Robert Beltran is best known to Star Trek fans for his role as Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager, which is a part he later reprised on the animated Prodigy. However, the actor had already carved out a good career before his Voyager days in movies, television, and especially theater with several Shakespeare productions.
In an interview for the documentary To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager (per The Transporter Room YouTube channel), which you can watch below, Beltran shared how he tried out for a production of Romeo and Juliet during his freshman year of college.
Originally, Beltran wanted to take part just because of the sword fighting, so he auditioned for the role of Tybalt, Romeo’s hot-tempered rival, who gets into a fateful duel.
However, Dr. Bob Chapman, the director, thought Beltran would make a good Romeo, which he doubted. Chapman brought in another student to read as Juliet, and Beltran soon fell for the language of the piece and being a more romantic lead.
It was a key turning point for Beltran as he thought of Chapman as a mentor, helping mold the actor and aid his acting experience. That paid off, and Beltran would also perform on stage in other Shakespearean works. Beltran portrayed Hamlet, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream among others.
As for which role would have suited Beltran at the time, it’s tricky to tell. Either part may have suited him well at the time. However, Tybalt drew Beltran in with his sword fighting, and fans of Voyager know he could handle action scenes well.
One quibble is that Tybalt is a rather outrageous character with his sharp temper and tendency to yell every other line, while Beltran’s impassive acting was a reason his Chakotay worked. That’s why he may have been better as Romeo. Having played Banquo in Macbeth and Oberon, Beltran could easily handle the dramatic turn with the soft-spoken Romeo carrying so much weight on him.
Chakotay had his share of romances on Voyager, with Beltran able to create good chemistry with almost any female co-star. His deep voice could easily tackle Shakespeare's soliloquies and grand talk, and his stage presence could captivate an audience. The right co-star as Juliet could make it better, and Beltran would have been fabulous in the part.
It's easy to imagine Beltran taking on the iconic role of Romeo and likely doing well. And this audition put Beltran on the acting path that led to Voyager, much to the happiness of Star Trek fans.
Which part would you have liked to watch Beltran play? Share your choice with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
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