Slashdot Mirror
Ask Wil Wheaton Anything (Part Deux)
A little over three years ago Slashdot interviewed Wil Wheaton, at the time best known for his role as Wesley Crusher on ST:TNG. Since then his blog WWDN has allowed him a creative outlet that has made the world sit up and take notice. Wil is now a regular participant in ACME Comedy Theatre, has published two books ( Dancing Barefoot and Just a Geek ), has done voicework for video games such as GTA: San Andreas, cartoons such as Teen Titans, and speaks regularly at conventions such as Gnomedex and Linucon. Wil enjoyed the first Slash interview so much it appeared in Just a Geek, and we're glad to have him back for a second go-round. Feel free to fire away, one question per comment please. We'll post his responses once we get them back.
Sorry for the Star Trek question, but it is something that I have wondered for quite a while. With your character in ST:TNG, he(/you) left the ship with 'the traveler' to do great and wondrous things. I always wondered when you were going to come back and save the ship from some otherwise horrible fate, it of course, never happened. At the time, did you see that exit for your character as an easy way to write you out of the script for good, or as a combination of plot advancement for your character, while still allowing you to work on other projects?
paul reinheimer
That said, if you do still follow Trek I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the progress of "Enterprise" given your status as someone framiliar with the entertainment industry (esp. as it relates to this particular line of shows).
I have been so impressed by the last two seasons (except the Nazi arc at the start of this season) that I'd go so far as to group them with some of the best episodes of season 3 TNG. The characters are finally starting to fill out, the plots have gotten away from the standard "it's the Borg again!" horseshit and they've even had relatively decent dialog.
I get the impression, however, that it's not going to be enough to save the series based on the timeslot it's been relegated to. While my TiVO stays in Fridays even though I don't, I can't believe that even Trek fans regularly stay home Friday nights in sufficiant numbers to save the show, not to mention all the people who stopped watching in season 1 or 2 and won't end up flipping past sometime to give it a second chance now.
Is "Enterprise" as doomed as I think it is?
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
In "Just a Geek" you pretty much ended the book by saying that acting (tv/movie, not ACME) is no longer a priority. Are you still looking for a Big Part or have you given up on that altogether?
Have the ST PTB invited you to play a Crusher ancestor on "Enterprise"?
I never had any of the disdain that seems to paint your detractors, Wil, yet I also never found myself admiring you until I began to read your blog.
What has your newfound share of fans and admirers taught you? Was it always your intention to, via the internet, change people's minds about who you are and what you've been trying to accomplish?
So was Marina Sirtis as much of a complete hottie as she was on the show? She's what got me into ST; up until I saw her I wasn't much of a fan.
dmiessler.com -- grep understanding knowledge
How much did you get paid for doing San Andreas?
Paper or plastic?
Looking back from where you are today, Mr. Wheaton, what would you consider your greatest achievement that you take the most pride in? Your work as an actor? Your widely-acclaimed blog? Or maybe your published memoirs?
And, on a related note, are you anywhere close to where you expected you'd be by now?
Wil, Have you been asked by Paramount for a cameo in the new Trek series; if they asked, would you do it?
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
Wil,
You talk alot on your blog about your experiences, not only in your personal life, but also your professional life.
Now with two books under your belt, has anyone ever pitched the idea of writing a 'Acting in Hollywood for Dummies'?
Basically what to expect in the process of agenting, casting calls, marketing yourself, how to deal with rejection, overcoming fears, etc.
I think with your writing style, this would be a fun book to read, and accessible to non-actors who would be interested in what the 'real' Hollywood life was about.
Support FSF: Stop thinking with your wallet, and think with your imagination. (cc/non-commercial)
In your response to a comment titled "Usenet," from the previous interview, you make it quite clear that people hating you for being Wesley pisses you off. Do you have anything in particular to say to the people who like you for being Wesley?
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
Would you let your own children enter the tv/film industry? Why or why not?
"It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell
I know from reading your blog that you've had to deal with some sticky issues reagarding people leaving comments to your posts. My question is: In your opinion, what do you feel would be a better way of having people comment on a story without having the moderation power of a Slashdot type site at your disposal? Or is this even feasible given the way most blog type scripts are designed.
Eddy.WriteLinux.Com
It's a serious question. What keeps the roof over your head?
A lot of my favorite actors (you're included in there) will work for a little bit and then disappear for a great length of time.
A good example is Bruce Campbell. You see him in a small film like Bubba Ho-Tep or a quickie walk-on like in Spider Man, and then he disappears from the face of the earth. And I always wonder, what pays the grocery bill meanwhile?
