Meet Actor Ed Speleers of Star Trek Picard
You've seen him on Downton Abbey. Now he's joined the cast of Star Trek Picard, playing the son of Dr. Beverly Crusher and...? He talked with us one on one. But first, heartbreaking news from Florida
Thanks for rising up on this Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023: 02-23-23!
Here Now the News
SHOOTING NEAR ORLANDO KILLS 3, INCLUDING A 9-YEAR-OLD AND A JOURNALIST: WESH-TV
SUSPECT IN CUSTODY IS 19: WFTV-TV
THE DANGER OF BEING A JOURNALIST: 67 journalists and others in the media profession were killed in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. —CNN
WHITE HOUSE TWEETS CONDOLENCES:
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP VISITED SITE OF OHIO DERAILMENT: He claimed “nobody” went to East Palestine until he announced that he was coming. Uhh, actually… no. The EPA has been there for days, FEMA showed up last weekend, and now presidential candidate Donald Trump. WKBN-TV
TRUMP GIVES TRUMP-BRANDED WATER TO RESIDENTS: What? No paper towels?!? —Business Insider
HOW QUICKLY GOP FORGETS TRUMP ELIMINATED REGULATIONS: His administration rolled back more than 100 environmental rules and watered-down several regulations at the behest of the rail industry. —The Guardian
SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG TO VISIT EAST PALESTINE TODAY
DAILY CALLER “JOURNALIST” AMBUSHED BUTTIGIEG AND HUSBAND:
The secretary declined to answer questions from Jennie Taer, who approached him at night on a street in Washington, D.C., camera rolling. When she persisted, he asked if he could snap a photo of her, and she said yes. So, now the coverage is all about “freedom of the press!” Fox News and New York Post via YouTube
IVANKA AND JARED SUBPOENAED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATING JAN. 6: The New York Times
QUESTIONS ABOUT GEORGIA GRAND JURY FOREWOMAN’S MEDIA TOUR: ABC News and New York magazine
TEXAS BILL WOULD BAN NEARLY ALL TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE, INCLUDING FOR ADULTS: CBS News
FLORIDA’S NEWEST ATTACK ON TRANS PEOPLE: ACCUSING SOMEONE OF TRANSPHOBIA EQUALS DEFAMATION, WITH $35K PENALTY! Erin Reed has the story in her excellent Erin In The Morning Substack (You Should Subscribe!)
ERIC HOLDER, JR. SENTENCED TO 60 YEARS TO LIFE IN NIPSEY HUSSLE MURDER: E!
WorldWatch
DEADLY ISRAELI RAID ON WEST BANK RESULTS IN GAZA FIRING ROCKETS AND ISRAEL LAUNCHING AIR STRIKES: Reuters
THE WORLD IS DIVIDED ON SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE: Washington Post
MEXICAN LAWMAKERS OVERHAUL ELECTORAL PROCESS: The New York Times
OMG News
A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR… LOS ANGELES?!? KNBC-TV
ONE MOM’S MOVING STORY: NBC’s Maggie Vespa brought me to tears with this report for Nightly News with Lester Holt about an Illinois woman’s terminal diagnosis and the Boston surgeon who saved her life.
CONGRATS, LESTER! Nightly anchor Lester Holt was honored by the Arthur W. Page Center last night with the Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication. —APC
DON LEMON RETURNS TO CNN AFTER “TRAINING” AND TWEETING YET ANOTHER APOLOGY: Washington Post
Star Trek Corner
“We are essentially cornered in space… which has no corners” — Capt. Liam Shaw, U.S.S. Titan
I LOVE THAT QUOTE! One of the many great lines written for actor Todd Stashwick in Part Two of Star Trek Picard Season 3: “Disengage.” This episode also marks the dramatic return of Michael Dorn as Worf!
