From: sashi@feith.com (Sashi Alexandra German)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.fandom
Subject: Phila. Sci-Fi Expo Con Review: Mark Allan Shephard
Date: 19 Dec 1996 05:09:20 GMT
Philadelphia Sci-Fi Expo, Philadelphia, PA (USA)
Saturday December 14, 1996
Guest: Mark Allan Sherphard (Morn, Star Trek: Deep Space 9)
By Sashi Alexandra German
(C) Copyright 1996 Sashi Alexandra German,
All Rights Reserved
Mark Alan Shephard was one of the guests at the Philadelphia Sci-Fi Expo this
past weekend. He was on stage for half hour each day. On Saturday he wore
light blue jeans, a royal blue jacket and a red T-shirt. He had brown hair,
rather short around a rectangular face -- he's rather handsome looking. He had
a rather amazing deep voice that could go into the high range when he spoke --
he definitly showed the ability to do a great deal of vocal inflection and it
was at that moment I realized it was a true shame that the man had no speaking
lines on DS9! I've given an excessive description because, as most of us know,
he plays a character on Star Trek that is so totally covered with make-up, how
could anyone know what he looked like unless you came across pictures of him
somewhere or saw him at a convention? This was my first time seeing him and it
was pleasant to *finally* find out what he looked and sounded like!
STAR TREK:
His very first day at work was certainly an interesting one. He knew he
was suppose to start the day after Labor Day, 1992, having been fitted at
Wardrobe the week before. But when he called up Paramount the day before to
confirm, they kept telling him him he wasn't suppose to report the next day.
But he said he had this "funny feeling" that he was suppose to come in and be
there, so, not having a car, he went to a Denny's and stayed up all night, and
came into work early in the morning as he thought he should. He went to the
make-up people and they said he wasn't on the list to be there... that he
wasn't scheduled. This really confused him. So he was told to sit down while
someone checked something out -- and in walks Head Make-up God Michael
Westnmore, who promptly turns to Shephard and says, "Mark, good, you're here."
He then points to where all the make-up is set up to get started. Sherphard
said a lot of the make-up people looked *very* embarassed after that,
especially since Morn was considered their "favorite alien." "Sometimes you
have to go with your gut feeling."
When filming DS9's pilot, "Emissary" he's in Quark's bar when Major Kira
has a line, asking Sisko to come down immediatly. When filming the shot, the
1st Assistant Director comes to him and says he's going to put "our favorite
alien up front." Then he's to pretend that he's telling a funny joke. Shephard
told us that for the joke he thought of something he had written before, "The
Funniest Joke in the Universe" based on a biological controversy in 1990 about
Mediteranean Fruit Flies and fly spraying (he went into the whole thing but
was speaking too fast for me to get what he said).
Does Shephard have any idea about upcoming episodes with Morn? He said
no, that he has no idea what the writers have in mind for the character. He's
always called the day before shooting to show up for work. He was told once
that Morn was actually given lines in a scene.. but that they were cut out. He
sarcastically commented that it was kind of nasty to be told the lines were
written for him, FINALLY, and then they were taken away.
When asked about gossip on what was going to happen on the show, or about
the guest stars, he said he couldn't hear anything through his alien outfit...
so he goes through his day assuming he won't go nuts. He drinks plenty of
fluids and Gatorade to get through the day.
On rumors about Morn's character: Shephard said he felt he had to go with
what the back of the Playmates Morn action figure says: that he's "a soldier
of fortune and sells weapons to aliens with Quark."
He created a list of the Top 10 Lines if Morn were to finally speak. He
had written the list on the airplane and read them to us -- funny!
**Top 10 Lines If Morn Were To Finally Speak**
10. How long do you want me to hold that pot, Quark?
9. Oh, Doctor Bashir, do you have anything for a hangover?
8. Hey, Baby, what's your sign?
7. Ooooh. Ooooh. Dax. Would you tell me again what you
think of the little hairs on my head?
