Patrick Stewart is one of the finest actors to grace the big screen, with several commanding performances in popular franchises. The actor is known for his time in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, becoming a fan favorite and earning several accolades. However, Stewart’s journey to fame and success wasn’t easy.
During a recent interview, the veteran actor opened up about his early life, especially his difficult childhood where he faced domestic abuse regularly. As a result, it is commendable for Stewart to overcome these issues and achieve greatness, which will give Hollywood nepotism products serious food for thought. Here is what Patrick Stewart had to say about his childhood.
Patrick Stewart Opened Up About Enduring a Difficult Childhood
Actor Patrick Stewart became a superstar with his performance as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the sci-fi series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He later appeared as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, further bolstering his stature in modern pop culture.
During an interview for the ITV documentary Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, Stewart opened up about enduring a difficult childhood and revealed the challenging circumstances he had to face. Stewart revealed that his father was physically abusive towards his mother.
She would shout out, ‘No, no, no, please, you don’t have to protect me. I’m all right, I’m all right.’
Stewart made the above statement (via People), explaining the situation as he and his elder brother tried to intervene whenever his father hit his mother, leading to a tense family atmosphere.
Furthermore, Stewart added that he often screamed at his father to make him stop hitting his mother. As a result of the loud arguments in the household, Stewart could anticipate when the violence would begin and would often try to intervene with his brother’s help.
Patrick Stewart Revealed How His Neighbors Intervened in the Domestic Abuse
During the same documentary, Stewart also shed some additional light on his experiences revealing the role his neighbors played in the domestic abuse endured by his family. The Charles Xavier / Professor X actor added that he felt ashamed of his background once the violent incidents became common knowledge amongst his neighbors.
I’ll never forget our very next-door neighbour coming into the house, bursting the door open when my father was yelling and walked over to my father.
Stewart made the above statement in the documentary (via The Independent), adding that his neighbor challenged his father to a fistfight, which ultimately made his father stop the violence.
However, the incident left Stewart scarred and the actor admitted that he refrained from speaking about his experience, choosing to keep the feelings bottled up inside because of the shame.
Nonetheless, Stewart overcame these adverse and traumatic events to become a legendary actor, without the help of anyone from the industry. Hence, Stewart is the very definition of a self-made man, something that will give nightmares to most nepotism products in Hollywood.
