Question: HI, Jeri. Can you tell us how, after near three years, it feels to
Question: be a part of Star Trek? Has the experience changed over time?
TVG Jeri: Naturally after three years the experience changes somewhat.
TVG Jeri: The shock of having to on set and face the men on our set with a straight face never goes
TVG Jeri: away.
This question is probably old hat. It's asking of course if everything on the set is still cool. From Jeri's response I get the sense both that the question's been asked dozens of times, and that her rapport with the male actors is fun. Interesting that she doesn't mention the women. This question left me wondering exactly that. How is her relationship with the female actors?
Question: Hi Jeri, if you were given the opportunity, what kind of storyline
Question: would you develop for Seven-of-Nine?
TVG Jeri: I'm asked the question all the time and I always dodge it, because I'm not a writer.
TVG Jeri: I'm so pleased with the way that Seven has been developed, that I'd like to see her
TVG Jeri: continue on the track she's on now.
TVG Jeri: Keep making new discovers, and gradually, and I stress gradually, become human.
On the one hand she doesn't want to tell the writers what to write, but she definitely has a preference for the character development to move slowly... I wonder if occasionally this means she's thought the development might be just a tad fast?
Question: What was your first Trek convention like?
TVG Jeri: LOL. It was interesting.
TVG Jeri: It was a little bit overwhelming, but it was a lot of fun.
TVG Jeri: I do have to say it's a bit of a shock to walk into a hotel lobby and be greeted by a
TVG Jeri: dozen Klingons in full uniform, speaking the language and drinking blood wine.
TVG Jeri: The fans are so warm, and we wouldn't be anywhere without them.
A simple nod to fandom. And she's got the gift of polite understatement.
Question: Jeri, I love your portrayal as Seven of Nine. What was your favorite
Question: episode?
TVG Jeri: Thanks. I have a lot of favorites. The Gift, my character's second episode is still one of
TVG Jeri: my favorites.
TVG Jeri: Our two hour movie last year I though was fantastic with the writing and the effects.
TVG Jeri: The performance by the Borg Queen was fantastic. It could have been a film.
TVG Jeri: The episode where I had a child with the Doc.
TVG Jeri: This season's episode called Child's Play if I'm not mistaken.
TVG Jeri: It's really good so you'll have to watch.
TVG Jeri: It builds on something that happens in tonight's episode.
"The Gift" where Seven has her hardest adjustment, that initial separation from the collective AND her biggest confrontation with Janeway. J/7ers can take heart here. Same with her preference for "Dark Frontier." Both episodes contained among the most intense J/7 moments scripted to date. Then she mentions "Drone," a Doc/Seven episode that had several big J/7 scenes. After seeing the J/7 moments in "Collective" the first of the three Borg children episode (she refers to the unaired second one of that arc here, "Child's Play"), and now hearing that CP is a favorite, I'll bet the trend continues with another episode of strong J/7 moments.
Question: Hi Jeri, this is Ken, Can you tell us if you will be attending any
Question: conventions this year? like in Boston?(wink,wink).
TVG Jeri: Hi Ken. Right now the only one I have planned, is in England in April.
TVG Jeri: I'd tell you what town but I'm not sure.
TVG Jeri: It's a half hour from London.
TVG Jeri: That's all that's in the works right now.
One con appearance and it's outside the United States? Wow.
Question: Jeri, Hi there from one military brat born in Germany in 1968 to
Question: another. This was Alex's first year in school wasn't it? How did you
Question: handle that? Did you have all the anxieties seeing him off to school
Question: for the first time? Is he still there in CA w/ you?
TVG Jeri: He's still in preschool. He's going to start in the fall, so I'm gearing up for all the
TVG Jeri: trauma.
TVG Jeri: I can guarantee you I'll be a neurotic basket case on his first day of
kindergarten.
It's pretty clear here that Jeri is very happy as a Mom, which is cool.
Question: Hi, Jeri! On one of your independent features, The Last Man, has been
Question: shown only in a few cities so far. Could you tell everyone who
Question: hasn't seen it a little about the film?
TVG Jeri: The last man is a little independent film I did a few years back that I really really love
TVG Jeri: It's a very funny film about the last 3 people on Earth.
TVG Jeri: Two men and one woman and their terrible relationship problems.
TVG Jeri: It's only been screened at Hampton Film fest and LA.
TVG Jeri: It doesn't have a distributor yet.
TVG Jeri: Hopefully, we can start showing more widely.
