Ep: 047 "The Dancing Doctor Is In" Interview with Gates McFadden

[00:00:00] Saying that we struggle all our lives to answer it, but it's the struggle that is important. That's what helps us to define our place in the universe.

[00:00:10] This is Beverly, Dr. Beverly, Dr. Dr. Beverly Crusher.

[00:00:14] Honest.

[00:00:16] Forceful.

[00:00:18] Trusting.

[00:00:20] Brilliant.

[00:00:21] Strong.

[00:00:23] And adventurous.

[00:00:25] And this is Crusher Convo.

[00:00:27] And welcome to Crusher Convo, where we are crushing the conversation one episode at a time.

[00:00:32] And the day has finally come as I have finally got to sit down with our favorite space mom and my podcast namesake, Gates McFadden.

[00:00:39] Super excited I got the chance to sit down with her and ask her questions about not only her podcast and Star Trek, but of her time on X-Men as well.

[00:00:47] So here's my interview with Gates. Hope you enjoy.

[00:00:52] I am going to start talking about your podcast.

[00:00:55] So I really enjoyed the second season.

[00:00:59] I just heard Ethan's Today, and I just love how you engage with your interviews or conversations that you have with them.

[00:01:07] Now, since you started the podcast, and you've talked a lot about your childhood and how you got into the arts,

[00:01:12] is there anything that you learned about yourself while learning about these that you have interviewed?

[00:01:18] Well, I think you learn about the things you have in common with other people.

[00:01:23] And even when they seem like they're not similar, the effect in your life might be similar, you know, like even if the event itself isn't.

[00:01:31] So it's been really wonderful to hear people's stories because everybody has such interesting stories.

[00:01:40] Everybody.

[00:01:41] It's a matter of getting people to share them.

[00:01:43] And you don't, I don't want to pry.

[00:01:45] I want people who want to talk about it and feel comfortable.

[00:01:49] But, I mean, that's, I also have learned that I can do something I've never done before.

[00:01:55] I, you know, I've learned how to sound edit.

[00:01:58] And I've learned how to do things that I just didn't have a clue before.

[00:02:02] So.

[00:02:03] Right.

[00:02:03] Yeah.

[00:02:04] I was actually thinking about David's episode because you instantly started talking about his family history, right?

[00:02:11] From like Nigeria and things like that.

[00:02:13] And as a housekeeping manager, I have five different languages in my department.

[00:02:18] And one of them is Swahili.

[00:02:20] And, of course, they have five different dialects.

[00:02:23] And so it was interesting because I grabbed one of my employees and I just started talking to him about how it is in the Congo and Uganda and how it split.

[00:02:33] And he's talking about the languages.

[00:02:34] And I'm trying to learn like at least certain words just so, you know, I know they're trying to learn being here.

[00:02:39] But then I also want to, you know, respect their culture and where they're from.

[00:02:44] And so, you know, some of them kind of laugh because I'm not sure if I'm saying it right.

[00:02:49] But, you know, it means a lot, I think, when people are not afraid of making a fool of themselves trying to learn another language.

[00:02:56] Because we expect them to learn it when they come here.

[00:03:00] And why don't we have the effort?

[00:03:02] You know, like you go to the Netherlands, they all speak about five to seven languages.

[00:03:06] Right.

[00:03:07] It's just what they learn in school.

[00:03:09] It's polite.

[00:03:11] It's nice to be curious about how does that feel in your mouth when you're trying to say something else and the guttural sounds.

[00:03:18] So it's, I loved it.

[00:03:20] And David Ajalo, he's pretty amazing, pretty amazing guy, as is his wife, who I've never met.

[00:03:26] But I saw her Instagram and I mean, I'm in love with her even without knowing her.

[00:03:32] Right.

[00:03:33] I know.

[00:03:34] I, it was interesting because even a lot of them are from the Congo, but they speak different languages as well.

[00:03:39] So even if there's like one part of Swahili is like Kowanda, but then others speak French.

[00:03:44] And so I'm like trying to speak French.

[00:03:45] I'm like, bonjour as they're coming down and then jumbo.

[00:03:48] And I'm just going down the list as they're coming down to start working.

