Star Trekking Week: Star Trek Actor-Turned-Filmmakers Jonathan Frakes, Roxann Dawson & Robert Duncan McNeill Retrospect (with Jim Ho)

[00:00:00] We're the winners first here. You know, we had such a fun chat talking's an abusive doctor who's a, you know, finally gives up some stuff. He did some voiceovers on, you know, gargoyles and, you know, many, many track actors did,

[00:03:02] but it's interesting to see him on this one.

[00:03:04] He's mainly stuck to voiceovers recently. I actually do a curveball because even the moderator at the panel didn't know about this. And he was regalia, he was standing there with Stan Lee and the engagement of Oklahoma, the Royce different kinds as Captain America, which is how it brought him.

[00:04:21] Yeah, I had no idea,

[00:05:40] there was this big following overseas there.

[00:05:43] It was such an easy to show film show, That's very unusual. Yeah, Tole. He even joked how there's been so many memes about the show that that's done more for the show than what it did at the time, where it was this kind of word of mouth. And so... All you need is one meme or one TikTok or one video to go viral and that mixes for you.

[00:07:04] That's all you need nowadays.

[00:07:06] Right. when he wasn't memorizing his lines, he was studying all the other guys and going in. What's kind of interesting, I said, I'm very happy you have that, who directed training program for all the various actors, because they realize that they wanna expand,

[00:08:21] they'll always wanna be an actor.

[00:08:23] And at some point, if all of those ads

[00:08:26] and go into different stages of your acting career, And it's like they were just thinking ahead of, what am I gonna do after this? Cause I'm pretty much gonna do this for seven years. You know, and that's all people are gonna see me as or want to see me do. So I want more creative control and I want to work with all these other wonderful actors. So I'll work behind the camera. So many other people who have worked on ER 24

[00:09:41] and you know, so many other just eighties and nineties heads

[00:09:46] have been doing that lately. Yeah, so I knew script supervisor, Eve Butterley, who had worked on everything from the Exorcist show and everything. And she has made a good living to it being like a PA and assistant director. And she was a script supervisor on The Good Guys. And she was fortunate enough to work with him

[00:11:01] on two select episodes of that short-lived

[00:12:05] ABC, NCIS, Los Angeles for CBS, as well as persons unknown, the Glades, various episodes of burn notice, as well as the

[00:12:09] librarians, TV movies and show for TNT. And he recently returned

[00:12:15] to the franchise with Star Trek Discovery, of a card show,

[00:12:20] on yep. Two episodes of the Orville, as well as the Nickelodeon

[00:12:24] family adventure show The Astronauts, which he also has an very grateful, graceful whenever you just see him just in an interview. He just doesn't shy back and which I think is just fun. I know he joked briefly about how when he worked on Thunderbirds that kind of put him in director jail briefly because it was a update of the puppet show from years ago.

[00:13:41] I love the old Sylvia and They didn't show them the ropes and they didn't hide anything. So it's been, they showed them everything. Or they did little tricks. So how, why they did it? How they did it? And let them, let Jordan become his own director. But he got, he got so, he was like, I think it was fun. She just stopped and all the information and made his own style.

[00:15:01] You know, he just watched everyone, how they did it.

[00:15:03] And it took some of it, different people and it worked for him.

[00:15:08] It worked for him. use awkward cameras on that. I'm a bigger fan of the original shop. But yeah, I was just as silly as it's been. I'm not a little bit big fan of NCIS. It's just like, it never hooked me. I mean, it should but doesn't. That's fine. I can't get my opinion on that

[00:16:21] particular genre. I just find it wild how he's kind of a shame that you couldn't always find these movies or shows because they didn't syndicate them all that much. Yeah, or they didn't last long. But yeah, no, I don't have any other thoughts other than I definitely recommend people check out the Ashford Not Show. It's way better than you think it might be, even though it's for Nickelodeon.

[00:18:42] You're like, I want to talk to you. You just can't do it.

[00:18:44] You just can't shoot on it.

