Patrick Stewart had no plans to say goodbye to his acting career before his death.
The Star Trek actor, who passed away on Wednesday at 86 after a battle with dementia, revealed in his last interview that he will “forever be an actor.”
In a July interview with TV Line, which would be his final interview, Patrick admitted, “I can’t imagine ever officially ‘retiring.'”
He gushed at the time, “I’ll always and forever be an actor.”
Patrick also talked about his famous character, Captain Picard, and Star Trek’s 40th anniversary.
”All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of The Next Generation is particularly remarkable,” he remarked
The late actor added, “I still remember my first day driving onto the Paramount lot like it was yesterday.”
Back in 2022, Patrick reminisced about his first interaction with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
“My first interview (with Star Trek creator) Gene Roddenberry lasted all of about six minutes,” he told People.
Patrick recalled, “I learned afterward that when I had gone out the door, he said, ‘Who the hell suggested inviting that guy to come up here? What a waste of time.’ Six months later, I was offered the role. Gene thought I was completely wrong, but he was outvoted.”
The X-Men star’s death news was publicly announced by his spokesperson on Thursday in a statement that read, “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
The rep added, “He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”
