- Hello, I'm Patrick Stewart
and I am doing the WIRED Autocomplete Interview.
[upbeat music]
You know, you've seen it before so you know what it is.
[upbeat music]
"Who is Patrick Stewart?"
I am.
"Who is Patrick Stewart married to?"
My wife is called Sunny Ozell, O-Z-E double L
and she is a wonderful wife and a fabulous singer.
"Who is Patrick Stewart's best friend?"
The commonly known friendship that I have
is with Sir Ian McKellen whom I've worked with many times
and who, I'll be frank with you, I'm in love with,
but then so is my wife in love with him too
so that's all right.
"Who Patrick Stewart's Yorkshire poem?"
I think I know what they may be referring to.
I grew up in the North of England
in the West Riding of Yorkshire
which meant that I spoke with a Yorkshire accent,
but it wasn't just an accent.
It was actually dialect
which means that you're not just mispronouncing words,
you're using different words all together.
So I'll give you a little example.
I was sitting by Arsen last evening.
Me mother and father were off
'cause they'd heard that me ole nan Susannah.
Were laid up in bed with a cough.
West Riding dialect.
"Who is Patrick Stewart, Jimmy Neutron?"
Jimmy Neutron, I think Jimmy Neutron was a character
in a film that I played, but I don't know, give me another.
"Is Patrick Stewart British?"
Yes, I am British.
I'm actually an Englishman born in the county of Yorkshire.
"Is Patrick Stewart vegan?"
No I'm not.
I think I have an excellent diet with many
of the right kind of healthy things,
but no I'm not vegan.
"Is Patrick Stewart left handed?"
No, I wonder why you would ask that?
"Is Patrick Stewart a nice guy?"
I don't know, shall we put it to the vote.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
of us in this room.
How many say "yes"?
It's almost unanimous.
Seven of the eight said "yes."
I'll talk to you later.
"Is Patrick Stewart related to Martha Stewart?"
[laughing] Oh that's lovely.
No, I am not related to Martha Stewart,
but I have met her several times and I adore her.
"Is Patrick Stewart related to Kristen Stewart?"
No, I'm not, but Kristen and I of course worked together.
We were both in the remake of "Charlie's Angels"
and I liked her very much and I've admired her work
for a long time.
"How Patrick Stewart stays in shape."
Well that's a very timely question
because I have over my lifetime had trainers
and worked in gymnasiums.
When I was a teenager I played a lotta sports.
I did get into really serious trouble
with my athletics coach at the school I went to
because I was taking part in a rather important sports event
and I was a sprinter,
but that evening I had a performance on stage
and I realized if I went through to the final
I was going to miss my stage performance that night.
So I threw the race and I got into so much trouble.
"How did Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen meet?"
20th Century Fox invited us both to be
in a little hardly known series at all called "X-Men."
We had adjoining trailers.
When you're in those kind of movies,
you spend more time sitting in your trailer
than you do in front of the camera.
So, Ian and I hung out together drinking tea
and later in the afternoon maybe something a little stronger
and we got to know one another
and the charm of it was
that we found we had so much in common.
And by the way, he married us, my wife and me,
he performed the ceremony.
Isn't that wonderful?
"How did Patrick Stewart become a knight?"
I don't know the answer to that question,
but that evening I did call my wife
and I said to her,
"Oh hello, is that Lady Stewart on the line?"
Because, of course, my wife has got a title also now
being married to a knight.
She went with me and my brother and sister-in-law
to the palace 10 years ago and I was dubbed
on both shoulders with a sword, yes,
that is actually how it happens.
The queen has a sword in her hand and she does this
and says, "Arise Sir Patrick."
"How old was Patrick Stewart 'Star Trek'?"
47 when I was offered the part.
I think we were about 60
when I stopped being Jean-Luc Picard,
but of course, I'm back being the same character again now
so the show goes on.
"How did Patrick Stewart and Seth MacFarlane meet?"
