How Each Star Trek Captain Got Cast
3. An Unknown Shakespearean Actor. French, If At All Possible, Please
On December 10th, 1986 the first casting call sheet was sent out for The Next Generation. The producers sought someone for 'Captain Julien Picard', a Caucasian man in his 50s, who is very youthful and in prime physical condition. He was to be born in Paris, with a mid-Atlantic accent.
Patrick Stewart was, at the time, according to the LA Times at least, an unknown Shakespearean actor. He was spotted in a play by Robert Justman, who had to appeal to Gene Roddenberry to get him an audition. Stewart was and is bald, which was an issue to begin with - though Roddenberry would later reflect that, by the 24th century, humanity wouldn't care about baldness.
Picard was a reflection of Roddenberry's evolution and growth. Kirk had been the 'macho' captain, whereas Picard was to be more contemplative and discerning. However, in Roddenberry's mind, Picard was definitely French! Stewart didn't fit the template of the character in Gene's eyes, and it was Justman who continued to push for him, while Gene continued to see other actors. Eventually, he came around and he began to rework the character into something better suiting Stewart. The French aspect was kept, though Stewart continued to speak with his native accent.
While there was the usual issues with the first season of the show, where everyone settled into their roles, Stewart became a champion for professionalism on set. Marina Sirtis credits Stewart's dedication as the reason the rest of the cast delivered their best each week.