Ask Wil Wheaton Anything

Wil Wheaton [IMDB] is our latest interview victim. Best known here as Wesley Crusher on TNG, Wil has a history doing movies both good (Stand by Me) and, uh, otherwise (see his FAQ). His movie "The Good Things" just won the grand prize at the 27th Festival of American Cinema at Deuville. His currrent project is "Jane White Is Sick & Twisted". Post your questions for him here, one per post, and we'll forward a few of the highest rated ones to Wil.

Comments

Those Silly Automatic Doors

[wikki]

When you were on the set of TNG did you ever find yourself running into the automatic doors when there was no one there to open them for you? How about at your house or other places? Was this a problem for any of the other cast members? Did you ever find yourself going to grocery stores and running in and out of the doors just to make you feel better?

Which one?

[sandidge]

So, uh, Beverly Crusher, Troi or Yar?

Funny Wil Wheaton interview on BBSpot

[jdh28]

Wil Wheaton recently did a very funny short interview over at BBSpot.

john

Re:Funny Wil Wheaton interview on BBSpot

[erasmus_]

The interview was really and very funny at that, I strongly suggest checking it out. I don't understand why Wil is getting so much attention now, but I can't say I don't welcome it. He really seems to be a much funnier person than the Next Generation series let him be. His responses are funny, and more importantly, informed about the net culture. My favorite is his response about being like a camwhore without the wishlist.

What the story fails to mention

[Mononoke]

Wil's not that far removed from the rest of us here.

How many actors have you heard of that took the time to code their own site in php?

Oh, I'm supposed to ask a question...Hmmm...ok: Wil, vi or emacs?

^_^

Ashley Judd - Please clarify

[iamsure]

In your FAQ, there is a question about Ashley Judd:

"Is it true that you were really Ashley Judd's first onscreen kiss, and you ruined her for the rest of her life?"

To which you reply:

"Yep. It is 100% true. Ashley Judd played Robin Lefler, in the episode "The Game", and Uncle Willie went to bootytown"

Now, let's be clear here. You "knew" her in a biblical sense?

Seeing as how she is one of the most attractive and emotional actresses in Hollywood, what was the experience like back then?

Just wanted some clarification..

Wheres the parties, dude?

[imrdkl]

Seriously, how much time do you spend reading techie sites like slashdot, and keeping up with the issues? I see lots of nice links and banners on your webpage that seem to advocate. How would you "rate your geekness"? Is setting up your own server really fun for you, or just another way to score babes? :-)

Thanks, I enjoy alot of your work.

Re:Wheres the parties, dude?

[SubtleNuance]

Is setting up your own server really fun for you, or just another way to score babes?

Only on /. could building servers be considered sexy.

Final Frontier - thoughts on your career

[iamsure]

As one of the ultra-rare individuals who actually really enjoyed your character, I have had some questions over the years.

Questions like:

Did you ever get to see Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troy) nude?

Was there any behind the scenes booty-calls between cast members that you are comfortable releasing?

How difficult is it for a new actor to get a recurring role on a Star Trek series 'generally'?

More importantly to me..

Would you ever do a movie with Bruce Campbell? If so, have you let him and his people know?

And finally,

I know you were happy to leave the show, and I am glad you retained your integrity and ability to do what you wanted. However, I have often wondered, did you like the WAY you were written off the show?

Star Trek, of coure

[steveo777]

We all can look up your various roles on the web. What kind of roles people attempt to cast you for? Are there any movies that you especially would like to have been in, or possibly in the future?

Wesley Crusher jokes

[DarkDust]

As you mentioned on your FAQ page, the Wesley Crusher character from TNG was target of some not very complementary jokes. But are there any Wesley Crusher jokes that you liked ?

Enterprise

[abde]

I liked your brief appearance in the Sprite commercial :) My question is, have you thought about sticking with the Star Trek franchise? With Enterprise, the franchise is taking a new direction, in which the characters are more human and not ultra-competent Utopians. Have you considered trying for a part, recurring or otherwise?