THE NEW CHARACTER TREK FANS LOVE TO HATE, AND STILL LOVE: Stashwick told Melody Maia Monet that Star Trek Picard executive producer Terry Matalas served up “a meal” of a part, and wow, does he chew it up! See the video below for her interview and read this from ComicBook.com
MEET ED SPELEERS, “JACK CRUSHER” ON STAR TREK PICARD:
The suits finally gave us the go-ahead to share Monet’s interview with the Downton Abbey and Outlander actor, who also starred in Eragon. In season three, Speleers plays “Jack Crusher” alongside Sir Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Brent Spiner and Stashwick. Scroll down for the new video featuring Speleers and our interviews with many of the cast, plus Matalas, too! Enjoy!
Melody Maia Monet: First of all, I just want to say I'm a huge fan of Downton Abbey, Outlander, and my son growing up was in love with Eragon. So all properties you've been associated with, of course. Outlander and Downton Abbey have incredibly passionate fandoms, as I'm sure you know. I don't know how much interaction you've had yet with Star Trek fans since you're something of an undercover character this year. But if you have, have you noticed a difference between those fandoms?
Ed Speleers: I mean, it's been limited thus far. However, I get a sense that, you know, there's a lot of positivity amongst Star Trek fandom, and that's why I love, I think that's what I've noticed even in, you know, previous roles and jobs. I feel that's what's so important. At the end of the day, Star Trek fans and fans of all these great shows and films drive the success of these TV shows. And I think that's something we always have to remember as actors, that without that, that love and that passion, there is no show. So I'm looking forward to meeting people.
Monet: I'm sure. You're joining a Star Trek family that I'm sure you've been told, that is quite, you know, a thing.
Speleers: I've been pre-warned.
Monet: Your character is something of what I would call an honorable scoundrel. I would say, a rapscallion, that is even older. Someone who doesn't play by the rules, and it's kind of reminiscent of Kirk, especially as played by Chris Pine. Were those touchstones, those kind of Star Trek characters, ones that you used to inspire you for your character?
Speleers: I think Terry Matalas and I definitely looked at Kirk. There's been other space cowboys, you know, in other worlds, that we talked about as well. But we also wanted Jack to become very much his own individual. I feel that, I'm drawn to a person like that, I suppose. Someone that you know, isn't necessarily, it's not that they're bad. It's not that they're necessarily squeaky clean good, but they are… He does have a strong understanding of who he is, what he wants in life and what he wants to potentially be. And I feel that, I like that there's a glint in his eye, and I'm drawn to that, and trying to understand that. But I feel that it's always underpinned by something. And I feel that some of his angst, somewhat, maybe potentially, comes across as juvenile angst. But I think it's built on something else, which I think we uncover in this show. There is, you know, he has there, a chip on the shoulder. There is a slight swagger about him. But I feel that that's because there's something much deeper rooted in him that needs to be discovered and dealt with.
Monet: An internal trauma.
Speleers: An internal trauma.
Monet: You've had the honor of working with some of the greatest actors of our time: John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons, Hugh Bonneville, and now Sir Patrick Stewart. They're all legendary. How would you say Patrick Stewart compares or how are they similar? How are they different?
Speleers: Oh, interesting. I think every actor is clearly so individual. Of course they are. Patrick is a wonderful, a wonderful man and a wonderful actor. He was incredibly supportive of what I was trying to do throughout the season, and I felt that we we got on famously. You know, he compares in the sense, that as many great actors have, as I've worked with them on all varying levels. And just like any other, he is obsessed with the work, and he is obsessed with making sure that the character and the script makes sense and that he can deliver the best performance possible. And, you know, to be wanting to do that, consistently, day in, day out. And I don't want to bring age into it, but at his vintage, to be, to still want to churn it out and really go for it, I think is hugely commendable, inspirational and I hope that I'm in that position when I'm older. Put it that way.
Monet: Well, thank you so much for your time. Those 5 minutes went by very quickly.
Speleers: Yes! Zoomed by, no pun intended, because we’re Zooming at the same time. So, sorry.
Monet: I hope we see more of your character, maybe perhaps beyond these ten episodes?
Speleers: I truly hope so!
New episodes of Star Trek Picard stream every Thursday on Paramount+
That’s all for today! Unless there’s breaking news, I’m off tomorrow and Saturday, but come back Sunday night for Bedtime Stories.
Until then, may your news be good news!
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