[00:03:51] But it's, it's a lot of fun.

[00:03:53] Was there anything in your childhood though that you felt really shaped you into who you are today?

[00:03:59] Well, I mean, I think just learning, just being loved really shaped me.

[00:04:07] I think my parents loved me and no matter what things they did that drove me crazy or I wish they hadn't done or whatever, they, they always loved me.

[00:04:17] And I think that's been the greatest gift of my life.

[00:04:20] So that's shaped me.

[00:04:22] I think being loved gives you some sort of confidence no matter how insecure you are.

[00:04:26] And believe me, I'm insecure, but you still feel you have a worth if you've been loved by your parents.

[00:04:32] I think it must be so hard for people who haven't had that gift as a child.

[00:04:37] So I would say that shaped me a lot.

[00:04:39] And then just that my parents both worked very hard.

[00:04:43] They always had jobs.

[00:04:45] They were always working.

[00:04:46] They always went above and beyond to do activities with us and went without much sleep.

[00:04:52] And so I, my brother and I both learned how to work very hard.

[00:04:56] Yeah.

[00:04:57] I didn't have my dad around.

[00:04:58] It was just my mom.

[00:04:59] She was a single mom of three kids by the time she was 26.

[00:05:02] And so I learned how to, when I became a single mom, I kind of had that to, to guide me, but I had a really good stepdad.

[00:05:10] And so, you know, that's, that's always good to have, but it also helped me with my daughter who didn't have her dad around.

[00:05:16] Right.

[00:05:17] Right.

[00:05:17] So I actually grew up in East LA in San Gabriel and then moved to Moreno Valley.

[00:05:25] Yeah.

[00:05:25] So the majority, so I'm, I'm actually second generation American.

[00:05:28] And so my family's from Mexico.

[00:05:31] So we were vastly in that area.

[00:05:33] And my uncle is actually a pretty, pretty famous author in the Chicano community.

[00:05:39] And a lot of his art and stuff like that is like on the murals and things of East LA.

[00:05:43] And so.

[00:05:44] And what's his name?

[00:05:46] Luis Rodriguez.

[00:05:47] Okay.

[00:05:48] He has a bookstore and it's called Tia Chuchas.

[00:05:51] And his goal, cause he was in the gangs, his goal was to try and keep kids off the streets.

[00:05:57] And so he opened the bookstores to have them learn painting, ceramics, you know, learning how to read, writing poetry,

[00:06:05] just being able to use their imagination instead of falling into, into the gangs, which is so easy to do.

[00:06:12] Yeah.

[00:06:12] And then he talks about his story about how he got out of the gangs, which is not even easy to do at all.

[00:06:19] So I've always had those inspirations growing up with just the different parts of my family.

[00:06:24] Now, what part of Mexico did it, did your family come from?

[00:06:28] So, yeah.

[00:06:29] So my grandfather came from Mexico city and he was a professor in biology.

[00:06:36] I believe it was my grandmother is from Juarez.

[00:06:39] Juarez and very, very poor section of Juarez.

[00:06:44] We actually didn't really know much until just recently because of, you know, they didn't have much.

[00:06:51] My great grandfather worked in the railroad.

[00:06:54] So that was interesting.

[00:06:55] But yeah, they met in the school.

[00:06:57] He was like the principal and she was the secretary.

[00:07:00] But they came into Mexico in the fifties and had their, my two uncles, my aunt and my mom here.

[00:07:07] So fast forward to Trek.

[00:07:10] So, you know, Beverly Crusher was the first parent as a senior officer running her own department.

[00:07:15] And then you became a mom in the middle of the series.

[00:07:18] So did that change the way you played Beverly or did you just continue how you always played her?

[00:07:23] I continued the way I played her, but she had been, I was still trying to find, get back to how she was for season.

[00:07:29] I felt it took several seasons.

[00:07:32] The writing of that whole first third season, what were Pulaski scripts practically.

[00:07:38] There were maybe one or two that were someone had developed for Crusher, but they felt very like another doctor.

[00:07:45] So they were doctoring up the scripts, quote unquote, more like me, my character.

[00:07:52] But, but yeah, it took a while and I was disappointed that they didn't want to use it.