Are you worried about being typecast?

[wrinkledshirt]

Jason Alexander once said in an interview that every single episode he did as George on Seinfeld made it harder and harder for him to be marketable in showbiz as any other sort of character. Given that most people know you as Welsey Crusher, do you ever worry about it? If that's a problem, how does an actor break out of it?

Slashdot effect

[Tet]

Simple question: were you expecting your site to get slashdotted when details of this interview were posted?

NewTek and the Video Toaster

[suso]

On your homepage you mention that you once worked for NewTek during their development or initial release of the Video Toaster. I've always been curious to know how you got the job there and what you exactly did for them? Did you ever own an Amiga prior to working at NewTek?

So you read Slashdot, eh?

[Stavr0]

• Do you have an account here ?
  
• Have you ever posted here ?
  
• Have you ever submitted ?
  
• Have you ever got a submission accepted ?
  

Re:So you read Slashdot, eh?

[CleverNickName]

Do you have an account here ?

Yeah, I've had it for quite some time. I never put my name to it because I was afraid I'd automatically get modded down.

Have you ever posted here ?

Yeah. But not too often. My motto is "if you don't have something to say that's worth at least +1, don't say anything at all".

Have you ever submitted ?

Yeah.

Have you ever got a submission accepted ?

Are you kidding me? If I had a submission posted, that would make me cool, and that would begin the slow unraveling of the very fabric of space-time.

If this post isn't the poster-child for karma whoring, I don't know what is.

The Trekkie Circuit

[Chris Pimlott]

I'm curious about the Star Trek fan circuit - convention appearances and all. Do you actually make some decent money on them or is it more of a favor to the fans? Does Paramount ever pressure the actors to attend events to promote the franchise? And is there a camaraderie between actors from different series, people who otherwise haven't worked with each other?

Usenet

[Herbmaster]

When did you first hear of the classic usenet group, alt.ensign.wesley.crusher.die.die.die, and what was your reaction?

Wil's job at NewTek's Lightwave

[peter303]

You worked at the animation software shop NewTek
for a while. What did you do there? Do you thing you'll get back into tech again someday?

Hollywood Activism

[Dunkirk]

Wil,

You have made comments to the effect of poo-poo'ing celebrity opinions about issues in general. Yet in your blogs, you spend a lot of time discussing politics, and you make no bones about which side of the isle you favor. As someone in the public spotlight - and especially as someone in the geek spotlight (being a celeb that has your own self-coded web site) - do you consider it a duty of sorts to be an activist? Does being a celeb bring any more responsibility over the common, first-amendment-empowered citizen in voicing your opinion? Also, do you feel that you have qualities above and beyond other Hollywood celebrities that makes it important that you share your feelings?

Thanks,
dk

Radio Free Burrito

[webword]

You seem to know a lot about music. How big is your collection? What are your favorite bands? What is Radio Free Burrito and what do you think of broadcasting live?

Who got a worse deal from fans...

[ChaoticCoyote]

...you, or Jar Jar Binks? ;)

You've played one of the most despised characters in the history of science fiction; do you have any advice for Jar Jar as to how he should handle the rancor of obnoxious fans?

BTW, congrats on moving beyond Wesley and having what looks like an interesting career. In the end, you've done better than some other cast members of ST:TNG! At least you're not narrating alien autopsy videos... ;)

Your Career Choice

[(void*)]

You seem to be a pretty talented person. What made you choose acting as a career? Ever had any regrets?

Wesley vs. Adric

[wowbagger]

Many people have compared Wesley Crusher to Adric on the Dr. Who. In both cases, the character was reviled because of the way the writers handled him. What are your thoughts on this? How would you recommend an actor handle this sort of situation in the future?

Geekess or Valley Girl?

