[Editor's Note: This interview briefly mentions topics that may be triggering for some readers. If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. You can find resources and 24/7 support by calling 988 or visiting Lifeline.]

Over the past three decades, Todd Stashwick has appeared in some of the most iconic series. From starring in fan-favorite series like 12 Monkeys and The Riches, to having very memorable roles in The Originals, Supernatural, and Teen Wolf—he has been everywhere. This week, he returns to the Star Trek universe in a brand-new role in the upcoming final season of Star Trek: Picard.

Ahead of the Season 3 premiere of Star Trek: Picard, Collider had the opportunity to have a lengthy conversation with Stashwick about his return to Star Trek, and discuss a few pivotal moments that play out later in this season. You'll have to check back in March to find out which classic film inspired one of Captain Shaw's biggest moments in season. In addition to talking about Trek, Stashwick also spoke about his time on series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Heroes, and of course, 12 Monkeys. He also spoke about writing for the newly-released video game Forspoken, and some of his other creative endeavors.

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Image via Paramount+

COLLIDER: I hear you're a nerd and I can see all your fun stuff in the background, all of that fun memorabilia. What is it like getting to be part of so many incredible franchises?

TODD STASHWICK: There's almost a cosmic inevitability to it all. To, ideally, make things that you hope are good and well-received, it has to come from the heart. I love the things that I get to make. I started out in comedy, but my heart was always... I was a Star Trek, Star Wars, [George] Lucas, [Steven] Spielberg kid of the '70s and '80s. When I was play-acting with my action figures, I was pretending to be a captain of the Starfleet when I was six. The passion for the stories that I tell, and recognizing that we are custodians of these franchises, whether I'm writing a Captain America/Black Panther game, or acting on Picard, there is a sense of responsibility to get it right. There's a sense of responsibility to create something that I, as a fan, would feel deserves the mantle of the thing that we're creating.

For example, when I was playing Bela Lugosi's Dracula on Supernatural, I made sure, as I stepped into those shiny black shoes and cape, that I was watching his performance, so that I could do my best to honor it, and do my best to deliver it to the audience in a way that says, "He cares."

That's the way you should approach it. That's something I love about Picard, with Terry [Matalas] being in so much control with Season 3. He loves The Next Generation and loves these characters. He loves Star Trek.

STASHWICK: Yeah, he goes way back.

I know you worked with him on 12 Monkeys and that made me curious to know what the audition process was like for you with Picard, especially since both you and Shaw are from Chicago, I believe.

STASHWICK: Yeah, grease monkeys. In one of those rare, wonderful, never-happens-in-the-industry moments, I did not audition for this. I guess my audition for this was four seasons of 12 Monkeys. The audition process wasn't one, it was Terry Matalas saying to me in, I want to say, July of 2021, "We're writing this character for you." Of course, my immediate response is, "That is amazing. I'm flattered, I can't wait to see who plays it," because this industry is filled with the stories of, "This role was created for this guy, but this guy ended up playing it." I have been the guy that got the part that was written for somebody else, so I know how these things work and I know best intentions often don't lead to the desired results. But he was like, "Sit tight, just hang in there. We'll go through all the channels." I just backed off and waited. A man of his word. Come August, when we got the phone call, the contracts came through, straight offer, and within the week I was being fitted for Captain Shaw's Starfleet uniform.

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Image via Paramount

You have been in Star Trek before. I believe you were in Star Trek: Enterprise, correct?

STASHWICK: I was, I was Talok. I was a Romulan disguised as a Vulcan.

Yes. Did you ever think that you would get to come back to Star Trek?

STASHWICK: Can you imagine if I said "Yes"?

Hopefully. Yeah, yeah!

STASHWICK: People ask me, "What do you want to do next?" And my response is always, “The thing that I don't see coming.” I didn't see Enterprise coming. The best jobs that I've ever had are the ones that I didn't plan for. I prepared for, meaning I left room for [it] in my life, in the cosmic tapestry of my life, I leave room for. There are jobs that you hold a little candle for in your ticker.

Once I had played Talok on Enterprise, and got to be on Vulcan, and got to have my pointy ears and darting eyebrows, I thought my Star Trek ticket was well-sorted. I thought, "I have done my thing, I have contributed to this canon. Ain't that fun?" So, no, at that point, did I ever think, "Down the road, I might meet someone named Terry Matalas, we might work on a show for four seasons, and eventually, that will lead to him crafting a role in the reunion season of Star Trek"? Who knew there was going to be a Star Trek: Picard? Who knew there was going to be more Star Trek after Enterprise?

At one point, because I know Michelle Paradise from working with her on The Originals, I had perhaps thought, "You know what? Michelle and I get on, maybe there's a chance that I'll get to audition for [Star Trek: Discovery]," but the universe had other plans for me, and somehow here we are.

Shifting gears a little bit, so we can talk career retrospective on a few roles that I remember you in so vividly. You were in [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] and Angel, and you wore so much prosthetics and makeup. It's so much. What was that experience like? Was that one of your first times getting to sit in a chair for 12 hours?

