Eric Stoltz Back to the Future Interview
“— things were difficult on The Set;
Eric was… It was, uh — It was not easy.
….He was Doing a very
Method-Thing, y’know?
“Everybody Call Me, ‘Marty’, okay?
Except Lea, who's playin’ My Mom,
who l'm tryin’ to make-out with, y’know?
…..Off-camera —“
Okay, “Method-Method-Method-Method,
Method — Hot Chick — No-Method….”
— yeah, uh so… Y’know,
he was Doing all that stuff —
….it was a VERY different thing;
a VERY different thing…..
Q. : Like, too serious..?
“Whu — What do you
want me to say…? I think —
Uh…. I Think it was BAD,
and, uh, Y’know — and
He wasn't Friendly to Me,
so I don’t Care!
Stardate: 44474.5
Original Airdate: 4 Feb, 1991
[Ebenezer Scrooge's bedchamber]
(It's Dickens time on The HoloDeck, and Data is playing Scrooge)
MARLEY: You don't believe in me.
DATA: I don't.
MARLEY: What evidence would you have
of my reality beyond that of your senses?
DATA: I don't know.
MARLEY: Why do you doubt your senses?
DATA: Because --
a little thing affects them.
A slight disorder
of the stomach
makes them cheats.
You may be an undigested bit of beef,
a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese,
a fragment of an underdone potato --
Why, there's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are.
Humbug, I tell you. Humbug!
(the ghost roars, and Scrooge cowers)
PICARD: Freeze programme. Very well done, Data. Your performance skills really are improving.
DATA: Your courtesy is appreciated, sir. But I am aware that I do not effectively convey the fear called for in this scene.
PICARD: Well, you've never known fear, Data.
But as an acute observer of behaviour,
you should be able to approximate it.
DATA: Sir, that is not an appropriate basis for an effective performance. Not by the standards set by my mentors.
PICARD: Your mentors?
DATA: Yes, sir. I have studied the philosophies of virtually every known acting master. I find myself attracted to Stanislavsky, Adler, Garnav. Proponents of an acting technique known as 'The Method' --
TNG Data as Scrooge (Devil's Due)
[Corridor]
(Patrick Stewart is a Method actor, by the way)
PICARD: Method acting? I'm vaguely familiar with it, but why would you choose such an old-fashioned approach?
DATA: Perhaps because the technique requires an actor to seek his own emotional awareness to understand the character he plays.
PICARD: But surely that's an impossible task for you, Data.
DATA: Sir, I have modified The Method for my own uses. Since I have no emotional awareness to create a performance, I am attempting to use performance to create emotional awareness. I believe if I can learn to duplicate the fear of Ebenezer Scrooge, I will be one step closer to truly understanding Humanity.
RIKER [OC]: Captain Picard, please report to the Bridge.
PICARD: On my way, Number One. Data, the moment you decided to stop imitating other actors and create your own interpretation, you were already one step closer to understanding Humanity.
[Bridge]
RIKER: We've received an emergency transmission from the science station on Ventax-Two, sir.
PICARD: What's the nature of the emergency?
RIKER: Uncertain. The signal was interrupted.
WORF: Contact reestablished with Ventax Two, sir.
RIKER: On screen.
(a very static-laden image)
CLARK [on viewscreen]: I am Doctor Howard Clark, director of the science station here on Ventax Two. Thank you for responding.
PICARD: Worf, can you improve our reception?
WORF: The trouble is at the transmission source, sir.
PICARD: Doctor Clark, we are barely able maintain communication with you. Can you boost the level of your power source?
CLARK [on viewscreen]: I'm afraid not, Captain. It's under attack.
PICARD: Under attack?
CLARK [on viewscreen]: There's a mob outside the door, trying to break into the station. The planet is in chaos. Lootings, fires, mass hysteria. These people are all convinced their world is coming to an end. Tomorrow. Please, we must have your immediate --
Captain's Log, stardate 44474.5.
We have reached Ventax Two and are attempting to contact the Federation science station, which at last report was under siege by an angry mob.