6. Darts anyone?
5. My name is Morn... and I'm an Alcoholic.
4. If anyone wants me, I'll be in my usual holosuite.
3. Last one through the Wormhole is a rotten egg!
2. Check, please.
1. You just wait. Someday they'll be calling this place
"Morn's"!
On the serious side, i Morn were to ever speak for REAL, what voice would
he use? Shephard said he would probably use his own voice, although some
people have suggested that he should do something different and make his voice
lower and more gruff. He knew that Rene Auberjonois changed his voice for the
part of Odo...
On what it has been like working on Star Trek: "Exciting. Strange. Hot
(because of the make-up)." He never thought of the possibility of their being
an action figure... or his appearing in magazines and doing interviews. He
says right now there's isn't a Morn cardboard stand-up figure, "I've got to
work on that!"
Make-up takes about 1 1/2 hours and "about 30 hours to take off!" He
wears the outfit for 12 hours a day and has lost weight since he started the
show, although some of that has been through excercise and eating less. If he
were to loose too much weight "they can always pad the outfit -- weight is not
really a problem."
Shephard was asked about none of the major DS9 stars continuing on the
series after the 6th year because of money demands. What about another Star
Trek series? He said he didn't know about any of that... that in a way
"ignorance is bliss." He's often told just 10 minutes before he's about to
shoot as scene... he just isn't told about future plans.
He grew up on the original Star Trek series and "loved it." As a kid he
would imagine what it would be like if aliens came down into his backyard.
"Now I'm not sure... after 'Mars Attacks' and that 'Twilight Zone' episode 'To
Serve Man.'"
Armin Shimerman (Quark) is "warm, supportive, has lots of energy and is a
wonderful, wonderful person."
He has 25 works of art -- work he that he did -- ON Deep Space 9. Many of
the paintings and works are mixes of photography and collages. During first
season there were two paintings in Jake Sisko and Major Kira's rooms. Bashir
also has some of Sherphard's work in his quarters. Some of his artwork has
been used in TV shows and commercials.
PERSONAL:
He grew up in Conneticut with four sisters. He later moved to New York.
His background includes a minor in art, 20 years experience with photography,
has studied theater and film. He has an acting troupe that's started: "The
Theater of the Absurd" which just produced a CD.
His parents thought he was crazy when he decided to go into theater.
He loves doing Trek conventions, "I love the energy I see when the
audience responds" etc.
What's most exciting to him is his Troupe -- "they're nuts, completely
off the wall." Many of them are animators, some having worked on "The
Simpsons" TV Show, "they're animators. They're crazy." Sometimes they dress up
in cartoon characters for their performances and have a great time.
(C) Copyright 1996 Sashi Alexandra German,
All Rights Reserved.
Permission to duplicate electronically, for nonprofit posting on an electronic
fora or for other reading enjoyment, is especially granted, AS LONG AS THIS
COPYRIGHT NOTICE IS PRESERVED AND NO CHANGES ARE MADE TO THE MATERIAL. No
other reproduction in any form is authorized without prior permission from
this copyright holder (and that's not hard to get! All you do is ASK!).
{It has recently come to my attention that many of my reviews are being passed
along to others with increasing frequency via science fiction news mailing
lists, fan club publications, etc. I have *no* problem with this -- I post
these reviews for the enjoyment of others and the more people who read the
reviews the better. However, I am becoming increasingly annoyed with the
outlets I find who are using my reviews but are not passing along my name &
e-mail address credited with the material. I spend the time, money and effort
to attend conventions, take notes and pass along the reviews to the Internet
and elsewhere. The least various grateful parties could do is keep my name
attached as a credit. Thank you.}
--
-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-
SASHI ALEXANDRA GERMAN
Fleet Captain, USS Thagard, Philadelphia, PA (USA) Star Trek Club
Starfleet Region-7 Deputy Chief of Staff
Member of "Now Voyager" - that fantastic Kate Mulgrew fan club!
sashi@feith.com
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--
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