he had to wear in the intense heat, along with the
altitude sickness, it was a very unpleasant experience.
Over the years, Armin says he has been slightly disappointed about
fan reaction to his character. He said he has tried to make Quark "as noble
a Ferengi as possible" but has often gotten the impression that the audience
thinks he's just there for laughs. "Yes, Quark is greedy, but that's his
particular neediness." He said he has always thought that part of Trek was
the idea that everyone was accepted for who they were... and then he sees
Starfleet always interfering, "Where is the Prime Directive?" He asked
everyone that the next time they see a Quark episode, watch closely and see
if there is more than just comedy there.
Armin was asked about the reaction from cast members over the news
of the recent cloning of sheep, and then the Bashir episode about genetic
engineering. "Science fiction has always been a precursor to reality," he
replied. It was no surprise to him that something like this would come up in
light of the Bashir story.
Anything new on Odo's feelings for Lwaxana Troi? How about Kira?
Armin said the Odo/Lwaxana storyline appeared to be on hold, but that there
was an Odo/Kira episode coming up.
Why does he believe next season will be DS9's last? Armin
immediately replied, "Because my contract says six years." He believes all
the actors have the same contracts, so they're all on the same terms. He
said the DS9 actors are among the lowest paid actors on television and
unless Paramount is willing to raise people's salaries, the cast will not
stay. The reality is that DS9 has not been as popular as TNG, even though he
feels DS9 is the better show. Because DS9 is syndicated and not a network
UPN show, after a certain number of episode are made it is no longer
profitable to continue. He said TNG went off the air partially for that
reason, and he feels the same will happen to DS9.
Before DS9 goes off the air, where would he like to see Quark go? "I
want Quark to be taken seriously by Starfleet."
What are the possibilities of a new Trek series taking DS9's place?
Armin replied that he felt Paramount "has gone to the well enough" and that
another series would probably not happen.
Is there any communication between the casts of Voyager and Deep
Space 9? Armin replied that the distance between the sets of Voyager and DS9
were about the distance between him at the front of the this hotel ballroom
and the very back. He said they all work within a close proximity of one
another, but there's never any real communication between the two. He said
of all the DS9 cast members, he probably visits the Voyager set the most,
and that's only every few months. They usually get to know one another
better when they meet up at conventions.
He feels there's very little overlapping between Voyager and DS9
because for starters, DS9's Ira Steven Behr never watches Voyager, "so why
have the communication?"
Armin was asked about possible DS9 blooper reels or tapes being
released? He said long ago there was a TNG blooper reel that was made for
the cast and crew and it got out (many in the audience were thinking he was
talking about the 1st season TNG bloopers that were found in Dealer's rooms
in 1989). Armin said Executive Producer Rick Berman "was livid" that they
got out, and now no blooper reels are "printed."
Did he have any feelings on Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's
ashes being flown into space? "No, I have no feelings on that."
Armin said that he, Max Grodenchik and Aaron Eisenberg are all very
good friends, "I have the highest regard for them." He said one of the
reasons he felt they were such good friends was because they all have to
share the same make-up nightmare and that brings them a lot closer together.
When asked if Max Grodenchik consistently played Rom throughout DS9,
the answer was "yes."
Armin is very proud of last season's episode "Little Green Men." He
said it was an episode where he, Max and Aaron got to do quite a bit of work
together. He is very pleased that it has become such a popular episode with
fans. He said he didn't know about what may have really happened at
Roswell... He said he's not that interested in the Ferengi language because
he doesn't want to have to learn it...
What was the biggest blooper he has ever seen on the set? Armin said
the biggest one was what happened to him, just recently. He said he was
filming the teaser for an episode (he remarked that was the usual thing --
he appears in the teaser and that's it). He was in Bashir's infirmary and on
the Biobed. They did the full master shot of everyone, then the close-ups.
