Congratulations! You got the part!!!

[thelordharry]

I was thinking the other day whilst watching the pilot episodes for Voyager of the poor old actors who were told they'd landed a part on the show, a part that at face value would likely be a major/central character and be rubbing there hands at the prospect of a well paid job/fame for seven years only to have it ripped away shortly after when it's revealed what happened to their character...

Can you imagine the glee on the faces of the actor's who landed the part of Janeway's original first officer or CMO? I can see such conversations as "Honey! Order a Ferrari!! I've just landed a major role on the new Star Trek spinoff show!!

[Mark]

I don't know if this is common knowledge, but I used to be an actor in my youth. I guarantee you that those poor folks KNEW they were getting a one episode shot. They would have gotten SAG wages and an impressive credit on there resumes........but I doubt they thought it would turn into anything more.

Of course, Trek is famous for grabbing some unlucky extra and making him/her a lead. Worf and LaForge weren't supposed to have HUGE parts, but they ended up with them. O'Brian wen't from background scenery to DS9.....and so forth.

[Sionnach Glic]

O'Brian wen't from background scenery to DS9.....and so forth.

Not just that, but he also became pretty big in Ireland, starring in a number of Irish films.

[Mikey]

As well as a couple of American films, IIRC.

[thelordharry]

Gangs of New York? Hang on, or was it that one when Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were doing each other...