How do you manage it? And please feel free to ignore this if it's too personal.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
What was your experience with the editor of 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of D&D?
How many different places in your life do your tech-side and parent-side collide? I'm curious if, for you, there are more rather than fewer places than Joe-Sixpack-With-An-iMac -- video editing, family pixel-mashing, that sort of thing.
What does it mean to wake out of a dream
and be wearing someone else's shorts?
BNL, Born on a Pirate Ship (1998)
Do you think you'd get modded +5 nearly as much if you weren't Wil Wheaton?
Never confuse volume with power.
I'm a longtime reader of WWDN and I know you're big into poker. ;)
Is there any chance of you making an appearance on Celebrity Poker on Bravo?
It'd kick ass to see you on there in action
What do you think of Stargate (SG-1/Atlantis)?
Serious question here, no matter how bizarre it sounds: Would you ever consider starring in a full length pro-Linux movie that was released under a free (beer) GPL-style Creative Commons licence?
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
Do you find it interesting/annoying/strange/etc. participating in the geek culture (i.e. being a geek), while at the same time being such a recognisible influence or member of that same culture? For example, say you go to a ST convention. What does it feel like to sort of admire or follow such a phenomenon, but at the same time you are thinking "Yea, I remember when Pat Stewart and I did that scene." I guess it just seems that you might have a different experience than most of us /.ers, in that we are more observers than contributors.
/. community!
Hope that makes sense. Cheers for responding to the
You won't hate yourself in the morning if you don't get up before noon.
A few years ago William Shatner published a book in which he examined the influence Star Trek has had on the pace, direction and inspiration of modern invention as based on all that cool stuff we saw on Star Trek. For example, quantum teleportation is now a reality (though only for one particle at a time, we have flip-open communicators, Vocera has voiced activated comm-badges for sale, et cetera).
To what degree to you feel Star Trek is shaping our technological future, and is this necessarily a good thing?
Wil,
We in the non-Hollywood scene see a fair number of outspoken individuals on one side of the political spectrum, a few on the other, and it *always* gets press anytime anyone on either side speaks out about any political issue.
Having seen it from the inside, how pervasive is politics in the workplace in the projects you've been involved in? Is it something that comes up every once in a while, like the rest of us, during office discussions... or is it something more "tangible", where you basically know where everyone around you stands - and you'd better hope you either stand the same way or don't say much?
Have you ever felt pressure from someone with regard to politics? Have you ever felt that your political viewpoint would affect your chances of working on a project?
Thanks!
So, how does it feel to be one of the few that get asked to do a SECOND interview with Slashdot?
(I think i speak for a lot of us here that take great pleasure in watching your continued successes, keep up the outstanding work.)
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
Would you like to play the bad guy (in a movie, series, etc.)?
"All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
Oh by the way, my room mate was dissing on you the other day. I told her that you were really cool because you read slashdot, but she remains unconvinced for some reason. Are you doing something else that I can point her at that will improve your street cred in her eyes?
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
What is Wil Wheatons drink of choice?(alcoholic) P.S. Do not say synthahol.
Home of the midwest loser - www.say-10.net
How did you come up with such a clever nickname?
Use Ctrl-C instead of ESC in Vim!
Seven of Nine
or
Uhura
This
As of this moment, my question to Mr. Wheaton: What's it like to do a /. interview where the top 10 questions were modded at level 2? (the only 5s are "funny").
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
It occurs to me that you're not much older than I am, and probobly younger than most people on Slashdot. Do you ever find yourself wondering, "What will I do with the rest of my life"? Do you have a plan for your life, or are you just making it up as you go along?
Does having had a career and achived fame(at least among us geeks) at a young age give you a different outlook on life than the rest of us young folk, who are just getting out of school and looking to start a career? And any advice to us geeks seeking a family and job would be appreciated : )
Oh, and on a lighter note - you may be a famous actor and author, Wil Wheaton - but I still have a lower Slashdot ID than you! Take that! : )
Rush seems to be a favorite or atleast an acknoledged band here, having many Sci-Fi songs, as well as songs dealing with personal freedom. So do you like Rush?
Where do babies come from?
What witty sig? I can't be witty, I'm a Methodist.
Hi Wil. I know you're not about dwelling in the past when it comes to your acting career, but I did want to say that I think "Young Harry Houdini" is an oft-overlooked film that you should be very proud of. Okay, so maybe I was only like 10 when I saw it, but as an amateur magician it really had an effect on me, and I thank you for your role in it.
