Jeremy Saulnier, who directed Patrick Stewart in the indie thriller Green Room, praised the late, great actor for making the bold decision to appear in his horror cult classic.
Stewart, who died Thursday at 86, played way against type in 2015’s Green Room, about a punk band who are hunted by neo-Nazi skinheads after they witness a murder at a remote club in the Pacific Northwest.
Stewart played the terrifying, calculating Darcy Banker, a character worlds away from the heroic mentors for which Stewart was best known, like Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek films and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men saga.
“Sir Patrick Stewart was the real deal. A man of his talent and stature had no business making a scuzzy little punk rock film like Green Room,” Saulnier said in a statement to MovieMaker.
“But his sense of adventure and generosity led him deep into the woods of Oregon with a bunch of kids and an unproven director to experience something very special. He will forever have my admiration and gratitude for his kindness, his leadership, his wit and for showing the world at large what exactly a true gentleman is.”
Green Room Director Jeremy Saulnier Remembers Patrick Stewart
Appearing in Green Room was one of the many ways Stewart remained an actor’s actor, even when he was comfortably ensconced in the luxurious trappings of franchise stardom. He signed on for his role in the fairly low-budget, scrappy indie because he knew it would be a challenge.
“He’s a really bad guy,” Stewart said of his character in the video above. “And I have to be honest and say that I think it was that aspect which seduced me.”
Saulnier also sent his best to Stewart’s widow, Sunny: “My heart goes out to Sunny and to all those who hold him dear.”
The list of people who held him dear is long. Stewart’s passing brought an outpouring of love from people as varied as Sir Ian McKellen, who starred in the X-Men films as Xavier’s friend and nemesis, Magneto, to Dan Bailey, drummer and musical director for Father John Misty.
“Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love,” McKellen wrote on Instagram.
“What a heartbreaking week it has been,” fellow Enterprise captain William Shatner wrote on Facebook. “Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.”
Patrick Stewart’s family announced his death on Thursday.
“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 statement read. “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.”
Main image: Jeremy Saulnier and Patrick Stewart attend the Green Room premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on September 10, 2015. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images.
Editor’s note: Corrects name in lede.
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