[00:07:57] I was really hoping they'd use it, but they did not want to.

[00:08:00] I don't know whether that was because Patrick was against it or was it because they already had an idea of having someone else be pregnant in a series and they were going to use that.

[00:08:12] So for whatever reason, I was disappointed and I, and my part suffered because of it that season, because I was a fourth season.

[00:08:19] I was very pregnant.

[00:08:21] I was three pounds.

[00:08:23] I mean, I was like, they were shooting me behind big, big pieces of furniture.

[00:08:29] My favorite is actually Patrick's head was actually one that blocked your shot.

[00:08:33] It was in the hose where he bends down and he's blocking you completely.

[00:08:37] I know, but when I was just about eight months pregnant, I mean, seriously.

[00:08:41] That was ridiculous because I gave birth in June, which is right after when we, you know, we just stopped filming.

[00:08:46] So it was crazy.

[00:08:47] And they put me in a corset right around then too for the, when I was coaching the theater show with, with Doug.

[00:08:55] Oh yeah.

[00:08:57] And that was the only day that I was nauseous in all of my, my, my pregnancy.

[00:09:05] Actually, but yeah, that was pretty funny.

[00:09:07] I love the poor actor who played my love interest in the host could not believe that he was playing with somebody who was that big, that pregnant.

[00:09:15] I mean, it really was funny.

[00:09:16] He could barely, but we, we managed.

[00:09:19] Now going from TNG to season three of Picard and Beverly being so different this time around, what was the biggest challenge you had reprising the role?

[00:09:28] Well, see, I don't know that she was so different.

[00:09:31] I just think that she, things were maybe heightened, but she always was somebody who was into service.

[00:09:39] She was serving her patients and then she was delivering supplies.

[00:09:43] I think she definitely made a choice because she knew that the, the child's life would be very much in danger if she didn't leave.

[00:09:54] And I think she thought that Picard would be a great father eventually.

[00:09:59] And I, I think she was very tuned into the fact that he wasn't ready.

[00:10:03] I mean, keep in mind, it was only in the end of season two of Picard that, that he dealt with his issues of his father.

[00:10:09] So it's not, it was for a long time ready to be a dad.

[00:10:14] Uh, so I, I really feel because that was important to me.

[00:10:17] I didn't want to do it if she was going to be seen as someone who just did not let Picard know he, he had a son.

[00:10:24] Like she was being selfish.

[00:10:26] Yeah.

[00:10:26] I just don't think that was in the character.

[00:10:28] That was never the character, not the one.

[00:10:31] Um, so I said, as long as that's clear.

[00:10:33] And then they wanted to, you know, Patrick wanted to take out a couple of lines because, you know, you're always wanting your character to be authentic to what you've been playing.

[00:10:43] And they did take out one part that I, I was sad to see go because it really clarified more how my son really, it was like, are you going to choose him when I don't want to see him over your son who you love?

[00:10:59] And I'm here asking you not to do it.

[00:11:01] You know, I don't want to see him.

[00:11:02] I've met him.

[00:11:03] I don't, I'm not interested.

[00:11:05] So I don't know what you do.

[00:11:06] Do you force it on?

[00:11:07] Do you assume it's going to happen sometime in the future?

[00:11:10] I'm not sure what one would do, but keep in mind, they were, her son was being attacked all the time.

[00:11:17] They, they were for the last several years had been just struggling to stay alive.

[00:11:22] So I have to take it from there and go, she was right.

[00:11:27] Um, and, and we don't know when it would have started if the son had just been around on the enterprise.

[00:11:32] It could have started right away when he was an infant.

[00:11:34] But I think it was interesting.

[00:11:36] And I really enjoyed though, the line when you guys had your sick bay scene where she had said, I had lost my parents.

[00:11:43] I had lost my husband.

[00:11:44] I had lost Wesley.

[00:11:46] She's lost.

[00:11:47] I mean, that was the thing about Beverly is she had a lot of losses in her life and she, you know, definitely didn't let it bring her down, but she just couldn't lose anymore.

[00:12:00] Especially because we didn't know what was going on with Wesley.