A related question then: What advice can you give (beyond saying "be born with raw talent") to folks like yourself who see themselves as creative types with an interest in acting, writing, speaking - the public arts, if you will - but who also don't want to tread the over-worn path of mainstream media and every other Hollywood actor-wannabe? You seem to have done an exceptional job being a part of the underculture - sci-fi TV, self-publishing, blogging, small theater, etc., so it would seem you have some insight into how to participate in these arts without becoming corrupted by the process of getting involved.
Thanks!
Silas
Have you considered appearing on Enterprise as a character other that Wesley Crusher? An alien with plenty of makeup. Klingon anyone.
When I read Just a Geek, I was struck by the similarity between the reaction to your 25 August 2001 WWdN post (A Look Inside My Mind) and the reaction to the Slashdot and Fark stories about my TRON costume. The 26 August 2001 post (My Velouria) was something I could have written, at least in tone if not in details, if I were half the writer you are.
What would you tell the anonymous, average geek who has Internet fame suddenly dropped on him? How would you help him get through the flood of negativity and get to the point where he can ignore the naysayers and just have fun?
Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
Was your appearance in Outer Limits as the space cadet (or something like that) who ended up not so much saving the day a conscious contrast for Wesley? Was it fun playing havoc with that expected typecast?
;)
(I liked the episode, by the way
You grew up with space around you, have you considered going back?
Would you go up on SpaceShipOne, or would you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the ground?
liqbase
Hi Wil,
In the last episode of Ask Wil Wheaton, you said that you were hoping to produce some of your own video stuff with a tool like iMovie. I'm interested if there's any progress on that front, but that's not my question, really...
Recently, my hometown was host to a Tromafest of local filmmakers strutting their sometimes trashy but always dedicated homegrown video and film projects. Some were feature-length opuses, others were short flash animations or sketch comedy types. I was really impressed with the quality that went into some of the projects, especially since everyone was professional at heart if not in portfolio.
So the question is: Do you get approached to work on video projects of the independant, micro-budget stripe? What kind of considerations do you.. um... consider... if/when such a project comes your way? Any thoughts you may have about independent filmmaking's strengths and weaknesses on the production side of the equation would be appreciated as well.
Thanks!
Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS X?....
LCARS...?
Have you ever considered jumping the fence and Writing and Directing for a change?
There isn't as vocal of an opponent to movie and TV show filetrading as Lars Ulrich of Metallica was during the Napster heydays (music filetrading). What's the general attitude among actors and other peons of the industry towards filetrading? Are they worried about their jobs as the MPAA wants us all to believe (filetrader and non-filetrader alike)?
Linux at home
You've done work for the EFF and digital rights. What if anything has Hollywood done to let you know the "error" of your ways?
Wil, I suppose my question for you is: although I recognize that most all of us are prone to it, why does self-doubt seem to still be an especially strong theme in your psyche, at least as I perceive it through your writing?
You seem to doubt yourself a lot, yet you have (at least IMO) strong talents in writing, acting, and comedy, and, most importantly, an extremely loving wife and an amazing relationship with your stepchildren.
As depicted in Dancing Barefoot and Just a Geek, you seem to have already come far in your battle against your inner doubt, yet it seems (again, just through my perception of your writing) that very often minor defeats set you back a considerable ways.
I suppose to those of us who go through life without some of the incredible good fortune you've had (and I speak not of your acting past, but of your loving family and your recognized writing and comedic talents), it is hard to understand why your inner demons appear to still be so strong.
Wil Wheaton.
Fans have been extremely hostile towards the Wesley Crusher character (and some of it seems to have been directed towards Wil). Yet my kids thought Wesley was WONDERFUL. I think I've figured out why:
Many fans were teenagers or even adults, and they were looking up to, and imagining themselves as, the captain or the other officers on the bridge. "This is what I want to be when I grow up" and that kind of thing. To them, Wesley was this annoying younger kid, and they resented his presence in their fantasy world.
My kids were much younger at the time. For them, WESLEY was the character to look up to. Wesley was what they wanted to be when they got older. Wesley was the character they admired. They couldn't even imagine themselves as adults, as Star Fleet officers. Their fantasy was to be Wesley, to be a teenager on a spaceship, to be the one who was able to save the ship when even the grown-ups didn't know what to do.
That said, (a) Do you ever regret doing so? and (b) Do you think it's fear of unstable people, overwork, or a holier-than-thou attitude toward the proles (or a combination of the three) that keeps other celebs from being as visible, open, and honest?
I say this because I'm amazed at the down-to-Earth nature of those like yourself, J. K. Rowling, and others who aren't afraid to speak out for what they think and feel. With technology, one may wonder why others might not do so.
Like your blog, btw. Good to see you back on /.!