STASHWICK: Yeah. I'm not a fan of heavy prosthetics. My buddy, Doug Jones, has made a career out of it, and I've asked him. I was like, "How?" He goes, "Doesn't bother me, just don't bother me." It feels like someone has taken packing tape, wrapped it around your head, then they shove glass in your eyes, a mouthful of fake teeth, and then they go, "Go be free, act.” Trying to get your performance through all of that, I get a little claustrophobic, but [that] doesn't mean I wouldn't do it again depending on the role. I don't love it. I love the end result, I love seeing how it all comes together and the look, and I love shows that use practical makeup.

That being said, let's get to the actual experiences. Buffy was so much fun, and there's a little story to that. I was always first on set getting four hours of makeup, and then last to leave because it takes an hour to take it off. I worked with Sarah [Michelle Gellar] the whole 10 days on the shoot. She and I then got cast in an independent film that shot in Mexico City called Air I Breathe where I played her manager. It wasn't that long after, it was within a year or two after. I get to set, I was like, "I get to see Sarah again," and she's like, "Hi, my name's Sarah." I'm like, "I know. I tossed you around like a ragdoll in a bank," and she's like, "Oh, my God," because she never saw me out of the makeup. Then we went to the premiere of it. Finally, the film's made a year later, and we get to Tribeca Film Festival. I show up, she's like, "Stashwick, Freddie [Prinze Jr.] and our favorite show is The Riches. We can't get enough, and we were so excited to see you on it." I've had a lovely relationship and working relationship with Sarah just from word go on Buffy.

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Image via NBC

I love that. I love that. When I was watching Picard, when you first popped up on the screen, I was like, "His face is so familiar. Where do I recognize him from?" You've been in so many things, but the role that I remember you the most vividly from is Heroes because that was one of my all-time favorite series. I have a whole little shelf of old magazines, and trading cards from Heroes. I just loved it. I would love to know, what was that show like to be part of? Because it was such a phenomenon when it was out.

STASHWICK: Yeah. I had auditioned for Zachary Quinto's role, speaking of Star Trek. I had buzzed the tower of possibly being on Heroes early on, but then when this role came around, I'm not even sure I auditioned for it. It might have been one of those rare, wonderful things where it's like, "You come in enough, and we remember you from this audition, but it wasn't the right fit." That was a lot of fun, and it made me a lifelong friend with Mr. [Greg] Grunberg, we became friends from that moment forward, and Jack Coleman, [and] are friends to this day.

I always joked that anytime you saw Eli in the script, the other actors would be like, "Oh, no. It's going to be that day," because anytime my character had a scene, it was five extra setups. Because they would split up my lines amongst the different versions of myself and [say], "Okay, let's move the camera here. Okay, let's move the camera here." Whereas, you do a normal two-person scene... Your setup, my setup, a wide, over-the-shoulder, and we're out. This was like that times five. There [were] so many more of me to shoot, but Hayden [Panettiere] was lovely. I just loved working on that show. Zachary was lovely, Milo [Ventimiglia]. It was a great time, and I was fortunate to be part of, again, another iconic franchise.

Yeah, it's extremely iconic. I think of it constantly.

STASHWICK: I got to work with Kate Vernon on top, and made friends with her on that show. I'm a huge Battlestar fan, so I got to nerd out with her about that.

To that effect, you've been in so many phenomenal shows and very memorable roles. Are there any roles that you think, "I wish more people recognize me for that," or, "I wish more notice on that"? There's always got to be that one project.

STASHWICK: I think 12 Monkeys is a really special show, and I say that as... You and I are the same, we love genre TV. I would watch and be a fan of 12 Monkeys even if I had not been on it. For whatever reason, it has a passionate audience, but it never got that wide audience. I'm excited that more people now, because they're hearing about Terry, they're going back to it and discovering it. We had the tiger by the tail with that show and... A monkey by the tail. I would love more people to discover 12 Monkeys because it's a meal, and it's compact. You got four seasons, and it is such a rewarding payoff. If you haven't seen it, it's just so darn good.

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Image via Syfy

I know. When I told some of my friends who are really big fans of 12 Monkeys that I was talking with you, they were just so excited just to be able to see you in another show, but also reminiscing about that fan base, and how you and so many of the other cast members would live tweet when episodes dropped, and the environment that it created. I was wondering if you had any really memorable fan encounters from 12 Monkeys, or from other shows that maybe lasted and lingered with you?

STASHWICK: This is one story—I'm going to say it can be an emotionally triggering story. I'm prefacing it with that. On Instagram, this person tagged myself and Emily Hampshire in an Instagram post. I happened to be getting ready for bed, and I get online, and I check Instagram. They were thanking us for a great performance, so kind... and [said] it was a great show that brought them so much joy, but then the tone of the post changed. They, well let’s say, they were in a really dark place. I immediately jumped into their DMs. I'm not qualified, this is not my space, but I felt compelled that night. That if somehow they found a connection to 12 Monkeys, the very bare minimum human thing that I can do here is go, "I connect with you. I connect with you." I ended up having a back-and-forth messaged conversation with this person for an hour and a half of that night. I tried to get them to call someone, to reach out, a professional, to hang in there.

