Wil Wheaton got a lot of flack for his portrayal of Wesley Crusher, the genius son of Gates McFadden’s Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
He was fresh off his success of “Stand By Me” and wasn’t expecting the blowback he got from fans who didn’t want to see a child genius solving all of Enterprise’s problems. But despite the blowback, the teenager kept his cool, came to the set, and did his job., and as it turns out, that self-confidence was off-putting to Patrick Stewart.
In his memoir, Making it So [via Slashfilm], Stewart said he was already nervous about taking on such a high-profile role that continued Gene Roddenberry’s legacy, and he was beyond scared that he wasn’t the right person for the job. So focused he was on getting everything right for his role, that all his did was prep for it. And seeing Wheaton who seemed to be so comfortable in his role didn’t help. Stewart thought Wheaton came off as a little cocky at first.
"“I felt that the teen-on-the-Enterprise concept was a little gimmicky, but I was also put off by Wil’s adolescent self-assurance. To me, he initially came off as cocky. But as I examined my feelings, I realized that they were not really about Wil or some notion that he should know his place as a juvenile actor — they reflected my own vulnerability. In those first weeks, I wished I had Wil’s confidence.”"
As it turned out Wil Wheaton and Patrick Stewart became very close by the time the series ended.
It’s interesting for Stewart to point out Wheaton’s confidence as anyone else in the teenager’s shoes would have been bowled-over at the thought of taking part in a brand-new Star Trek series, especially one in which he’d be surrounded by adults. But with Wheaton’s disturbing home life, coming to work must have been like a soothing balm, even if acting wasn’t what he really wanted to do.
Wheaton’s confidence helped Stewart assess his own vulnerabilities, and together, the pair continued on Star Trek: The Next Generation for four seasons before Wesley Crusher went off with The Traveler.