Patrick Stewart passed away Wednesday at 86 after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia, and fans around the world are celebrating a career full of unforgettable roles. But a 2023 interview with the Irish Independent is getting new attention, and it reveals a side of the beloved actor that’s far from the wise captains and professors he played on screen.
In that conversation, Stewart described his relationship with his two adult children, son Daniel and daughter Sophie, as“practically non-existent.”He admitted he“always put my acting work first, before my family”and said the regret caused him“significant grief.”He’d acknowledged similar feelings back in 2009, telling the Independent he was“obsessed”with work. Perhaps most moving of all, Stewart said he hoped his Star Trek character Jean-Luc Picard was the father he wished he had been.
What makes the story land is what came after. In his later years, Stewart was actively trying to correct those past mistakes with his grandchildren, choosing presence over perfection. It’s a reminder that even the people we admire most on screen are figuring out the same things we are at home. What’s one small way you’ve made more room for family in your life?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.