Share and Follow
Though Robert Picardo wasn’t interested in playing The Doctor on “Star Trek: Voyager,” the actor did eye a role in the script he believed he could really sink his teeth into. “I read the script and I liked Neelix, so I asked to read for Neelix,” Picardo told StarTrek.com, adding with a laugh, “and then I didn’t get Neelix.” Still, Picardo claims he just missed out on landing that role, even testing for the part. Though he didn’t even know they were in competition, Picardo goes on to detail that the role of Neelix eventually went to his old acting buddy Ethan Phillips.
Ultimately, Picardo said he was happy he didn’t book Neelix, joking, “I didn’t get that part, thank God, because I would never have had the patience with the make-up that Ethan Phillips did.” Having missed out on Neelix, Picardo admitted he believed he’d also missed out on “Voyager,” adding, “Normally, once you have tested and you didn’t get the part, you are a used Kleenex and are discarded immediately.”
Read Related Also: Bob Saget’s Funeral Finally Brought John Stamos And The Olsen Twins Back Together
That was surprisingly not the case, with Picardo claiming the “Voyager” creative team impressed him by instead asking if he might reconsider auditioning for the role of The Doctor. This time, the actor acquiesced, not only auditioning for the role of Voyager’s holographic health care professional, but landing the part. Over the course of the show’s tenure, The Doctor, of course, became as pivotal to the drama as any of the main players on “Star Trek: Voyager.” And quite frankly, it’s impossible to think about another actor playing the part.
