While her title might not be one heard often across the water cooler (but!), Stephanie Czajkowski (pronounced “check-house-key” as per her useful webpage) is a memorable presence on display screen.
Perhaps recognized finest for her recurring function as Hammerhead, one in all Crazy Jane’s alter personalities on HBO Max’s Doom Patrol, she at the moment portrays the Vulcan Science Officer, Lt. T’Veen, aboard the USS Titan on Star Trek: Picard.
Speaking with TV Fanatic from her house through Zoom, Czajkowski was beneficiant along with her time and considerate solutions as we delved into her experiences becoming a member of the Star Trek household and the way it’s influenced her perspective on the fandom, the business, and her ears!
Czajkowski comes by her love of Star Trek truthfully. The franchise has been part of her life from an early age.
“My father was a really, very large Star Trek fan, so Star Trek had been weaved fairly deftly all through my life. He handed away in 2017, and once I walked onto that bridge, I used to be like, ‘Oh, wow!’ as a result of I had spent my youth watching reruns with him.
“I keep in mind Star Trek being the primary movement image I ever noticed. My father dragged us to that film, and I keep in mind my brother operating round in diapers and me seeing these characters that I had seen after which a bald lady after which an enormous display screen.
“Also, later, my mother was a seamstress, and when [Star Trek V: The] Final Frontier got here out, she began making Star Trek IV uniforms for individuals for conventions.
“That was my first taste of cosplay or Trekkies, and it was the 80s, so it was kind of not something that was in the normal culture. It was new and interesting, and if people felt the need to be disparaging, it was kind of a weird thing.”
Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout manufacturing firm produces all of the Star Trek collection and is notoriously… properly, secretive when casting for the reveals. Did Czajkowski know what she was auditioning for on the time?
“I had a way that it was one thing… I did not realize it was Picard, however I knew the casting director, and I had stored up as a result of I had watched the earlier seasons.
“Then when I got the sides, which I thought were dummy sides with different names, I was like, ‘I think this is Star Trek!’ It just felt so authentic to that. ‘And this reminds me of a Vulcan, so I guess I’m just gonna try it this way.’ That’s how it kind of all came together. “
T’Veen is primarily Vulcan with some Deltan ancestry which is evidenced in her baldness. Is that the alien species Czajkowski identifies with many of the many the Federation has made contact with?
“Actually, no. I’m an enormous fan of Worf. I believe Klingon is likely to be extra my bailiwick. But I believe you get roles while you want them, otherwise you get them when they should inform you one thing about your life.
“Playing a Vulcan, enjoying this species which traditionally could be very emotional, they usually maintain the highest on their feelings, however they’re conscious of that. That was the factor that was fascinating to me.
“As somebody who has nervousness and might get actually emotional, it was a very good train for me in numerous methods.
“I do not know if it is true for everybody, however I’ve been spoiled with blessings during the last couple years.
“I had this actually bizarre, what might be termed AWFUL private stuff — I had this onslaught of cancers, I had individuals die, — after which I had all these jobs that balanced it out.
“And whereas they did not mirror what I used to be going by way of, they had been vessels during which to channel and course of a few of that.
“Teachers always say, ‘If the role is yours, it’s not gonna go away.’ I truly do believe that now. If it’s meant to be yours, it’s meant to be yours. If it’s not, it’s someone else’s, and moving on. It’s a much nicer way to exist in the entertainment field.”
Does Czajkowski draw any parallels between her function as the risky however protecting Hammerhead on Doom Patrol and that of Lt. T’Veen?
“If them by way of the collection, they appear so vastly completely different.
“But in truth, there are such a lot of similarities there since you’ve bought T’Veen who’s — if we go to the historical past and we go to Surak, we go to the Vulcanism and the Age of Enlightenment — that concept of Vulcans feeling issues very, very deeply and being conscious of them and simply suppressing them or being conscious of them and in a position to transfer about their lives whereas being conscious.
“That depth of feeling, I believe, is totally much like Hammerhead.
“The important distinction is how the power to precise these emotions comes out as a result of I’ve at all times considered Hammerhead – when it comes to being part of Jane – as somebody who feels issues very deeply and feels anger.
“Anger is hurt, and it’s so many things than just anger. And, for Hammerhead, it’s expressed just by violence. Yelling, violence, and lots of F-bombs because that is the only tool she has in order to express them.”
One factor that was fairly completely different between enjoying Hammerhead and T’Veen was the time within the make-up chair.