[00:12:02] I mean, now that prodigy came out like, Oh yeah, he got to meet Jack when he was little.

[00:12:06] But in between that, there was just no, that was something I actually really made very clear in, in the early talks that that was, that information had to be put in a scene somewhere.

[00:12:18] So that people understood that there was a, it was a huge loss for her to walk away from a job that she adored with her, you know, comrades in the air.

[00:12:28] I mean, she loves people and for her to have to just do that there, you don't, she wouldn't do it out of selfishness because she, you know, not at all.

[00:12:38] I think it was definitely protecting and she was right.

[00:12:42] Mm-hmm.

[00:12:43] This actually is a perfect little segue because now we get into X-Men 97 and I didn't grow up with Star Trek.

[00:12:52] I grew up with Star Wars, but I did not grow up with Star Trek.

[00:12:55] But the one show that I did grow up was X-Men, the animated series.

[00:12:58] It was a huge deal in my house with my brother and my sister and my mom.

[00:13:02] And I loved the show.

[00:13:04] And the only reason why I even knew who Patrick Stewart was was because he was in X-Men.

[00:13:10] And that was it.

[00:13:11] I was like, he's Charles Xavier.

[00:13:12] The one thing that I was really hoping for, because I think he had said something about like, oh, I'm in talks with Marvel.

[00:13:18] And I was like, okay, 97 is coming out.

[00:13:20] I hope, I hope she's going to be in it.

[00:13:22] My friend Tim from FSF, he tweeted like when the finale came out, he's like the Bev heads need to watch this.

[00:13:28] And I, I think I left home from work.

[00:13:30] I was like, I got to go rushed home, saw it.

[00:13:32] I was so excited because, you know, now my worlds are colliding.

[00:13:38] Here is like my adulthood and my childhood coming together in one.

[00:13:41] And what was interesting is that Bo DiMaio, who was the season one showrunner, he just recently had an interview and he said he was watching Picard season three and he saw Beverly as a battle hearted mother.

[00:13:52] And he said, that's our mother, Ascani.

[00:13:55] So just tell us, you know, if you can, the story of how you just got this role.

[00:13:59] And, you know.

[00:14:00] Well, it was, it was really, as you said, I was just called and offered it.

[00:14:04] And I love doing voice work and I loved doing a character that this time traveler and she's really cool in season two.

[00:14:13] I think it's going to be a while before that, you know, happens.

[00:14:17] But, but I've already done voiceover for some of season two and I loved it.

[00:14:22] I really like where the character is going.

[00:14:25] It's, it's just a gift.

[00:14:26] What can I tell you?

[00:14:27] I love that world.

[00:14:28] I love, love the character.

[00:14:30] I think it's a really, really interesting character.

[00:14:32] Mother Ascani, yeah, there's a lot of different characters, especially in the Marvel universe and things.

[00:14:38] And so.

[00:14:38] Also never been seen before on an animated series or anything.

[00:14:43] And she does time travel.

[00:14:45] And so, you know, it's pretty cool.

[00:14:47] It's pretty cool.

[00:14:48] Yeah.

[00:14:49] No, I was all like, oh my gosh, she is the daughter of Jean Grey and Cyclops.

[00:14:53] This is awesome.

[00:14:55] I actually drove to FanX back in September to meet, to meet your space son.

[00:15:01] Will was there.

[00:15:02] I was like, he's the last crusher I need to meet.

[00:15:04] And Lenore, Lenore Zane was there and she plays Rogue and she just started talking.

[00:15:11] And it was hilarious because I have, I made this image of the back of my phone where you're Beverly.

[00:15:16] And she's like, oh, that looks like Rogue.

[00:15:18] And I was like, no.

[00:15:21] I was like, that's Beverly.

[00:15:22] And she started asking me all these questions.

[00:15:24] And I was, she's like, oh, well, Gates sounds really cool.

[00:15:26] I should meet her.

[00:15:27] I was like, funny you say that.

[00:15:29] She's on your show.

[00:15:32] It's a great group of actors.

[00:15:34] I hope, I haven't met all of them, but I'm looking forward to it when we start doing more putting down season two.

[00:15:40] Yeah.

[00:15:40] Oh yeah.

