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For six decades, the universe created by Gene Roddenberry has returned twice to television, as well as to the world of feature films. For many actors, an association with the USS Enterprise or the Last Frontier falls between a dream come true and a greater career opportunity. For actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, however, his appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise almost made him stop playing.
As the last series of the second wave, Star Trek: Enterprise was a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. While some actors, like Starfleet AcademyPaul Giamatti’s Paul Giamatti can’t wait to play aliens, others don’t. In 2003, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was a working actor whose star was still on the rise, and he was cast as an alien antagonist.. Morgan almost quit acting after that, but not because of the show itself. On the contrary, he had a terrible time with the full prosthetic makeup.
Who is Jeffrey Dean Morgan and what is he known for?
Star Trek is an asterisk on his resume
More than 20 years after his unidentifiable guest spot on BusinessJeffrey Dean Morgan is an actor adored by many geek fandoms. Currently, he plays the character of Negan, from The Walking Dead and the spin-off The Walking Dead: The Dead City. Introduced into the series as a truly hateful villain, Morgan’s charm and on-screen chemistry made him a greater anti-hero than even the comic book inspiration for his character.
Before appearing in The boys as Joe Kessler, Morgan had a relationship with producer Eric Kripke, who also created Supernatural. Over the course of its 15 seasons, Morgan made more than a dozen appearances on the series as John Winchester, the errant but well-meaning father of Sam and Dean. Although she had nothing to do with Negan, Morgan’s wry performance helped viewers understand why the two hunting brothers loved their father, even if he wasn’t very good.
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Along with his television appearances, Morgan is well known to fans of comic book cinema, particularly the films of Zack Snyder. He appeared briefly in a scene with his Ghost town co-star Lauren Cohen as Thomas and Martha Wayne. Morgan was even willing to play Batman in a Flash point movie. His most important role came Guardianswhere Morgan played comedian Edward Blake. Although this film has its justified criticisms, Morgan’s portrayal of the most sadistic masked vigilante in history seemed like it was ripped from the pages of the graphic novel.
Why Jeffrey Dean Morgan Almost Quit Acting Because of Star Trek
Her experience on Enterprise was defined by makeup
Yet before he was a comedian, a Winchester or an ill-fated Wayne, Morgan was an actor working in a tough industry. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the television factory Star Trek featured numerous celebrity cameos. Often these actors weren’t big names yet, so when Morgan was hired for Business: he was not hired for his recognizable face. He was cast as a reptilian Xindi alien, meaning he had to wear an elaborate prosthetic mask.
“I had a lot of trouble putting on makeup and I had straws in my nose. I’ve never been on a set where I went home at night and just thought, ‘What am I doing? ? It’s — I “I made the worst fucking decision of my life. I never want to be an actor again. I was sure it was just wrong, and it almost made me quit. C It was horrible.” — Jeffrey Dean Morgan on
The hot ones
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Morgan said on The hot ones that he discovered he was claustrophobic while wearing this makeupeven though it was designed by Oscar-winning makeup artist Michael Westmore. It would take hours to put it on and take it off. While wearing it, he couldn’t eat and could barely drink. He endured all of this for what amounted to a handful of lines from an unforgettable character. He’s not alone either. The great Andrea Martin told CBR in an interview that she only appeared as Quark’s mother in one Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, because she couldn’t stand the makeup process.
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Season 3 of Business took Star Trek to war, and the Xindi reptilians were, for the most part, the antagonists of the season. They wore large rubber suits to accompany their scaly prosthetic masks and gloves. They looked great on screen and made good enemies, but it was hard for the actors to cope with. Luckily, Jeffrey Dean Morgan didn’t stop acting after Star Trekbut he hasn’t worn full makeup since.
The complete Star Trek: Enterprise is available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital and streaming on Paramount+ and PlutoTV.