“For Hammerhead, the primary yr, we did not want to shave me down, however we did simply because I had gone by way of chemo, and so my hair [had not grown back] but, however my hair grows fairly quick truly, so step one in all of my make-up was shave down all the best way to the nub.
“But, undoubtedly, T’Veen took the longest. I believe it was about an hour and a half, two hours, possibly two and a half? You do not assume it will be that lengthy as a result of there’s not that a lot stuff, however I did not know what number of episodes I’d be in. I did not understand how lengthy I’d be round.
“The first day, Hugo, my make-up artist, requested, ‘Hey, do you simply wish to shave off your eyebrow right here [indicates a point along the curve] trigger then we will simply prolong it out?’
“I used to be like, ‘Well… I’ve a particular attachment to my eyebrows as a result of I managed to maintain them by way of chemo, I did not wish to lose them, they usually’re not again to the fullness that they had been, so I do not know, can I determine later?’
“Once you make the selection, when you’re achieved, you are achieved. And so they might shave me all the best way down, after which they might cowl up my eyebrows with silicone, after which they’d put the opposite eyebrows on.
“Then they’d have to color round all of it to verify it matched, after which we had the ears, after which often I’d largely be achieved with make-up by the point we might go for rehearsal.
“I’d get again, they usually’d pin my ears again as a result of my ears naturally come out like [this] when I’ve no hair. You can see it in Hammerhead; they form of look form of elf-y.
“I keep in mind going to set for a rehearsal and Terry and the director, Doug, being like, ‘Kinda look somewhat elf-y.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, do not I appear like Dobby the House Elf?’ [laughs]
“So we truly needed to tape them again so that they are up, however they not like this [demonstrates how much they’d stick out]. So if anybody wants me to play an elf, I’m able to roll. You simply must put one thing on the highest of my ear, however Vulcan-wise, we gotta tape ’em again somewhat bit.
On each Doom Patrol and Star Trek: Picard, Czajkowski has portrayed characters embedded in collectives that should work collectively to achieve surviving.
“There is an entire sense of ensemble, each with the Underground (who I miss desperately) and this forged and crew. Y’know, Patrick [Stewart], in his interviews, has simply talked about how this isn’t a present that’s about any stars. It is really an ensemble piece.
“And whereas I do know he’s chatting with Next Generation as a result of they’re doing an insanely superb job, that trickles right down to us too as a result of, from the onset, from the soar, Terry Matalas, our showrunner, along with simply together with us in all the pieces, was actually collaborative, so it was an area during which all of us turned actually shut.
“It undoubtedly had a way of we’re absolutely a part of this Star Trek household and never in a method that is identical to, ‘I’m a crimson shirt.’ I really feel seen as T’Veen as a complete character though my job is to assist all the pieces else that is occurring.
“And I think that is illustrated or was certainly made obvious by the fact Terry’s been offering stuff [on social media] like, ‘Meet the Titan Crew!’ I’ve always felt part of it, but to have that extra, ‘Hey, everybody, look!’ has just made it that much more salient.”
Meet Lt. T’Veen, Science Officer. Vulcan. Several Captains fought to have her on their bridge. The Titan gained. pic.twitter.com/UUCJxdLwoQ
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) February 4, 2023
Star Trek has a notoriously devoted fanbase. Has Czajkowski skilled the total pressure of that fandom but?
“As I discussed earlier than, my mother was making Star Trek uniforms. When she did that, there was an occasion for the opening for Final Frontier, and there have been numerous followers in costume, so that will be my largest expertise in that world in that particular method.
“One factor I’ve observed when it comes to how social media works is the interplay with followers I’m already having and the way beautiful it’s. At least my expertise to this point. Just how deeply they love this franchise. How deeply they love these characters and the way open they’re to the brand new ones.
“It’s been like [being] a Star Trek debutante! It’s been a lovely coming out almost.”
With Star Trek: Picard Season 3 being the collection’ closing season, Paramount got down to make its premiere a very spectacular send-off with a red-carpet occasion at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. For Czajkowski, it was a little bit of a surreal expertise.
“I’ve gone to different premieres earlier than. [This was] the primary occasion that I’ve ever been invited to as a forged member, which is a distinct expertise. I felt all… bonafide.
“Paramount was type sufficient to ship automobiles for us, and also you get out, and also you stroll the road, and you’re taking the photographs.
“If I used to be going to have a ‘first’ premiere, not solely does it get to be Star Trek, however it will get to be Mann’s Chinese. How a lot better does that get?
“I really feel like, ‘All proper, this one’s going to be actually onerous to high,’ since you get to undergo, and also you interview, and also you discuss to individuals, after which on the finish of it, you get to go work together with the followers for the very first time. I simply had a ball doing that.