[00:15:41] She, she actually had mentioned, she's like, I just finished season two and I think you're going to like it.

[00:15:45] And I got so excited.

[00:15:47] She actually gifted me a poster.

[00:15:49] And then she said, there's a little Rogue in all of us is what, is what it says.

[00:15:53] So yeah, I was super, I was like, I felt like seven years old again as she came out.

[00:15:58] That's nice.

[00:15:59] For your thoughts.

[00:16:08] So Chris from First Flight Podcast, he asked, how has your career in the arts affected what you value most in life?

[00:16:15] That's a good question.

[00:16:18] I think it has sort of been the vessel through which I can enjoy life the most because creativity in my life or when I'm an artist, no matter what you're doing, creativity, if you're making a new recipe,

[00:16:42] creativity is one of the greatest joys of my life.

[00:16:47] And when you see, when you meet your child, you know, and you're in, you watch this child develop and evolve, it's extraordinary experience.

[00:16:56] And you see creativity right there.

[00:16:58] And then when you're creative together, I would say it's that that is my favorite thing in life, really.

[00:17:04] To be creative, to watch other people who are creative, to daydream, to imagine things, to play, to develop work.

[00:17:16] I loved, I loved, I loved when I built the theater, it was getting new plays, it was developing plays with new ideas of how we deal with different issues of today or just stories that are, that move us, that touch our lives.

[00:17:31] So I would say the arts have, it doesn't always have to be in a performing way, because I actually adore visual arts.

[00:17:42] I really love music very deeply.

[00:17:46] So I think, and I love dance and movement.

[00:17:49] I think all the arts, it's our culture.

[00:17:53] You know, you look at culture, you look at past cultures, and that's how you learn about civilization.

[00:18:00] And to me, you know, looking at something that's beautiful or hearing a story that moves me or makes me laugh, anything like that.

[00:18:10] That's my favorite thing in life.

[00:18:13] I'm definitely an arts person.

[00:18:15] I used to do tap when I was little and dance.

[00:18:17] My mom was a flamingo dancer when she was a kid, so we always had that growing up.

[00:18:21] And so I feel like I can interpret things, especially in movement and stuff like that, and how beautiful it can be, right?

[00:18:29] Expressing yourself.

[00:18:30] And that's expression.

[00:18:32] So self-expression is kind of one of the basic things in life.

[00:18:36] So if you can't express what you're thinking or feeling, it's all bottled up.

[00:18:41] Yeah.

[00:18:42] You express in different ways.

[00:18:43] And if people, you know, people on the spectrum, they express their creativity in another way than I do, maybe.

[00:18:50] Or maybe it's similar.

[00:18:51] I think there's so many interesting ways to be creative.

[00:18:54] And I only have my ways, but I'm always trying to evolve and find a new way to be creative.

[00:19:01] Well, you know what, Gates?

[00:19:02] I do want to thank you because, you know, Beverly Crusher kind of came into my life at the right time because of that trauma that I had last year.

[00:19:10] I don't think I would have been able to go through that without Star Trek and how you portrayed Beverly.

[00:19:14] So, you know, I know you hear that a lot from different fans, but it definitely changed me for the better.

[00:19:19] And I got to learn myself how to be a podcaster and things like that.

[00:19:23] And so I really appreciate your time with me today.

[00:19:26] I think you should credit yourself because, you know, the way people see our characters is really what you're projecting.

[00:19:34] And it's coming from you and it's beautiful.

[00:19:35] And give yourself that, I think I need coffee.

[00:19:43] But pat yourself on the back.

[00:19:45] It's just like, give yourself credit.

[00:19:48] Recognize that you were the reason that it happened.

[00:19:51] And I was just the conduit.

[00:19:54] But thank you very much.

[00:19:57] And that's it, guys.

[00:19:59] That was my interview with Gates McFannan.

[00:20:00] I hope you enjoyed it.

[00:20:02] Don't forget to hit that like and subscribe button for more Crusher Combo content.

[00:20:06] And also catch my react and reviews of the final season of Star Trek Lower Decks.

[00:20:12] And as always, live long and prosper.

[00:20:16] Bye, guys.