Geneviève Bujold questions.....

[Mr. Scott]

I am now watching Voyager from the beginning again and was reading on the internet about the series, and read what I could about the original actress that was to play the Captain, a one Geneviève Bujold.

I don't really understand why she took the starring role of a television series, and then basically said in the first episode, "I don't like this, and I want to quit." It's just odd that someone would quit a job like she had, essentially after the first week? Doing a Trek episode is expensive to produce and when Bujold quit, that film went to the trash. Shouldn't she of accounted for that somehow?

I don't know how many, but I would think that many, many people auditioned for this role and other roles on the series. Ms. Bujold had to compete with a lot of other people for the role and beat out Kate Mulgrew and others. This isn't like filling out an application to Clucky's Chicken, getting the job and realizing a week later that cleaning grease traps isnt your thing and quitting.

So, Ms. Bujold went through the interview process, auditioning, gets the job and THEN decides she wants out? Didn't she do her research? Maybe asked other Star Trek actors on the DS9 set (which was filming the same time as VOY began), talk with Avery Brooks or even Shatner himself, since they are both Canadian and probably knew each other from way back.

What about her contract? Isn't there a big penalty for breaking it? Then, I can't see anyone else hiring her, for risk that she would quit again. So, what was her deal? Was she a bit nuts? Thought that a week of Voyager was equal to a week at Clucky's Chicken?

 

[Kadratis]

All I can say is good riddance. For an experienced actress, her lack of research and dedication got her where she ended up. Better for her to quit in the first week than several months later when the show's production was in full-speed. She could have possibly left VOY to die and eventually be cancelled. Just makes me more grateful we got Mulgrew instead. Bujold had no charisma or chemistry at all in the canned footage I saw her in.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

The penalty in contract breaking I believe doesn't actually start until the series is airing and underway.

And she actually probably didn't do much of what you said, if I remember correctly she was offered the role and if the producers wanted her to audition she would have.

But thank God she left, if she had stayed Voyager would have ended in its second season.

 

[JeffM]

In the book, 'a vision of the future, the making of Star Trek Voyager,' this is covered pretty well.

Berman never wanted her. She didn't audition. She was a famous actress, and the Paramount executives pushed her on Berman. She got the part without reading a line.

The first day of shooting was agony. She had no idea what was going on and was unable to cope with the time schedule of televison. She didn't know Star Trek. She played her role meekly.

She wanted out almost immediately; Berman and most everyone else was thrilled, she was released without penalty.

Kate came in and took command of the set. Walking immediately with confidence through the sets and her lines. The rest of the actors were very happy with her; at least that's how the story goes.

 

[Sadara]

I've only read what is mentioned in "unreliable" sources such as wikipedia so my information probably isn't very accurate. I know you can find clips of Bujold's scenes as Janeway on youtube. She was awful; and I say that as someone who loved her performance as Anne Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days. I adore that movie. If I remember what I read about her brief Voyager stint, Bujold was unaccustomed to the demands and shooting schedule of a television series as opposed to a movie. Also, this may or may not be true, but supposedly she made some remarks about being unused to playing such "cartoon roles." If she said that, I'm disappointed in her attitude.

 

[Shatnertage]

She was pretty bad as Janeway; you can see on those clips of her as Janeway that it's not working out. From what others above have said, her leaving was a mutual decision.

Berman said some very diplomatic stuff about it on the season one extras.

 

[Sadara]

Here's the wiki article: http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Genevi%C3%A8ve_Bujold

Also been reading around on this some just out of curiosity. Again I'm not sure if this is just rumor, but there was also some scuttlebut that Bujold was insulted when it was suggested to her that she pad her bra for the show. I'm not sure how much credence I give that really.

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

I've seen the clips of her performance, and my opinion is that Genevieve Bujold latched on to the idea of Janeway as a scientist, rather than a captain and wouldn't back away from that image. It's be an interesting angle to play for a guest character, but for the captain of the title ship, it's not the right way.

But I do question why it is that if she had never done sci-fi or TV before why she was interested in the gig.

 

[Mr. Scott]

Berman never wanted her. She didn't audition. She was a famous actress, and the Paramount executives pushed her on Berman. She got the part without reading a line.

I am an American and have never heard of Geneviève Bujold in my life until I heard she was the first Janeway. She's a Canadian actress who has mostly done movies and stage work. Was a beautiful woman in her prime.

How do you pronounce her name? I call her (Ge-ne-veeve Boo-jold)

If no one else auditioned for the role, why was Kate Mulgrew the second choice?

 

[od0_ital]

^

Who says no one else auditioned? If ya look, ya can find a laundry list of actresses that were up for the role before it was given to Bujold.