When they took a break for the camera to be turned around, Armin went back
to his chair and found his lower teeth ON the chair -- they had to stop
everything and refilm the close-up shots because they had done an entire
scene with him talking without his lower teeth. He said they could have
decided to "fudge it" but reshooting was the best option. He said the
mistake cost about $20,000.
His opinion on Voyager: He said he rarely sees the show and doesn't
have much of an opinion on it. However, he feels it would probably do better
with more conflict.
Talking about the addition of the Worf character to DS9, Armin said
that Michael Dorn has always been a friend, and part of him was happy that
Michael was brought onto the show two years ago. However another part of him
felt that Worf was not a needed addition to the cast, and other cast members
felt the same way. Armin said Worf was specifically brought on to DS9
because it was believed that an infusion of TNG would help raise ratings.
The addition of Worf, to date, has not added ratings to the show.
Armin said it was his belief that there was too much Trek right now.
When TNG first came out it was a first -- no one else was doing syndicated
programming. Now there are dozens of shows in syndication and there is a lot
more competition, "more slices in the pie, and the cuts have become
smaller." He said he watches more "Babylon-5" that he watches Trek...
My personal question to Armin was about the portrayal of women on
DS9 -- I asked him if anyone felt there was a problem with the way Kira's
character had been changed the last two years on the show... and what about
the appearance of Dabo Girl Leeta in various stages of undress? Armin said
he felt it was "obscene" the way women were being portrayed on Trek, and
that part of this was due to the fact that he felt "there is an old boys
network that believes some fans will only watch if women are portrayed a
certain way." Armin said the women on DS9 wear more make-up and rubber than
HE does (which spoke volumes to many of us in the audience). He said he
feels very bad about the situation.
When asked about the camradre among cast members on DS9, Armin said
his impression has always been that the casts of TNG and VOY have been much
closer than the DS9 cast. He says there are conflicts among the DS9 actors
"and some of the conflicts on the show are perhaps more real than they
appear." The DS9 cast members do not hang out with one another off the set
like actors from the other casts have done. He says he and Rene A. are very
close and Nana and Siddig, of course, get along very well.
Andrew Robinson (Garak) is a very good director and has won several
directing awards. Right now he is directing a play that Armin's wife is in
(he didn't mention the name).
The "outcast" theme on DS9 is a bigger component in the central
storyline of DS9 than was originally intended. But Armin says he likes the
theme and thinks it makes for great conflict and good character stories. He
says he is almost disappointed that Quark is being accepted again into the
SCA in the new episode coming up -- he liked being an outcast with his own
people. He feels that what DS9 does best is "delve into the human psyche."
He likes TNG and likes VOY, but feels DS9 is great at "boldly staying in one
place... and investigating what it is like for people to interact with
others. DS9 is not about exploring, it's about dealing with one another." On
DS9, Starfleet officers get away with things that they couldn't do on other
Trek show. Real people (aliens) and how they act in real situations is what
the show is about. He loved "Doctor Bashir, I Presume" because it not only
brought up the ethical issues of cloning and genetic engineering, "but it
also brought up how a son deals with the betrayal from his parents."
Talking about his early Trek appearances, his very first one was
"Haven" where he played the Betazoid gift box. It took eight hours of
make-up... and 15 minutes to shoot the scene! He also played Quark in TNG's
first season episode "The Last Outpost."
When he took the part of "Quark" he knew of fandom because of the
Beauty & the Beast conventions he had attended. He said in knowing about
that, it did not effect his decision in taking the part. He said the real
issue was the six years of heavy make-up he was going to have to endure --
he saw Ron Perlman go through it in B&B for 2 1/2 years. But he said in the
end, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and his wallet convinced to him to
take the DS9 part.
The actors have no input into what they say in a given episode. He
does not write his lines, he did not create "The Rules of Acquisition"
There is another DS9 "Mirror, Mirror"-type story in the works,
featuring Kira the Intendant, and Co. The actors often get the scripts a day
before shooting, while everyone else (production people, etc) get the
scripts days and weeks in advance.
