So, let me start this off by saying how much I enjoy the L.A Times. Hero Complex. Its extremely well written & and one of my go to blogs for all things geek. I have to admit a small secret though, I get both jealous and giddy every time I read an article.... Anyway, if you're not reading it, you should be. With that out of the way, Geoff Boucher of Hero Complex recently wrote a fantastic article about Jonathan Frakes and his experience from "Encounter at Farpoint" through the full TNG run, ending with Nemesis. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll drop a few excepts here to peak your interest.

Jonathan on Riker's character transition over the years
“I looked very, very stiff in those early seasons because I was so intent on living up to the vision that Gene had, and it was not real fun,” said Frakes, who got a reprieve, finally, when he mentioned his love of jazz and his musical hobby to one of the show’s writers. “All of a sudden, Riker was playing the trombone, and they let a little bit of the playfulness in. And it all changed for the better.”

Jonathan on the recent Calgary Expo 25th anniversary TNG reunion
“It was a panel at night and they introduced us and there were thousands of people who had gone to Ticketmaster or whatever and bought their tickets and they were hooting and hollering and shrieking and it was like we were the … Beatles,” the grinning 59-year-old said with a shake of his head.

Interested yet? You can check out the full article here.

(Source Hero Complex)