This is the first I've heard of this, so I look forward to a chance to catch Jeri in a non-ST role.
Question: What was your reaction and your fellow cast members' reactions to "Galaxy
Question: Quest?"
TVG Jeri: I loved Galaxy Quest.
TVG Jeri: I loved that movie.
TVG Jeri: I went to the premiere with my son.
TVG Jeri: It was hysterical.
TVG Jeri: They did a wonderful wonderful job of skewering us.
TVG Jeri: And I love the guest star with no last name who everybody assumes is expendable.
I haven't seen "Galaxy Quest" yet, but this comes out like a stirring recommendation. Guess I'll have to take my 7-year-old to see it.
Question: Were you pleased with your Voyager action figure? I think it was an
Question: amazing likeness.
TVG Jeri: Which one have you seen?
TVG Jeri: There are many of them out.
TVG Jeri: I actually haven't seen any that I though are terribly good likeness,
TVG Jeri: particularly the face, but we're not involved in the process.
TVG Jeri: We don't have any say in what's a good likeness or not.
Ah, a marketing question. *chuckle* Action figures with a decent likeness? Never happens. Also from the way her response is couched, Jeri kind of disapproves, it sounds like, of the whole thing.
Question: Hi, Jeri. This is Greg and Angela with your official fan
Question: club/homepage. Can you tell us more about The Kid?
TVG Jeri: Hi Guys.
TVG Jeri: It's actually basically a cameo in the movie.
TVG Jeri: It's just a few scenes with Bruce Willis and one with Larry King.
TVG Jeri: I've only shot one day on it so far.
TVG Jeri: I go back next month to finish up.
TVG Jeri: That's about all I've had time for during the shooting season.
Doing a movie during STV's shooting season? Can we say 'workaholic?' I thought so. *chuckle*
Question: Hi Ms Ryan:
Question: My question is can we ever see an unusual episode of voyager going
Question: slapstick? or maybe even a musical like they did on Xena warrior
Question: princess?
TVG Jeri: I've been pushing for the Borg kick line since my first episode on the show.
TVG Jeri: LOL
This produced one of the strangest mental images for me. A Borg
kick line... I get this Busby Berkley-esque shot of layers of Borg stepping out of their alcoves and singing "Assimilation Time!"
Question: Ms Ryan: How do you feel about the likelihood that Voyager will be
Question: brought back to the Alpha quadrant at the end of this season or early
Question: next? How will Seven adapt?
TVG Jeri: Someone obviously has more info than I do.
TVG Jeri: I don't know that we're getting back to the Alpha quadrant.
TVG Jeri: I think it would be great.
TVG Jeri: The producers are interested for a while now, but the studio is putting the brakes
TVG Jeri: on getting us home.
TVG Jeri: I love to see it happen sometime before the series finally.
TVG Jeri: I'd want to see what happens to Seven and undoubtedly see how her relatives on Earth
TVG Jeri: would react to her and what would she do with herself.
This one pleased me. I'd asked it myself. It was interesting to discover that the producers were the ones interested in bringing Voyager back early but now the studio... a slightly different group (usually marketing types) decided against it for now. Like Jeri I think there are so many possibilities (for all the crew, not just Seven) for angst, anxiety, missteps for the Voyager crew's return to the Alpha quadrant.
Question: If there was a Holodeck on your spacecraft what era would you choose to
Question: visit?
TVG Jeri: I'd plot myself back in the '40's.
TVG Jeri: Women were beautiful and men were dashing.
TVG Jeri: I'd try to side myself up to Cary Grant.
Now here's a woman I like. 1940s is my favorite time period as well.
Question: Jeri how many hours in the chair to get in to Full Borg make-up?
TVG Jeri: Full Borg makeup, which thank God I don't wear on a regular basis, takes 5 hours.
TVG Jeri: Because they have to put all the pieces on the bald cap.
TVG Jeri: When you're using the same head on the second day, you can cut it to three hours.
TVG Jeri: We got it down to two and half when two people worked on me at the same time.
TVG Jeri: It's quite a process.
TVG Jeri: I always marvel at Ethan Phillips who plays Neelix on the show.
TVG Jeri: This poor guy has nothing except his chin and lips exposed.
TVG Jeri: He has full head and neck prosthetics, he has contacts and he never complains.
TVG Jeri: He is such a sweetheart.
TVG Jeri: I absolutely love him.
Effusive. Man, does she admire Ethan Phillips or what? Of all the actors, he has probably the least screen time, so it's interesting to hear how Jeri feels about someone she probably doesn't see much of around the set.
