Kate Mulgrew is one of the most popular sci-fi actresses due to her appearance as Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager. The actress became the first female captain of an Enterprise ship to lead a series and the series itself developed a cult following, like other Star Trek spinoff shows.
While Mulgrew became an important figure in the initial seasons of Voyager, she reportedly faced stiff competition from none but her own co-star, Jeri Ryan. Ryan, who played Seven of Nine in the series, was reportedly brought on to boost viewership numbers, and this did not sit well with Kate Mulgrew.
Kate Mulgrew’s hostility towards Jeri Ryan went to terrible extremes
Much like other pivotal characters in Star Trek, Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway was created to push the boundaries of sci-fi storytelling. Mulgrew became the first female captain who headlined the sci-fi franchise and her off-screen persona too matched this feat of hers, with her PR activities revolving around promoting women to pursue careers in STEM.
However, around the fourth season, the makers reportedly wanted to target the younger demographic (male, especially) and introduced the character Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan. Ryan instantly became a s*x symbol with her body-hugging costume and general characterization. The viewership numbers reportedly did boost.
This, however, reportedly did not sit well with Kate Mulgrew, who hoped that an attractive younger woman was not needed to make the show survive. She reportedly began channeling her anger towards Seven of Nine first, and then later she turned it towards Jeri Ryan. A castmate reportedly told Closer,
That’s when it became horrible…At one point, Kate pulled the line producer aside and said, ‘Jeri Ryan is not allowed to use the bathroom unless she uses it before work or after work, but not during work. It takes too much time to get her in and out of that suit. It’s wasting time.’
This not just bordered but went head-first into inhuman treatment and the enmity between the two actresses, which reportedly continued till the finale.
Kate Mulgrew acknowledged and took full responsibility for her treatment of Jeri Ryan
Before Kate Mulgrew joined Star Trek: Voyager, another actress had been cast in the role of Captain Janeway and had even filmed a few days of the pilot before leaving due to creative differences. Mulgrew was then called back (despite reportedly fumbling her audition) and since then, she has been a symbol of great leadership.
She proved that the position was not just in her acting but also off-screen as she admitted to her wrongdoing and terrible treatment of Jeri Ryan on the sets of Voyager. She took accountability and mentioned that it had nothing to do with Ryan. She told Closer,
This is on me, not Jeri. She came in and did what she was asked to do. No question about that, and she did it very well. It’s on me, because I’d hoped against hope that Janeway would be sufficient. That we didn’t have to bring a beautiful, s*xy girl in…I’m sorry it has to be part of this legacy, and I probably should have comported myself better. I should have been more philosophical about it, but in the moment it was difficult.
Jeri Ryan, too, had reportedly mentioned how difficult it was during her initial seasons in the series as the hostility from Mulgrew was just too much to take (via TrekCore). But both reportedly remained professional while filming.
Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.
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