For all of the continuity errors that have been found in ‘Star Trek: Discovery‘, there is a lot said for telling a good story and the show has found a large fan base. Surprisingly, James Frain as the Vulcan Sarek has been a huge stand out for viewers and the actor shares what helped him pull off being off a member of an emotionless alien race. The secret sauce is being from a specific country.
Here is exactly how Frain phrased that being British helped him out in the role!
“The whole Vulcan thing revolves around this idea that they don’t have emotion. But as true Star Trek fans know, they contain emotion. Going back to watch the earlier Sarek performances, there was one that really struck me; it was right at the end in The Next Generation, Sarek has a kind of freak out with Picard. It was mind-blowing to watch. Oh, he has all that going on, and he just doesn’t let it out. And that is kind of the code. It isn’t that you don’t feel anything. You feel it, and then you go like that [straight-faced]. So, being British is an enormous advantage. So, all I had to do is layer in some condescension and some patronizing and basically, I was going full Brit!”
This is an interesting tact on pulling off the acting of one of ‘Star Trek”s oldest characters and in a way that didn’t turn viewers off. Of course, playing Spock’s father would have been stressful enough in its own right with how Trekkies can be, so it is great that he came up with a system that worked.
Have you enjoyed James Frain portraying Sarek so far on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’? Do you feel that being British was the key to his success? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Trek Movie
