Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Paul Stamets

At this stage, we'd normally be thumbing through casting memos with names more numerous than Odo's 'Most Wanted' PADD. It appears, however, that there was only ever one name in the running for the role of Paul Stamets. As Captain Janeway once noted, there's an old (Earth) expression: "Don't call us, we'll call you." Typically intended as a dismissive, Anthony Rapp can claim to have experienced it literally.

When the producers of Star Trek: Discovery first sought out Rapp for the show, it was for a much smaller role, an offer he accepted without hesitation after receiving a "late-night email" from his agent. As the actor went on to tell news site Vox in 2017,

I didn't even know there was a new Star Trek. So that made my head explode. […] I was like, 'Yeah! I'll do anything! I'd love to be a part of this.'

When it came to casting the happily married (or as can be) mycologist, showrunners were determined to find an out gay actor for the part. As former Discovery showrunner Aaron Harberts noted to Vox,

Literally the second we started thinking about it, thinking, 'We've got an out gay actor. Why not let him carry the torch for the gay community?'

Rapp then got a call from his agent simply saying, "They want to upgrade you and make you a regular," having never had to audition for Stamets. As surprised by the experience as anyone, Rapp commented that, "Truly, as an actor, it was everything I would've dreamed […]. The fact that it came so unexpectedly feels kinda like a showbiz miracle".