In the Somethingawful.com vs. Fark.com Photoshop contest a while back, why did you rule in favor of Fark, despite the fact that Farkers displayed extremely poor aptitude at Photoshop and made wide use of annoying cliches like Admiral Ackbar?
If you don't understand any of my sayings, come to me in private and I shall take you in my German mouth.
Let's say that you come into posession of a large ( $100,000,000) stack of money and you have a burning desire to make a movie that you know your fellow geeks would enjoy; what would it be?
What is missing in most movies today, if anything? Is it possible to make a geeky movie that has a chance of commercial success? Are we stuck importing Japanese anime?
Why do I have this? I don't smoke.
I met Wil back in August at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. He was signing copies of Just a Geek. I also got him to write his signature in my Kyocera Smartphone, using a paint program I made. I told him I wrote that paint program, and he said "wow! you're way cooler than I am". I asked if he knew any web scripting languages. He said "PHP, and just enough Perl to not screw everything up". Wil is a cool guy.
:)
Anyway, here is a screen capture of his signature, written with SproutPaint
http://sproutworks.com/images/wilwheaton.png
I can't think of anything better, so my question is:
Have you done anything new with PHP and/or Perl?
SproutWorks Software Design
People are often intimidated to ask famous people/actors/model/beautiful people to just talk. I don't mean interview style, I mean just talk.
Are you less likely to sit down and have a beer with someone because they might turn out to be a trek-crazy, or is that more of a problem for the more famous?
Two years ago you were so excited about geocaching that you ran out and bought a GPS receiver the same day you learned about the game, and then paid for a geocaching.com membership (which is not necessary to play). But you've only found 9 caches since then, and none since January. How come? Is it too time consuming? Too much poison ivy? Or just not that much fun?
Out of some curious notion, I did a web search for your /. nick (CleverNickName) just to see where else you might be posting. Turns out you have a lot of imitators. How does that make you feel? Where you aware that people are trying to imitate the real you and not the old Crusher character?
US Democracy:The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices...)
Ok, you often comment on your fave teams on your blog. Albeit not baseball related, anyone with a television knows about the recent violent outbusts by professional players (College Football & NBA basketball.) Have the recent events made you any less of a sports fan?
Wil,
We used to have your autographed picture up on the wall at Netcom back when you had them as an ISP.
I'm curious if currently play on any MMOGs?
Bruce
PS - Bonus question: What did you take away from your experience with Furry fandom?
It seems that most child actors end up growing up to be crack-heads, drug-dealers, low class porn actors/actresses, and/or dead from bullets or drugs.
How did you avoid all that mess? Was it easy or hard to avoid? Was there a point in your life where you had to make a conscious choice? What would you say to other child actors to help them avoid the pitfalls of early fame?
--jeff++
ipv6 is my vpn
Ok I've been itching to ask this to a real actor who also happens to be a geek.
You know MPAA's been suing left and right claiming downloading movies are damaging to the industry as a whole. As an actor in probably the most popular science fiction series ever, how does piracy or file sharing affect you and your bottom line?
Does what the studios say about piracy is total bull? Or is it the truth?
Do you find your celebrity here on Slashdot creepy at all? What are your thoughts on cults of personality in general in the geek world?
--------
Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...
If you had your choice of any acting role ever in history, what would it be?
You wrote recently on your site about the doors Trek opens and the doors Trek shuts. Some actors have turned the convention circuit into their entire livelihood, perhaps for lack of other opportunities (you know the type and I'm sure you've shared the stage with one or two). They know they will never act again, and some have let their looks go. Acting for them is the occasional commercial endorsement. They mainly depend on the trek fan base for their living.
How much fear is there that the party is ending and that the fans have had enough? Do they talk privately about how trek has run out of gas and it's only a matter of time before there is no demand for another version?
A friend of mine had that book when I was visiting him but I haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of it. Per chance... who did the artwork for it? I really liked the childish type of artwork. --Brian
Yeah, this is OT and I hate to steal Wils spotlight but I had to say it...
You know, Jay, we saw the pics of your costume, sure we had a good laugh, but inside, I personally was thinking "The dude has a friggin TRON costume!" and inside, yes, I was jealous. You rock man.
As you have co-hosted the show and been a guest numerous times, are you as disappointed in the quality of that show as I? Two events, Leo's departure, the move to LA. Listening to the new hosts (I know one is not exactly new) they are high on the dB scale and low on the payload/filler ratio.
Hedley
Since you're a writer and an actor - do you find you have a flair for being a DM?
:)
As geeky as it sounds - if I were going to a con (like penguincon) I think it would be tres cool/geeky to have a door prize/charity auction/whatever of you running a D&D session.
