Star Trek imagined a very progressive future in its space oper setting, something a lot of fans have pointed towards when discussing the IP and how it approaches issues of representation and diversity. However, despite its efforts to be inclusive, there are some shocking revelations from behind the scenes that might tarnish the image of the show
Kim Rhodes, who had guest-starred on Voyager, was being pushed to the producers for a permanent role in Star Trek: Enterprise. The actress, speaking on the Delta Flyers podcast, revealed how she almost scored the role for T’Pol, a Vulcan.
Kim Rhodes apparently did not have the right body type for the role
Kim Rhodes has had a career that puts her at the center of a slew of iconic roles. She has been in on Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Supernatural as well. However, the actress, despite being on Star Trek: Voyager, was not able to secure a role in Star Trek: Enterprise. Ad the issue, as the actress talked about, might be a little hypocritical for a show as progressive as Star Trek. She said:
And so Rick Berman and Brannon Braga met with me and were like, “Here’s why you’re gonna play this role.” I have secret insight into what a Vulcan actually is because of their conversations with me, and ultimately, I screen tested in front of 35 people at Paramount and then I went to my agent and they called my agent said I did not get it because I was the wrong physical type.
Rhodes also clarified that her agent told her that the “wrong physical type” was a euphemism for ‘fat’, which really seems to be an odd reason to reject Kim Rhodes. The actress was considered to be one of the fittest in the game, and a lot of people found it hard to believe that being ‘fat’ could be the reason to reject her.
Dylan Sprouse refused to make a fat joke that was aimed at Kim Rhodes
Dylan Sprouse took it upon himself to skip out a joke about Kim Rhodes’ weight, given that the actress had put on some thanks to her pregnancy. Despite being told to say the joke by the executive producer on the show, Dylan Sprouse was firm in his resolve to skip it. On the Back to the Best podcast, Rhodes revealed what Dylan said to the producer when asked to stick to the joke:
He goes, ‘I would not disrespect any woman that way, let alone this woman. You write something funny and I’ll say it.
The fact that the young actor was standing up to an executive producer on his show, especially by disobeying a direct order, showed how much the young twins cared about their onscreen mother. Rhodes also insisted that the Sprouse twins were very protective of her on set.
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