He’s a complicated
human being, just like every other compli- cated human being
and I’m excited to bring him to life. The fact he’s in a relationship with a man is just another
fact about him. To me, it’s representative of where we are now and more of where we’ll be in the future.”
Plotline difficulties aside, the moment has finally arrived aboard the latest Starship for a regular same- sex couple [fully supported and praised by Takei]. Characters who will be played by costars, Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, whoconsequently both began their careers together in Broadway’s famed play RENT as characters Mark Cohen and Angel respec- tively. Rapp plays science officer and fungal expert Lieutenant Stamets, while Wilson Cruz will play his partner, medical officer Dr. Hugh Culber. Rapp sat down withThe Rage Monthly to talk about his role and what it means to him.
Much has changed since your early days withRENT. What has taking on this newStar Trek Discoveryrole been like for you and how did it happen? It literally came out of absolutely nowhere...I had
no idea they were even doing a newStar Trek series. I was offered the role without auditioning, which is something that never happens. I’ve always been a really big geek and a super sci-fi fantasy nerd. Star Trekwas one of the many things I’ve enjoyed but I wouldn’t call myself a huge Trekkie, because to me that would be overstating the case. There’s plenty of bigger Trekkies out there, but it’s always been a part of my conscious and something I’ve enjoyed. To dive into the world and be a part of the legacy, has been incredibly gratifying and meaningful. I can’t imagine what it must be like to step into such an iconic franchise, there’s such an intense legacy around the film and television series. You were at Comic-Con for it recently, what was that like? It was super fun. We had been in our bubble for months doing the show. Tiniest little drips and drops of information had been coming out, but this was our first public event. It felt great to be public with our passion and the ideas we were bringing into the world of Star Trek. It was a unified and unifying experience and I think it was very well received. I understand within the fan community there’s an understandable skepticism, there’s a tremendous amount of protective energy around it. Whenever you care about something so much you’re going to want it to be good. I’d like to believe the many steps we’ve taken have demon- strated our good faith and honor. I remember when the first series came out and watching subsequent versions on television and in film. They’ve each have had their merits and successes and it’s so interesting to me that people continue to be so passionate about it. It taps into so many profound things. I remember recently, I was asked by a reporter from Denmark or
OCTOBER 2017 | RAGE monthly
27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
