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How sweet, but we were so unattractive when we got out that we were prunes. I mean, I think I enlarged two dress sizes, I had taken on so much water. And it was not as romantic as it looks. The body makeup that they put on starts to, like, leach off, so you get this, like, gum. You're sitting in gum, basically. It's pretty disgusting. Maybe that's a little too much information.
How long were you in the bath scene?
It was long. It was, like, the whole morning. You have longer when you make a movie than you do in the shooting of the TV series, so they really wanted it to look gorgeous. I mean, I wish I looked that good, but they did want it to look really beautiful, so we were in there for a long time.
Are you excited about the relationship with your character?
Yeah. I'm thrilled that they resuscitated that whole Troi-Riker thing. It was something that I know a lot of Jonathan and my fans wanted to see... they wanted us to resolve this, one way or the other. They're not going to be sure whether it was really happening or whether it was that damn planet having its affect on us. We'll see. We'll do another movie and maybe we'll figure it out. I was thrilled because I love working with Jonathan. I felt that in the series, some of the best work we ever did were the scenes that we did together. There's real chemistry between us and it was great. And we shot all our scenes first... that first week. It was like our own private movie. No one else had turned up for work yet. So, it was really exciting.
Were you sorry that it wasn't developed beyond the bathtub scene?
Yeah. It's not even a B-storyline. It's kind of a C- or D-storyline. And once the real story happened, there really wasn't room for it any more. I'm always grateful that they've come up with something new for me to do, so, even if it's not interspersed throughout the movie, I'm just delighted that after 179 episodes and two movies, they can think of new stuff. So, I was just thrilled that the character was developed in that way.
Do you feel less pressure since you've played this character before?
Well, with this movie, I think we felt the most pressure, because First Contact was such a big hit. It was the biggest of all the Star Trek movies and the most successful. I think we were all concerned we would be able to do something that would be just as good, if not better. I mean, I think we were concerned that we couldn't do it better. I think some of us felt that we peaked with that movie, and there was that odd-number curse that people kept reminding us of. So, I think the pressure was on for this one. And also, it's still ongoing because I had a three-picture deal, I don't know about the others. We've done the three pictures now, in fact, I'm hoping that this will make some money so that we do another one. It's not guaranteed like it has been for the last three years.
What have been some of your favorite moments playing Counselor Deanna Troi?
Well, I felt very fortunate because I really got to do the dramatic stuff in the series. If there were ever an entity floating around, it usually chose Deanna's body to inhabit, because she was the empath, so, I really got a chance to [lick] my acting chops. It was the most dramatic role, I felt, of all the others, even though it wasn't the leading role. I was thrilled that I had been cast as that [character], so I'm quite pleased with the way things have turned out. It was a stretch for me, because often I'd play the bad girl and to really play someone who was intrinsically good... I mean, I think someone described her once as the conscience of the Enterprise. She really was the nurturer of the crew. I also had to stop and rethink and reassess themes, because one's instinct is to react to something as you would react to it as a person and I felt like I had created this alter ego in Deanna that was nothing like Marina. So, I really had to make sure that my reactions and my responses to things were Deanna's and not Marina's. And the times that Marina kind of snuck in didn't really work, but changed over the years. In the last two movies, you've seen a little bit more of Marina than you have in the TV series.
What's it like seeing yourself in a film?
I really distance myself from that, because, as I said, I really felt like I created this alter ego and when I see the character, it's not Marina, it's Deanna. That kind of keeps you a little saner than thinking it's a duller you. I just can't go to that place, you know? I don't even think they look like me. It's easy to distance myself.
Have you seen your pictures on the Internet?
You know, I haven't seen them because I don't have a computer. I don't know, even if I had a computer, it would be hard not to log on and find out what's going on. It's like publicity, you know? If you're going to believe the good stuff, you're going to believe the bad stuff. So, I find it a little scary just going to the Internet and finding out what people are saying and what they're doing out there. I mean, I know there are Websites claiming to be mine, and they're not. I have huge privacy issues. That's one of the reasons why I won't do that. So, I may be paranoid... I don't know.