[00:18:45] It's a wonder person.

[00:18:46] To one, it just doesn't flow right.

[00:18:50] You rush, like you said, it's rushing.

[00:18:52] And you take the flow of the plot, so speak.

[00:18:57] Right.

[00:18:57] It's like those were kind of the warmups.

[00:19:00] And then they had more time for the rest of the shows.

[00:19:03] So they got to do more with the material. And being behind the scenes as a director, you should have an idea who they are and it makes a lot easier and smoother when you Get past the get to know you stage Absolutely. And now that you're comfortable with them. You have, you know, nothing to complain about or be worried Yes

[00:20:21] Rock the boat so speak, you know, what makes them click and

[00:21:22] that is like, I remember Marino's like, he is not listening to any of our input and Patrick is like,

[00:21:26] dude, I know you haven't seen a single episode of the show,

[00:21:29] but come on, you know, we're giving you a blueprint here

[00:21:32] and you're not listening.

[00:21:32] And Frank's, I remember, I think he took it harshly.

[00:21:36] He's like, the dude just was not open to any kind of

[00:21:40] helpful insight, like, right.

[00:21:42] Like, and he should be, you know, an actor.

[00:21:45] He should be able to headache. Right. Just shut him out. Shut him out. So your personal black list.

[00:23:01] Personal black list.

[00:23:03] He kind of did for a bit there.

[00:23:05] Oh, man. like that, you know, if you if you're the horse, you know, the woman just dropped Skye's last name. That's it. You know, you just go back to your old maiden name, but she kept the four while we'll just, which is unusual in that degree. Yeah, I have no idea why, but I guess she was busy and then finally found time to actually change her, you know, re-register under a different name.

[00:24:25] Sometimes, you know, everything was buying mail back thenark, like as this LA Vice Squad. And it was pretty awesome because while it had elements of, you know, other typical procedure, procedurals like Law and Order CSI, they would also mix in some off-color humor, as well as just some awesome characterizations.

[00:25:41] And often you can figure out who the murderer is,

[00:25:44] but then you'd have those last 20 minutes where you're still in deep suspense, You know, much like Frank's, you know, is like permission to study everyone. And the very first episode of Voyager that she directed 99, she got deadly sick. Like, and she knew was like, hey, I can't hold it up. So I got to tough this out. And it paid off. But man, that, that has to be

[00:27:00] annoying, you know, back in that day, you know, this wasn't just like nowadays where you can

[00:28:06] with the place. Yeah, a lot of stuff for AMC and showtime and Netflix. And you're like, wow.

[00:28:16] So she noted that another point that we'll get on to later is like, you know, how she just was like

[00:29:40] mainly just all about just like constantly in that interview she had on working on the show very immersed in it, where she did some directing in some Catholic, I remember what the name was. The movie she did was breakthrough, where it's like. Thank you. Right. So she really stuck with drama and sci-fi. She's doing a really good job on foundation, that Apple TV, Isaac Asimov show. I love that show. So much fun and Duncan, apparently, you know, it's just so wild here. You know, he was guest starring on like the new outer limits, the 80s Twilight zone in LA law, and then, you know, even next gen.

[00:31:01] And in one interview I saw, he noted how he.

[00:31:06] He felt so comfortable about around Wil Wheaton. you know, and unless you use a waste of waste of what's what I'm turning the quote he did off of the second, the rapid con, any of us is waste of material. Yeah, so exactly. If you go if you go for it, you're so wasted. Right. Don't waste it. Don't let

[00:32:24] it go to waste. And kudos to all of them. They they're continually It's going from point A to point B, every day doing something. You can't assume that and they didn't and I'm glad they didn't and now they should, there's something else they could do. Absolutely. We'll return after these messages. Hey, it's Brent Pope to host a breakfast with Brent Pope.

[00:33:42] You've seen me on some of your favorite TV shows

[00:33:44] saying things like, give it up, Jimmy.

[00:33:45] You gotta sync this but to win.