Czajkowski’s different ardour is health. She not solely trains, however she teaches. Fortunately, it is a pursuit that aligns along with her profession as an actor.
“I’m like a canine it’s worthwhile to run. I’ve at all times been fairly bodily adept. I’m simply a kind of individuals who has at all times been lively. So it is a good stability towards maintaining me form of zen.
“I’m pretty tall. I’m 5’10” and fairly muscular, so all the pieces I find yourself enjoying lends itself to that physicality. A whole lot of occasions, if a breakdown comes down, numerous occasions the very first thing that’s bringing me into that room is my physicality, like my peak and stature.
“So it works in equal part with the stuff I’m doing on screen. Also, I do most of my stunts. I’m pretty good at learning them, and they allow me to do anything that doesn’t hurt my face.”
Even although she was immersed within the manufacturing for months, Czajkowski is as excited as any Trek fan to look at the episodes as they drop on Paramount+.
“The onerous factor about wrapping a yr earlier than it airs is it’s important to maintain a lid on the truth that you shot this superb factor for a yr, which was actually, actually onerous.
“But then when it airs, when it drops, you do not forget that you have had the scripts, that you just learn them, and also you keep in mind what it was like on set, however you have additionally achieved different issues and have lived life, so it is form of a brand new discovery on the identical time.
“You know what you probably did. You know what you noticed. Because I’m on the bridge, I’m not with Michelle [Hurd] and Michael [Dorn]. I learn what occurred, however now I get to see it as properly. So it is a double bonus.
“I’m in it. Fans are responding, however I’m responding in the identical method.
“At the premiere, we noticed two episodes, however I get to see how all the pieces comes alongside, the place the cuts are, and the way we craft story as a result of a lot of tv can also be crafting by way of response pictures.
“Not all the pieces is about whoever’s speaking. You can craft a complete story or a story and the place you need the viewers to go or the place you wish to attempt to lead them based mostly in your selections in modifying.
“Because we’re not there, it’s a surprise to me as well, and it’s pretty thrilling.”
Near the tip of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 2, the USS Titan’s bridge crew witnesses the second Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) see one another after many years of estrangement.
From an viewers member’s perspective, it’s a scene fraught with pressure, which means, and deep sorrow. What was Czajkowski’s tackle it from her seat on the bridge?
“This is each my take as T’Veen and the way simply being on that bridge affected me. There was this sense of being this half of an entire, of being a part of this neighborhood expertise of what was occurring.
“That occurred so much on that set, and that was a kind of moments. There are different moments, like once we go into the nebula, the place it was as actual to us in these moments as seeing it.
“I can’t wait to see how we bring it to life because what we were looking at definitely isn’t what we’re going to see on-screen because what we were looking at was just a blue screen.”
With Star Trek: Picard at an finish with Season 3, is there one other Trek collection Czajkowski wish to be part of? There isn’t any hesitation when she solutions.
“Lower Decks! Lower Decks is my favourite! I like Lower Decks a lot!
“And what, it is so humorous as a result of I used to be turned onto Lower Decks by one of many guys in our make-up trailer. He’s an enormous Trek fan, and he was like, ‘Have you seen Lower Decks?’ I’m like, ‘No.’ And [then] I used to be like, ‘Oh my god, that is good!’
“So I think it would go Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, Discovery. Because I’m enjoying what they’re doing with Strange New Worlds as well.”
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Where else can we catch Czajkowski’s performances?
“Right now, it is all Trek. I’m to see what the yr brings me, what the universe has in retailer.
“What I’ve realized during the last couple of years is, ‘Don’t plan, simply be able to obtain,’ as a result of with out making an attempt to be all controlly over issues, the journey’s been much more enjoyable to be on. I’ve had some auditions, and we’ll see what sticks.
“I teach, and I train, so I’m doing that. And I’ve got a couple projects up my sleeve with my husband that we’re trying to get off the ground in terms of both a podcast and then an independent movie.”
Meanwhile, you may see Stephanie Czajkowski on Star Trek: Picard for the subsequent two months, sciencing it up as Lt. T’Veen as the crew fights to outlive and save the Federation.
New Star Trek: Picard episodes can be found to stream each Thursday on Paramount+. Once you have watched, head again right here to take a look at our evaluation!
What are your ideas on Czajkowski and T’Veen Fanatics? Can you envision her as part of the subsequent Next Generation? Hit our feedback along with your takeaways from our interview!
Diana Keng is a workers author for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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