Are there any aspects of the Counselor Troi character that you would like to see more developed in any storylines?
Oh, gosh. I hope we continue on this vein, to do some more movies. I really hope that we've left the real cerebral, serious, distant and inaccessible Troi behind. I like the new, improved Troi better.
This is the second time, in two movies, that your character has evolved.
Yeah. It seems that my character changed the most over the years, actually, from day one. So, yeah, my character's changed in so many ways. Not even just in looks, but the accent's changed over the years. She was really boring when we started. We kind of Americanized her over the 11 years. I can't watch the pilot episode because I hate it so much. I mean, I thought my performance was so "Star Trek" meets Sophie's Choice... it was really heavy. I was surprised that I still had a job after that.
Do you feel that you've become Americanized over the years?
Oh, yes, definitely. I say "better" and "butter" and "tomato"... I don't even say my T's anymore and my R's are Americanized. My friends in England all think I sound really, really American. Of course, over here, you think I still sound British, but I can hear in my head how much my accent has changed. And when I'm nervous, I revert back. I did "Politically Incorrect" last week and I was really nervous. I was more high-pitched and cockney than I've been for a very long time. It's changed and I have changed, but I came to Los Angeles and felt like I'd come home. I know it's very unfashionable to love Los Angeles, but I really do.
Do you currently live in England?
No. I live here now. I haven't lived in England for 12 years.
What are your holiday plans?
Well, Christmas Day I'll get on a plane and go to Philadelphia to do a play called Hotel Suite, which is funny. It's the Neil Simon amalgamation of California, "London" and Plaza Suite, and I'll be doing that for two nights. And after that, I'm probably going to shoot an independent movie on the East Coast. So, I'm not like Patrick (Stewart), I don't have my next three years planned out... but the next six months are taken care of. That's quite nice for an actor to know that they're going to be working for the next six months.
Is this a new play or is it adapted?
[It's] adapted. I'm doing the Maggie Smith part [character Diana Barrie]. So, I'm doing the scene from California Suite and then "London Suite."
Who's in it with you?
I don't know who else is in it, but the guy playing my husband is a New York theater actor named William Burney. Everyone else in the cast seems to have worked with [him] and they assure me he's wonderful and very nice.
How hard is it to work in the theater medium when you have this TV and movie experience?
Oh, to go and do something else? Well, it helps. I mean, I didn't have to audition for this play... they called up and said, "Would you like to do it?" Being in a hit TV show, especially for the theater, it does what we say in England, it "puts thumbs on feet." When people have heard of you, they'll go and see something. "Star Trek" fans are the most loyal fans ever in the history of show business. They're fans for life and they will always turn up, [in] whatever you're doing. I did a play in Hartford, Conn., a couple of years ago, and we sold out every single night. I mean, they exceeded our expectations by something like $50,000... you couldn't get a seat. And it was "Star Trek" people making sure they came to the show. They're very supportive, it's not a hindrance. It really is an asset to be involved with.
Do you go to the "Star Trek" conventions?
I'm the queen of conventions. Yeah.
What do you like best then about the "Star Trek" fans?
Their loyalty. I was one of the first ones to start doing the conventions and Brent (Spiner) took a while to get into them and he used to say to me, "What's it like?" And I would say, "Brent, do you have a problem with being a god for two days?" That's basically what it is.
What do you see as the key to "Star Trek" appeal?
I've been trying to rack my brain and try and think of something new, so you guys don't get the same answer from all nine of us. Like Madonna, "Star Trek" reinvents itself periodically, but still maintains its fundamental Star Trekiness. I think that's what keeps people watching and has kept people watching for 30 years. They have the very solid foundation, but then they kind of bring in a new element into the mix and make it. That's the only thing that explains the fact that we have fans who started watching the show in the '60s and are still watching as we've grown up. I think that it's the constant reinvention. And plus, the usual positive view of the future stuff that you're going to get.