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St.Petersburg convention with Marina Sirtis

Written by Meldoy Johnson.

As always, it was a treat for me to see Marina again. I've seen her 4 or 5 times and each time, she gets wittier, funnier and pissier.

Unfortunately, she couldn't talk too much in depth about the new movie. She said she actually had a clause in her contract...she called it the Marina Clause because she is known for going to conventions and "spilling the beans" to the fans....that said if she talked about the movie or gave secrets away, she would lose her pay and her screen credit. She informed the small group there (perhaps only 300 people) that she had already been paid so she could tell some things. But she still wanted her screen credit. :)

Her first comment on the new ST movie was that it might be the last one. Each actor signed a 3 picture deal. That deal is now over and no one on the TNG cast has a contract now with Paramount. Marina admitted this was a little frightening to her to know that after 12 years, she didn't technically have a steady job anymore. With DS9 ending this year, that cast will be freed up to do movies and Marina said that she knew that they would work cheaper than the TNG cast is now. [on a personal note, a TNG/DS9 crossover movie would be great.] Especially since Patrick and Brent want alot of money.

She continued about the movie, saying that it is not action-oriented. It is "message" oriented, like the episodes [warning bells went off here...can this SELL to the general public?]. The story deals with the crew trying to save a planet of young aliens. She stopped there on the plot. :) We know more already. Here, in a nutshell, are some of her comments:

- The TNG cast was rather worried about working with F. Murray Abraham. He has a notorious reputation for being hard to work with and demanding. But he was a pleasant surprise...very fun very kind. He cried when the shooting wrapped up and said that he only wanted to do ST stuff from now on.

- Marina mentioned that the aliens, when told to pack only their most precious belongins, all bring along large wooden spoons and no one ever figured out why. She said it's not explained and it's weird. Said Picard is almost like Moses, herding these people on the planet to safety.

- Said the guest star cast was terrific and very nice to work with. Young, sexy people.

- Said the "bad guy" make up is great. The Bad Guys, lead by F. Murrary Abraham, are "into" plastic surgery [sounds kind of like the Viddians??] and they actually show the aliens having things done to their faces and that it's gross.

- members of the rock group, Rage Against The Machine, appear in the movie.

- the movie was filmed in Northern Calif and about 45 min. outside L.A. at a place called West Lake.

- everyone loved Jonathan as a director because he is good at both the techincal aspects of a movie and also knowing what to achieve from an actor's point of view. Said that he is the only director the TNG cast and crew were willing to put aside Union Regulations for to get the job done. Only Michael Dorn gave him a hard time but it was all in fun. Everyone tries and does their best for Jonathan.

- in regards to the Troi/Riker relationship, it is left open at the end of the movie. There is a bubble bath scene with Troi and Riker and Troi is glad to see Riker at the end of the movie and Worf tells Riker that Riker's relationship with Deanna was meant to be.

- Armin is in the movie at the very end. Rumor has it that some people didn't want his scenes to be included in the movie.

- Troi is "wacky and zany" in this movie....much lighter and more like Marina.

Marina's next project is some independent film called Retcina (spelling?)...this is the name of an italian wine. Said she has been attracting interest from independent film makers because she is a big name but works cheaper. [She said this with a laugh. ] She is also on the new Tommy Shaw (Damn Yankees?) album. She is reading a poem at the end of the CD on a "secret" track and her voice is sampled on a song called "Need Water."

When talking about the old TNG episodes, Marina has a good memory for the name of the episodes. She told some stories about her distaste for the heat and complaining about "idiot directors" while doing "Who Watchers The Watchers," sweating to death in the desert. Being radio miked, she was off in a distance and complaining loudly that the director couldn't direct his way out of a paper bag, etc., bitching on until the cameraman waved at her to shut up because the director was hearing every word.

She also told funny antidotes about being stuck in an airtight box for the episode "Phatasms" (correct name???) for hours where her head was sticking out of a hole at the top of the cake to be cut by Picard and Data. Said she got so hot and sweaty, her body heat was making the icing on the cake melt.

Also she kidded about being the one to suffer all the time "for my big mouth" by having to do gross things. She complained that "Gates never had to do anything gross!! Yet she made me that lizard thing in that episode she directed!!" And said that the mud bath she and Worf had to sit in was the grossest thing she has ever been in because the mud looked like mud used for female mud wrestling and it looked used like it had just "been brought in from the Tropicana" cause it "had bits in it." [Yeww]

She looked fabulous, dressed all in black. Animated and funny as always, Marina is in a class all by herself. :)