Book review: An endearing and entertaining tale
Patrick Stewart is well known for his appearances on screen in the 'Star Trek' and 'X-Men' franchises. Picture: PA
- Making It So: A memoir
- Patrick Stewart
- Simon & Schuster, €23.99
Actor Patrick Stewart is known all over the world for his appearances on screen in the ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ franchises. Before his success on TV and in films, he had had an illustrious career on stage for four decades, in particular with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
His memoir is a joy to read, regardless of whether or not you have an interest in theatre, or indeed ‘Star Trek’ or ‘X-Men’. It’s a true ‘rags to riches’ story.
Stewart grew up in a small town, Mirfield, in the north of England. The family was poor, their tiny house had no bathroom, and Stewart shared a bed with his much-loved older brother Trevor.
His father had been a charismatic sergeant in the army, who never adapted to civilian life and would beat his wife when drunk.
Stewart writes of how it took him ‘decades of analysis’ to realise ‘the impact of the violence, fear, shame and guilt I experienced as a child’.
Although he obviously condemns his father’s violence, he expresses some understanding of his awful behaviour, and drew on his father’s irrational rage in his portrayals of Shakespeare’s tyrants on stage.
Stewart’s English teacher Cecil Dormand introduced him to Shakespeare and encouraged him to get involved in local drama groups.
It’s astonishing to read that in those days a town with a population of only 9,000 had ‘at least seven active drama societies’.
As well as to Dormand, he dedicates his memoir to voice coach Ruth Wynn Owen, who he met on a residential drama course while still at school and who taught him for some time afterwards.
When Stewart is preparing to leave school at 15, Dormand asks him if he’d thought of becoming an actor. ‘That job is not for people like me,’ Stewart answered, but his teacher pointed out how other young men with similar backgrounds to his are making their mark in British theatre, among them Richard Harris and Albert Finney.
After leaving school, Stewart spent a short time as a reporter for a local newspaper and then as a furniture salesman, before being accepted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
He spent the following years with repertory companies before getting a place in his mid-20s in the Royal Shakespeare Company, based in Stratford-on-Avon.
Stewart is a natural storyteller, who expresses himself with candour, often in a rather playful tone. He gives great insights into the skill involved in acting, how challenging it can be to understand the character he is trying to portray.
There are really interesting glimpses into how other actors and directors, including many famous names, behaved; among them Vivien Leigh, Ben Kingsley, Kirk Douglas, Ian Holm.
He had a fascinating experience with Paul McCartney. Informed by McCartney’s then girlfriend, actress Jane Asher, that Stewart liked Aston Martins, McCartney invited him to drive them from Bristol to Bath, encouraging him to drive faster, with Stewart imagining he’d be famous only for killing the Beatle.
The funniest encounter is when he meets Sting, who had just joined the cast of the film . Stewart is a lover of classical rather than popular music and has never heard of the star. Hearing he performs with the Police, he responds: “You play in a police band … how marvellous!”
Stewart shares his failures, fears, and self-doubt as well as his ambition and successes. He went bald at age 19 and from young was always aware he was not ‘leading-man handsome’.
He comes across as a very interesting and likeable man, and his memoir is an enjoyable read.