Question: Hi, Jeri! With your growing popularity, do you find it difficult to
Question: work long hours and do numerous convention appearances and still be
Question: able to spend quality time with your son?
TVG Jeri: Yes. Which is why I'm not doing numerous conventions anymore.
TVG Jeri: Spending time with my son is my priority now.
TVG Jeri: If I have free time he gets it.
TVG Jeri: I'm fortunate to be in a business where he can come to hang out in my trailer.
TVG Jeri: It's not as easy to do now that he's getting older.
TVG Jeri: The excitement has worn off for him by now.
TVG Jeri: I don't work everyday.
TVG Jeri: This season has been so much easier as far as work hours.
TVG Jeri: Which is really great.
TVG Jeri: It's still a pretty nutzy schedule.
Another one where she mentions her son and is thankful, it sounds like, that her screen time has somewhat diminished.
Question: Hey Jeri what actors or actresses would u want to work with that u
Question: haven't?
TVG Jeri: Oh God that's a huge list.
TVG Jeri: I'd love to work with Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, but who wouldn't. Tom Hanks.
TVG Jeri: I could just go on and on. There are a million of them.
Diplomatic. I'm surprised about the Kevin Kline mention, but only slightly. She does apparently enjoy doing broad comedy. Streep surprises me. I can't really see the two of them together in anything. Hanks would be the best match up I think. For a government intrigue drama, I think.
Question: Happy Early Birthday, Where do you want to see yourself in 5 years.
Question: On Broadway, on another series or doing movies
TVG Jeri: Thank you first. Broadway is a nice idea, but the reality of it is not something I could
TVG Jeri: or really would want to pull off at this point.
TVG Jeri: That would be a full time relocation to NY and the theatre schedule isn't conducive to
TVG Jeri: having a small child.
TVG Jeri: Every weekend and weeknight is gone.
TVG Jeri: That's my time with Alex.
TVG Jeri: I'm not willing to give that up.
TVG Jeri: I'd love to be doing movies in five years, but who knows.
TVG Jeri: As soon as I say I'm done with TV that's when someone will slap a really cool
TVG Jeri: TV script on my desk.
TVG Jeri: Never say never.
TVG Jeri: I do know I'm lucky enough to be playing a character as much fun and as rich from an
TVG Jeri: acting standpoint as Seven is.
She strikes me here as though she's not really interested in ever doing Broadway, not just not now... but not ever. Wonder what her previous live stage experiences were like... even if it was just college productions. She doesn't sound like it was entirely positive.
Question: Hi, Jeri. What do you think of the reaction to Men Cry Bullets? Are
Question: you happy with the film?
TVG Jeri: I'm not sure what reaction you're referring to. I was pleased with how it turned out.
TVG Jeri: That's a very out there film and it's not everybody's taste.
TVG Jeri: We had a good time making it and it was fun to do such a broad character
TVG Jeri: who was so much a departure from anything I've done before.
TVG Jeri: I think the movie has been very well received from what I heard.
Yeah. Not everyone's taste. Even with knowing Ryan's in it, I just can't, after reading the summaries, bring myself to see this movie.
Question: What aspect of Seven of Nine do you feel is most challenging to make
Question: believable?
TVG Jeri: That's actually a good question.
TVG Jeri: I've never had it phrased like that.
TVG Jeri: Since it's Sci-Fi the entire premise takes suspension of disbelief.
TVG Jeri: What I try to do and bring the "reality" to that and make it real is to make Seven's
TVG Jeri: rediscovery of humanity and what it means to be human as accessible to the viewers.
TVG Jeri: I try to draw as much on my own life as I can.
TVG Jeri: I use my son a lot.
TVG Jeri: Especially in the first couple of seasons, when Seven was in the first steps of becoming
TVG Jeri: human again.
TVG Jeri: When my son discovered laughter and emotions.
TVG Jeri: How strange it much have been.
TVG Jeri: I try to bring that to Seven.
Good wrap up question actually, and it was pretty intellectualized as far as answers go.
In summary, Jeri strikes me as really intellectual, realistic, seldom a dreamer. A lot like Seven actually. She has a sense of humor about her role, and the fans, seems fiercely protective, though not guarded, about her relationship with her son. I found the interview period far too short, but apparently half an hour is pretty standard.
It still bothers me for some reason that there was very little mention of her female co-stars. I'm not sure why. And that's where I'd hope future interviews will fill in the blanks.
Lara Z aka lzclotho
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