That's a lot to carry on you.

STASHWICK: It was a lot, it was a lot, but the fact that there was obvious darkness in this person's life, and somehow our show brought some glimmer of lightness to them, and it afforded me the opportunity to hopefully say they're seen… I don't know what happened from there, but it was big. It was big, but it was also reminding me of the power of story and the power of... These aren't just fluffy escapes, people connect to this stuff deeply. That's a pretty dark story, but it literally was the first one that popped into my head. Yeah.

It is a testament to the way that we're all connected.

STASHWICK: Yeah, it was big. I just was like, "What do I do?” It was through Instagram. I don't have somebody to call, I don't have somebody to... I don't know how to help this person other than keep them talking. Yeah, it was big. I didn't mean to bring it down.

No, it's important. It's important to talk about these things because a lot of people have these encounters.

STASHWICK: Totally. It’s the exception not the rule of course. The discourse with fans is by and large, positive. And of course, there is no way I can respond to every Instagram post or tweet, this was a very unique circumstance, and it struck a chord with me, and things my family has gone through. So that night I did what I could. However small. It was important.

I wanted to ask you about Forspoken. I do not have the time to play video games, but I watch people's playthroughs on Twitter, and I've gotten so much joy out of watching the snippets that I've seen from this game. It makes me wish I had the time to play. What was that writing process like? It's such a fantastic team of people who were involved with it, like Gary Whitta, Amy Hennig, and Bear [McCreary] doing the composing.

STASHWICK: Yeah. I have been fortunate to collaborate with Amy on a lot of projects. She brought me in for Uncharted 4 and then she and I collaborated on a Star Wars video game together. She is such an icon of the industry and I have been fortunate to call her my friend and collaborator and be... That she continues to bring forward. I'm currently working on a Captain America, Black Panther game with her for Skydance New Media.

Forspoken was a project that we were brought in to help shape the story, then I got to meet Allison Rymer, who's a wonderful writer, and a chance to hopefully create an entertaining world. Much of the world was built before I got there, but I got to go in and name things, then dig in and create this relationship with these characters, and help shape the narrative. It was a big learning experience and a wonderful opportunity. Yeah, it was great.

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You obviously have acted with a lot of different actors and stuff, but have you ever had an instant connection with any of them, whether it be your acting style or just your energy matches that just made for a really memorable experience?

STASHWICK: There are so many, obviously. I've been in LA for 23 years. Wow. I got to work with Dick Van Dyke early in my career on Diagnosis Murder, and that was huge. I was just like, "Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Van Dyke Show." That was just huge. That was me being like, "Oh, my God. This is great." As far as immediately connecting to other actors, I've been blessed to work with so many great actors. Some that you just get to stop and watch, and you have to remember that you're in the scene with them, because you're like, "They're doing such great work. I'm so thrilled and impressed." Emily Hampshire is so great, Amanda Schull, Aaron Stanford. Again, the cast of 12 Monkeys was just so wonderful.

I never got to actually do scenes with Hannah Waddingham. This isn't an onset thing, we were, like [at] 3:00 AM, at this farmhouse in the middle of winter, and she and I were broke for lunch. Even though we didn't have scenes together, we broke for lunch. It was just like, "We are best friends." It's like that moment in Step Brothers, "Did we just become best friends?" "Yup." We just immediately became best friends. She just called me from Sydney, Australia. She just checks in and I just adore Hannah. It's one of those where you go, "Holy crap, it's like we've known each other our whole lives."

I love that.

STASHWICK: That wasn't even in the scene together, that was at craft services.

Hey, a lot can happen at craft services.

STASHWICK: I'm saying, I'm saying.

Circling back to the first question I had for you, which was talking about being a fan of the stuff that you get to be in. I worked on a DC film and that completely changed my relationship with the franchise, in good ways and different ways, and engaging with it in a different way. Has it changed at all for you, the way that you interact with the stuff that you're a fan of that you've now got to be part of? You had the Star Wars video game that you wrote for, you're in Star Trek. There's just so much. Has it changed at all for you, the way that you engage with it?

STASHWICK: The reality is we live in such a thumbs-up, thumbs-down culture. As a fan, I have a deep appreciation [for] how hard it is to make entertainment. How much time, care, energy, effort, heart, passion, people being away from their families, late hours. I recognize nobody is going into what they're making to make something awful. No one. I probably have a more even hand when viewing products as a fan. I try to weigh that, and try to look for what works in things quicker than I look for what doesn't. I also will never be a critic online, I will never publicly trash anything. I know how hard this stuff is, and I know that the people making any of it care deeply about what they're making. Whether they're successful at it, or whether it connects to me and my taste, that's a different question, but I have a deep appreciation for the creative process of making film entertainment.

Star Trek: Picard streams exclusively on Paramount+. Check back in next month for the rest of our interview with Stashwick, and in the meantime, you can watch our interview with him and Jeri Ryan below: