“It’s a new world for me,” Patrick Stewart states, after a small interruption to our round table interview. Jonathan Ames and Adrian Scarborough, his showrunner and co-star, respectively, of Blunt Talk just stopped by to bid their farewells and Stewart is happy to oblige them with hugs. It’s a small glimpse at the bond they have formed during the making of this zany show and it’s, well, adorable. “Are we canceled?” Stewart asks in jest.
It really is a new world. With a catalog that reaches from drama to sci-fi, comic books to Shakespearean stage plays, it seems quite unreal that Sir Patrick previously only voiced a few animation roles in comedy. Nevertheless, at the age of 75, he’s ready to take his new project as far as it can go. “I have wanted to dip my toe into this world, and having dipped it in quite a bit in the last ten years, I’m very happy to stay put.”
Stewart stars as Walter Blunt in the new original comedy from Starz, premiering Saturday, August 22, 2015. Blunt is a British journalist and Falklands War veteran who has lofty goals of taking over the American airwaves—for the betterment of our society. While his heart is in the right place, Blunt doesn’t realize that his dysfunctional habits place him under heavy public scrutiny. Luckily, he’s armed with a manservant (Scarborough as Harry) and a fierce executive producer (Jacki Weaver as Rosalie Winter) to help clear his way. With Seth McFarlane (Ted, Family Guy) as executive producer and Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death) as showrunner/creator, we can expect the series to deliver on its promise and give us an entertaining view into the mind of an unhinged public persona, while normalizing what Jacki Weaver describes as the “seamy side of life” within the characters.
Stewart goes on to break the ice by bringing forth his inner Blunt, and gently chiding us over the correct way to brew tea. When asked if he’s having as much fun as it looks like he is, Stewart replies, “More than!”
He goes on to explain the unique experience he’s had working on the series. “It’s nearly 55 years I’ve been in this business. I don’t think I’ve worked harder or had as much fun as I have done on this show. It’s partly because we have very clever scripts that are very entertaining. But I’m surrounded by awesomely funny actors—people who have made their careers out of being funny,” says Stewart. Jacki Weaver, in a separate roundtable interview, makes a similar point. “It’s great stuff and it’s such a luxury to have eight comedy writers in a show.”
In the past, Stewart didn’t think it was possible to immerse himself in the comedy world, although it wasn’t for lack of trying. He guest starred on the final season of Frasier (“Kelsey Grammar tells me I helped him win his Emmy that year”), and on Ricky Gervais’ Extras, which he states was one of the “grandest days” of his life.
“I always wanted to do comedy, but years ago, I’d written it off.” Seth McFarlane, unlike other creators, didn’t think it was problematic for Stewart to make the transformation from drama to comedic character. After casting Stewart on American Dad and as the narrator in the 2012 film, Ted, a bigger project between the two was bound to happen. During a screening, MacFarlane exclaims, “Why is this great comedian being wasted on drama? I wanted to put right what I saw as a great wrong.”