Michael Pillar is no longer with DS9 -- he left when he did the UPN
series "Legend." However, Pillar is still listed in DS9's credits because
the Writing Guild insisted.
Toward the end of his talk, Armin told a story of last Christmas
when the actors threw a party for everyone at Quark's bar. Ira Steven Behr
came down with four other writers on the show, along with Paramount BigWig
Kerry McCluggage. The Producers introduced themselves and the directors, but
when they started to introduce the writers, they didn't get any of the names
right. Since then, Ira has taken the effort to increase communication among
everyone, so at the very least everyone knows each other's names.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Armin was asked several questions about his time with the TV series
"Beauty and the Beast." He said what was neat was how he played the
character of Pascal and spent all this time hitting pipes with different
objects and got paid for it.
Does he see a great deal of the other B&B cast members? Armin said
he used to see a lot of Ellen Gear because she runs a Shakespeare festival
where he teaches. He sees Ron Perlman every so often. He has seen Roy
Dotrice on occasion. His contact with Linda Hamilton stopped after the TV
series ended because their professional paths have not crossed.
Any possibility of a B&B TV reunion solely depends on Linda
Hamilton's willingness to do it.
PERSONAL
Armin was born about 120 miles from Towson, MD -- in Lakewood, NJ by
Asbury Park.
Aside from playing Quark and other Ferengi on Star Trek, he has done
a great deal of work as a theater actor, performing in Broadway shows.
Recently, Armin said he has turned to writing and become a novelist.
He has just written a new Star Trek novel, "Wheels Within Wheels" that is to
be published by Pocket Books. He has also written a general science fiction
novel "An Earhart Prince" to be published by another book company -- it's
about an Elizabethan character who winds up in the 21st Century. Armin was
asked if he was forced to follow the Pocket Book Star Trek novel guidelines
(that anyone who submits work for must follow) and he said he was probably
exempt from those rules: he and two partners originally pitched three
stories for possible DS9 episodes. When they were all rejected, he decided
to turn one of the stories into a novel and submitted it to Pocket Books,
who immediately accepted it.
He said he was about to meet up with other Trek actors to do another
recording of "Alien Voices", a radio book production put on by Leonard Nimoy
and John DeLancie. Nimoy and DeLancie bring together Trek actors to do the
audio version of older science fiction books. The fourth book in the series
was to be "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle. "Journey to the Center of
the Earth" is already done. Among those participating in the project: Ethan
Phillips, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Dwight Schultz and others.
He recently did a Seinfeld episode and found the whole experience
"very strange." He said he had an "ego problem" for two days because he went
from the DS9 set where he is used to being the center of attention... to
going to the Seinfeld set where he was of no great priority. He said it was
very different to work with comedy writers -- a whole different acting
medium.
(C) Copyright 1997 Sashi Alexandra German, <sashi@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!).
{It has recently come to my attention that many of my reviews are being
passed along to others with increasing frequency via science fiction news
mailing lists, fan club publications, etc. I have *no* problem with this --
I post these reviews for the enjoyment of others and the more people who
read the reviews the better. However, I am becoming increasingly annoyed
with the outlets I find who are using my reviews but are not passing along
my name & e-mail address credited with the material. I spend the time, money
and effort to attend conventions, take notes and pass along the reviews to
the Internet and elsewhere. The least various grateful parties could do is
keep my name attached as a credit. Thank you.}
--
-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-
SASHI ALEXANDRA GERMAN
Commodore, USS Thagard, Philadelphia, PA (USA) Star Trek Club
Starfleet Region-7 Chief of Staff
Member of "Now Voyager" - that fantastic Kate Mulgrew fan club!
sashi@feith.com
-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Selected by Jim "The Big Dweeb" Griffith. Email submissions to
trek-info@xcf.berkeley.edu, questions to trek-info-request@xcf.berkeley.edu
|