[laughing] Seth is a huge "Star Trek" fan
and I had enjoyed his work for a long time
and then he asked me to play a role
in his animated series, "American Dad,"
and I play the deputy head of the CIA
and his name is Bullock and he's a wonderful character,
an appalling creature, but a wonderful character to play.
"Was Patrick Stewart in 'Harry Potter'?"
That's such an unkind question.
No, I was not in "Harry Potter,"
I wasn't even asked to be in "Harry Potter"
so that I could arrogantly turn it down,
but every other actor that I know
and that I'm close to was in "Harry Potter"
except Sir Ian McKellan.
That's what's made us famous,
that we weren't in "Harry Potter."
"Was Patrick Stewart knighted with a Klingon sword?"
Her Majesty the Queen doesn't possess a Klingon sword,
well actually she might I suppose.
No, no there was no Klingon weapon involved
in any of that.
"Was Patrick Stewart in 'Excalibur'?"
Yes, well done.
It was a wonderful experience.
It was the first epic film that I've ever been in.
I played Leodegrance who was the father of Guinevere.
Next one.
"What was Patrick Stewart's first movie?"
Funny enough I was lying in bed this morning thinking
about this movie.
It was called "Hennessy,"
but it was a movie starring Rod Steiger
and I had a day and a halfs work on that film.
Very small role and in it I got shot, I got killed
which is why I was only a day and a half working
on that film.
"What has Europe done for us?"
Well in the last 40 years the European union
has brought economic success to our nation.
It has brought open borders where our European families
can move backwards and forwards
and it has created a peaceful Europe,
but now utterly misguided and self-interested politicians
have taken us out of Europe because they think
we should be on our own.
It's going to be calamitous.
I missed one out.
"What awards did Patrick Stewart win?"
I've got I think three Olivier Awards,
those are theater awards in England.
I think two Evening Standard Awards
which are also for theater work.
I've had a Tony nomination.
The more important question is what have I not won.
Academy Award.
I've been nominated for Emmy's,
I've never got an Emmy.
I've been nominated for Golden Globes
and never got a Golden Globe.
But I would really like a Tony and Academy Award,
anybody who's listening who happens to have any influence
in that direction, I'd be grateful.
"What is Patrick Stewart known for?"
Being a delightful, good-looking, charming,
witty, and generous companion.
[Patrick laughing]
"What is Patrick Stewart up to?"
Well I had a very exciting morning.
My wife's valentine present was delivered to us.
My wife loves ancient olive trees
and so that is what I have given my wife
as a valentine's present, it's now planted in my garden
and it's amazing.
It is 38 years old.
We've given it a name.
It's called Valentina.
"Does Patrick Stewart knit?"
Oh, yes, [laughing] I did, yes.
My mother was a knitter and she taught me how to knit.
"Does Patrick Stewart have a dog?"
Presently, no.
But about four years ago my wife and I began fostering,
something I passionately suggest
if you haven't got a dog you look into.
But, foster only from shelters.
And the shelter that I foster from,
which is called Wags and Walks here in Los Angeles,
it specializes in getting dogs from high-kill shelters.
"Does Patrick Stewart drink Earl Gray tea?"
Very occasionally.
I drink a tea called Yorkshire Gold every morning,
that's how my day starts.
"Does Patrick Stewart own a vineyard?"
Well yes of course, Jean-Luc Picard,
he inherited a vineyard from his family
and now he lives there in our new series.
"Does Patrick Stewart sing country songs?"
Well I do have a modest little album out,
recorded maybe three, four years ago,
"Patrick Stewart Sings Cowboy Classics."
Well if you've made it this far,
first of all congratulations on having such patience
or good taste depending on how you look at it,
but I have had a good time which makes one of us,
doesn't it?
And I want to thank everybody for inviting me to do this.
The only other person I'd seen do this was Paul McCartney.
So I feel that I'm in very good company.