BlackNova Traders
There are plenty out there to pick from...
my geeklog
Since you are doing the voice of Aqualad on Cartoon Network's Teen Titans, how different is that experience (voice acting) compared to in-the-flesh acting? Are all the other actors voicing their characters at the same time you are? Is there a lot of experimentation, ad-libbing?
:)
And did you have a choice of characters to play? If so, Aqualad? I mean, come on, his power is to swim and talk to fish.
Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
There was a big push from the fans of The Screen Savers on TechTv for you to be made a host. Were you in discussion with them, and were you offered a job?
Was Stephen King involved at all in the production of the movie?
How's your karma? I noticed that almost all your Slashdot comments are +4 or +5 Funny/Informative/Insightful ...is that because (1) people recognize the clever nickname and mod you up, (2) your comments really are that good, or (3) your experience on Star Trek helped you become the most 1337 guy here?
According to this article, Alias Media, and your site, you were audition for Alias. are you going be an agent?
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Using their foreheads to CRUSH BREWSKis!
/attention-getting-but-not-too-funny-pun
Wil, A couple of months ago, at three in the morning, I caught the movie you starred in with Soleil Moon Frye, The Girls' Room. I enjoyed it a lot--not least because of your perfectly delivered line about why we don't call fraternities "frats."
I've heard that exact same line from a lot of actual Greeks, and it was impressive to see such a non-stereotyped portrayal.
But for all that it's a fun, interesting, and smart movie, with a unique role for you, it seems odd that you chose to make a film with another former child actor..?
Or was it?
You've come to terms (mostly?) with your early roles and their "residual" effects...Did you and Soleil discuss this?
Kid around about how you're the ones that made it?
Or did you just give her the cold shoulder because she no longer has that certain something?
I am a big Star Trek Fanatic. The part that you played was great. It showed a young person learning and growing up to be a man. Another great part was on ST: Voyager Naomi Wildman same thing. Also Jake Sisco on DS9. All those parts were great. But now to the question: After being in a ST after Kirk and Spock, Do you think it was a good idea to go back in time 100 years before Kirk or just keeping it after Kirk like it was?
One of the things that fascinated me about Star Trek: The Next Generation was the attention to detail in set design. I'm aware that Michael Okuda was responsible for a lot of the design work, like the LCARS interfaces for example (also referred to as "Okudagrams"). There was just an underlying subtle feel of logic and innovation behind it all that appealed to the computer nerd in me.
The touch screen interface standard was one; touch screens are an ideal graphical user interface because you don't need an indirect input device to manipulate the interface. I've actually read somewhere that NASA considers it to be a useful idea for manned space missions because it allows a user to access a whole range of controls with a simple touch screen, saving on space and weight when compared to the equivalent in physical controls. The PADDs were also a novel concept, resembling current PDAs and tablet computers. The LCARS interfaces also had recurring elements, like a round one I've read was nicknamed the "spinner", that looked like a control for 2D or 3D manipulation, kind of like arrow keys on a keyboard.
I also noticed that everything - devices, bulkheads, panels, containers, etc - all had the same kind of labels on them. They seemed like a standardised system for doing things like handling inventory, like barcodes. And there was a consistency across the board, the way they were also used as signs on doors and also appeared as LCARS interface elements. I've noticed that they've used them in the Star Trek: Enterprise series as well. (I've also read that they sometimes had jokes on them visible only to the cast during filming.)
Since you were working on the set, you must have had a lot of exposure to what went on behind the scenes with regards to the design process. And as a self-confessed geek, you must have had some interest in that part of the production. Was there an actual working concept behind LCARS as a real graphical user interface? What can you say about the fictional LCARS that would be applicable to real operating systems and graphical user interfaces? And what about those labels- were they based on a realistic system of organisation and management? What kind of concepts were the set designs based on, and how much detail did they get into regarding those concepts? I was just wondering how much of it all was just aesthetic and how much of it was based on real logic.
In an unrelated note, have you seen any improvement from WFS since Dancing Barefoot?
It may not be just, but it is fair, and that is more important.
Hi Will, I just wanted to ask you about your writing.
Would you please describe what you hope to achieve through your books and your writing in general. Which authors have influenced you? How did you find yourself writing in the first place? Are you working on anything at the moment?
Si tacuisses philosophus mansisses. If you had kept quiet, you would have remained a philosopher.
And no - you can't ask yourself questions.
...
Sorry, but I can't resist
Will, if you could ask yourself one question in this interview, what would it be?
"The dew has clearly fallen with a particularly sickening thud this morning"