[Dyrandia]

As a lifelong geekess whose first crush was on Wesley Crusher, here's a question I'd love answered by Wil Wheaton, as well as the general male slashdot population. Which would Wesley Crusher, in character, prefer? An attractive, yet slightly braindead, clothes/hair/nails oriented girl, or her equally attractive, intelligent geekess identical twin sister? Someone who can't carry on a conversation unless it involves who was seen where, with whom, and what each was wearing, or somone who can argue the pros and cons of which programming language suits a certain task best? What about you as a person?

Linda Park

[GrouchoMarx]

Does it bother you that Linda Park (Hoshi Sato on the new series "Enterprise") says that she grew up on TNG and had a crush on you/Wesley? Or does it feel good after reading certain Usenet groups?

PS: I happen to like the Wesley character (aside from his final episode, which was lame), so there!

Advise for "Enterprise" counterpart

[speleo]

Any advise for what is essentially the same role as your TNG character in the new "Enterprise" series? You know, the begal puppy.

Should he apply to starfleet academy?
Should he accept a field commision as an ensign?
Should he take a postion on the bridge?
Or perhaps he should just be careful playing with alien puppys on planets with unknown laws?

Very Original, CmdrTaco.

[Kozz]

This very funny interview with Wil Wheaton was submitted last week, but was promptly rejected. And suddenly you've got your very own idea to interview him. I'm so very impressed by your originality.

So for the uninformed, CmdrTaco is a dick. And the above interview is inclined to be far more informative and funny than anything that will appear here. Go read it.

Hey Wil...

[Calle Ballz]

I noticed a post of yours a few weeks ago on one of the star trek: enterprise stories and was sorta surprised. I'd never thought I'd see a post by a celebrity on slashdot, or at least a celebrity that identified themself. I didn't think it was real, until I went to your webpage and saw that you were a fellow geek. I read quite a bit of your site and found a lot of it interesting. I'd have to say, you have great taste in music.

My question to you is:

How often have you gotten first post?

Are you the gloating first poster, or just the simple "first post, 'nuff said" kinda first poster?

Dear Wil

[sllort]

Wil,
You mention in this LA Times article that you dumped Linux for Windows because

"While I'm a champion of open source, I don't think Linux is there yet"

Was there a specific bug in Linux that prompted you to dump it, or was it just the entire operating system?

Thanks!

Patrick Stewart's bald head

[Genie1]

Have you (or any of the TNG cast) ever rubbed it for good luck?

Fan Fixated Moment?

[broody]

While this may seem way off the wall, please give me a moment.

Kirk Russell, on the commentary to the Big Trouble in Little Chinia DVD, talks about how his trip down the elevator on the way to confront "the ultimate evil spirit" has generated more comments then any other. Fans are always quoting back lines from that scene, particularly in elevators.

Here is the question. Are there particlar lines from one of your roles that fans repeat back to you? Which role do people most often identify you with when they see you in the real world? If you could change this defining moment to an alternate scene or line, what would it be and why?

Rainbow Jumpsuit

[Lethyos]

Really, did you have any dignity while you were wearing that thing? I mean, come on. A rainbow strip across the front of your Fedaration jumpsuit. Did you at least complain?

Re:Cheerios contest

[SubtleNuance]

I remember back when TNG first came out, Cheerios ran a promotion on the back of the cereal box that let you enter a drawing to be a guest star on the show. At the time I was 8 years old, and winning that contest was pretty much the goal of my life. Since losing the contest, my dreams have been shattered and I shake uncontrollably whenever I see a Cheerios box.

My question: Do you remember who won the contest? Was he/she cool? Did he/she actually make it into an episode?

Gdarn Moderators on crack, how is this OffTopic? Krelboyne, Ive got karma to burn - Ill re-post for you.

Geek code?

[merlin_jim]

Hi Whil,

First I'd like to say that I really liked your character and I was upset when he was written out of the show.