 

[Expo67]

The penalty in contract breaking I believe doesn't actually start until the series is airing and underway.

And she actually probably didn't do much of what you said, if I remember correctly she was offered the role and if the producers wanted her to audition she would have.

But thank God she left, if she had stayed Voyager would have ended in its second season.

Would that have been such a bad thing if it had? Voyager was another sign of Rick Berman's mishandling of the Star Trek property.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^

Who says no one else auditioned? If ya look, ya can find a laundry list of actresses that were up for the role before it was given to Bujold.

And actors. There are a few seconds of some Man Janeway screen tests on the first season DVD extras, along with the Bujold clips.

 

[henbane]

Genevieve Bojold is indeed a very famous actress of stage and screen eg Coma, Anne of 1000 days, Dead Ringers, TightRope and many many French/European movies. She has an extensive filmography (50+ films iirc).

The story of how she got the part appears in several books and Kate Mulgrew has mentioned it at cons too. She didn't audition but was bought in by the studio - they wanted a "big name" to play the first female Captain as they were very nervous about it.

GB had no previous experience of episodic TV and it only took a few hours for her to realise that it wasn't for her. The studio also wouldn't allow her to play Janeway the way she saw the character.

She quit - and good on her for realising it wasn't for her. The studio then regained it's senses and went back to auditioning for the part, which was handed to Kate Mulgrew.

 

[sonak]

I'm going to sort of echo the oddness of the perception that this actress was a "big name." Maybe to the studio, and I'm sure she has a long list of credits as any steadily working actor actress would after a while, but I'm not sure she qualifies as a big name.

 

[Shatnertage]

The penalty in contract breaking I believe doesn't actually start until the series is airing and underway.

And she actually probably didn't do much of what you said, if I remember correctly she was offered the role and if the producers wanted her to audition she would have.

But thank God she left, if she had stayed Voyager would have ended in its second season.

Would that have been such a bad thing if it had? Voyager was another sign of Rick Berman's mishandling of the Star Trek property.

We would have missed a lot of great Trek episodes, so it would have been a bad thing.

 

[AJBryant]

How do you pronounce her name? I call her (Ge-ne-veeve Boo-jold)

She's French.

It's ZHON-vee-EV boo-ZHOLD

 

[Expo67]

The penalty in contract breaking I believe doesn't actually start until the series is airing and underway.

And she actually probably didn't do much of what you said, if I remember correctly she was offered the role and if the producers wanted her to audition she would have.

But thank God she left, if she had stayed Voyager would have ended in its second season.

Would that have been such a bad thing if it had? Voyager was another sign of Rick Berman's mishandling of the Star Trek property.

We would have missed a lot of great Trek episodes, so it would have been a bad thing.

The only good episode out of Voyager was the episode concerning Tuvok's service under Captain Hikaru Sulu on the U.S.S. Excelsior.

As for the rest, like TNG(after Roddenberry passed away), DS9, and Enterprise some years later, there wasn't anything good about Voyager.

Those useless spinoffs definately accelerated the process of franchise fatigue and other factors that nearly led Star Trek to its end.

Instead of Rick Berman, Paramount should have had either Majel or Rod Roddenberry run the franchise. At least they would have kept a tighter leash on it and not let it spiral out of control like that SOB Berman did.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

The only good episode out of Voyager was the episode concerning Tuvok's service under Captain Hikaru Sulu on the U.S.S. Excelsior.

As for the rest, like TNG(after Roddenberry passed away), DS9, and Enterprise some years later, there wasn't anything good about Voyager.

Those useless spinoffs definately accelerated the process of franchise fatigue and other factors that nearly led Star Trek to its end.

Instead of Rick Berman, Paramount should have had either Majel or Rod Roddenberry run the franchise. At least they would have kept a tighter leash on it and not let it spiral out of control like that SOB Berman did.

And that's your opinion.

However Voyager did have many heavy hitter episodes.

And "Flashback" was hardly memorable.

 

[froot]

^ Agreed. "Flashback" wasn't even that good. LOL It was an okay episode, mostly because of The Takei. He's too cool for words.

But I see you're a TOS purist, so I sort of doubt we're going to see eye-to-eye on this one.

Anyway, if Voyager had ended in its second season, what the heck was I supposed to do with my free time? Play outside? Make friends? Pishaw.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

^ Agreed. "Flashback" wasn't even that good. LOL It was an okay episode, mostly because of The Takei. He's too cool for words.

But I see you're a TOS purist, so I sort of doubt we're going to see eye-to-eye on this one.

Anyway, if Voyager had ended in its second season, what the heck was I supposed to do with my free time? Play outside? Make friends? Pishaw.

Woot! Go Takei!

But agreed. Without Voyager what were we supposed to do?