Sir Patrick Stewart says living in the English countryside is like being in a ''war zone''.

The 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' actor resides in a £2.2 million mansion in the Cotswolds area of Oxfordshire with his girlfriend Sunny Ozell, but he is despairing about the noise created by the nearby Shooting School at Enstone Airfield.

He said: ''There are times when it is like living in a war zone and the shooting is often continuous which means the natural peace and tranquillity of the area is being disrupted.

''The shooting can even be heard in my house when the doors and windows are shut and it has a terrible effect on the animals.

''Recently there was an incident when a deer got impaled on barbed wire after becoming distressed by the noise.''

Patrick - who has also starred in the 'X-Men' movies as Professor Charles Xavier - added he does not want the business to close, but simply to modify its opening times so it does not disturb people so often.

He told a local paper: ''We're not asking them to stop firing, but we want modifications to lessen the impact on the local community.''

The erstwhile Captain Picard reveals that he'd love to act opposite Steve Buscemi.
Interview with RadioTimes:

Favourite TV role?

I played Captain Ahab in a television adaptation of Moby Dick for Hallmark in America about ten years ago and, although it was the most challenging role I have ever had to play, it was also the most fun. It is the closest I have come to a high seas adventure. I spent most of the time underwater lashed to the side of a fake whale. It was terrifying as it was on rails like a rollercoaster because it had to look like it was diving in and out water but I enjoyed it immensely though!

Worst moment on stage?

I hate fight scenes – they frighten me more than anything. I have been unlucky enough to work with one or two crazy actors in my time and I have often been hurt when they lose control. I would be happy never to do another stage fight again in my life. On TV and film everything feels very safe and properly done whereas on stage you find yourself alone on stage with a battleaxe wielding actor when the red mist descends over his eyes and there is nothing you can do.

TV role you covet?

I would love a part in Broadwalk Empire – the chance to act alongside Steve Buscemi would be fantastic.

Role you covet on stage?

There are several – some classics I haven’t yet played, but I suppose nobody is going to ask me to play Romeo or Hamlet now are they? That dream is over and I regret it immensely. The sad thing is that I feel in every way ready to play them now, at 71.

What are the challenges of going from TV to the stage?

On a very simplistic level the difference is that stage acting is about action and screen acting is about thinking.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Patrick Stewart Will Emcee 71st Annual Peabody Awards

Sir Patrick Stewart, Peabody Award-winning star of stage and screen, Shakespeare plays and science-fiction blockbusters, will be the host of the 71st Annual George Foster Peabody Awards ceremony on Monday, May 21, at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City.

"Patrick Stewart, the first actor to host the Peabody Awards Presentation Luncheon, brings a career that perfectly illustrates the breadth of the Peabody Award," said Horace Newcomb, director of the Peabody Awards at the University of Georgia. "He starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was recognized with a Peabody in 1987.  Just last year, he gave us his superb Macbeth, another Peabody Award-winning production. The Peabody recognizes excellence in journalism and news, documentary and public service, and in all forms of entertainment in electronic media.  We are truly honored to have Sir Patrick as our host. "

Patrick Stewart at Going Global 2012

During the final session of Going Global, the renowned actor offered truly inspiring words, praising the internationalization of higher education as a genuine path to peace and global prosperity.
video here

SIR PATRICK STEWART STILL WAITING FOR DREAM JOB

The 71-year-old insists he isn’t too old to storm the stage as Shakespeare’s star-crossed lover Romeo.

“You’re looking at an actor ready to play Romeo but it ain’t gonna happen,” he confesses at a fan event he hosted at the Criterion Theatre, London.

Yorkshire-born Stewart, who first joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, believes he owes his livelihood to the playwright.

“If Shakespeare hadn’t existed I would not have had a career,” he laughed. “He’s given me an awful lot of good jobs.”

Stewart is currently playing the Bard himself in Edward Bond’s play Bingo at the Young Vic on London’s South Bank. “There’s a rumour Al Pacino might be coming to see it,” confides Stewart. “I keep looking out for him.”