A lot of questions have focused on either your level of geekiness or how many of your Trek co-actors you got to see nude. I have a bit more concrete question, which I think might tell us a lot more about you:

What's your geek code?

weblog changing your life

[perdida]

Your weblog is neither a celebrity weblog nor a purely geek weblog, but is rahter a postmodern meta-commentary on many phenomena, including celebrity and technology.

How has having this weblog changed 1) your daily life, 2) your views of technology, and 3) your views of celebrity?

Benefits of being a Star Trek actor

[maggard]

What kind of benefits do you find resulting from having been a Star Trek actor?

I assume you've learned to handle the celebrity-side of "Ohhh - he was on Star Trek" by now but how does it affect you in your day-to-day life, particularly when you've been involved in the high-tech industry?

Does it ever get to be annoying when folks get fixated on your former role? Do you ever take advantage of it and get invited to events you wouldn't be otherwise? How about bring it up when dealing with phone-support ("If I can fix a dilithium interociter & phase through space I can be trusted with the ntp server address!".) How about vendors, try and get new gear out of shops: "But I'm Wil Wheaton, y'know, Wesley from Star Trek - it'd be great PR for you if I said I bought my Whizbang2000 at your store so howzabout it half-off and with that sweet wireless card thown in?"

Or is it you just make headlines when you slap a Beverly Hills cop ("Nooo mooore Beverly!...")

Industry insider?

[Stavr0]

Since you're part of Hollywood and somewhat of a geek (if you really are 'CleverNickName') here's the thing:

Would you be interested in becoming a (scifi/hollywoood/?) contributor to Slashdot (a la Jon Katz)? I'm sure you could get lots of exclusives from Paramount, actor friends etc ...

.. assuming of course you're prepared to be a lightning rod for all the Katz-haters cum Wesley-haters ;-)

How did you feel about being Slashdotted?

[waffle zero]

How did you feel about being Slashdotted? And did you expect this to happen?

Born a geek, or did ST push you in that direction?

[anvilmark]

Did you have a technical inclination prior to STTNG? Did you become more/less interested in tech from your ST experience? If so, in what ways?

Do scripts ever get proofread? / Trek careers

[Hanno]

Most popcorn movies these days have big holes in their script, be it plot-wise or technology-wise.

While it sometimes works to abandon logic or science (Armageddon comes to mind), this trend seems to backfire more and more often (Godzilla comes to mind, a movie that even Roger Ebert dissed for its science goofs).

How come that the way technology or science is depicted on screen (computers, technology, sci-fi) hardly ever gets proofread in Hollywood scripts? You seem to be a tech-nerd - do you ever correct something in a script? (If you know a script-writer who needs a proofreader, give him my e-mail address :-)

2nd question: Do you think that having been a member of the Trek franchise was good or bad for your career? I'm a big trek fan, yet it often amuses me how Trek actors can consider themselves superstars in the Trek world, but nobodies outside.

I often feel sorry for the dead-end careers that it meant for Nichelle Nichols or DeForest Kelley. I often wonder when I will finally see the TNG actors in bigger roles. (Don't tell me that Brent Spiner's recent work was a stellar career. Why doesn't he get better roles? Or Marina Sirtis? Or almost any other Trek actor?)

Relationship to gay issues

[tgeller]

Wil,

Years ago, I heard some stories that said you were outspokenly antigay. The story went that you held gays in contempt for religious reasons, resented speculation about your own sexual interests, and endured friction with two allegedly gay actors on the ST:TNG set -- Brent Edwards and Michael Dorn. Note: I never saw substantiation for rumors about your attitude, religion, or the sexual orientation of any cast member. (I'm frankly not enough of a Trek fan to care. :) )

Yet I see here that you said the following regarding homosexuals: "I'm sorry that I don't play ball with your team...but I always cheer for you when I'm in the stands."

Could you clarify your feelings about homosexuality, past and present? Many thanks,

--