star trek - Why didn't a French actor play Captain Picard? What was the reaction to this on the part of the French?

I always find it a little jarring that Picard and much of his relatives seem to have such a clear English accent despite the fact that the show makes such a big deal about his French ancestry. His Father, for example, makes an appearance in Tapestry. Oddly he also has an English accent. Moreover, I find it odd that a French captain of the Enterprise was played by a well regarded British actor and not a French one. Was a French accent deemed "too thick" and hard to understand by American audiences? Is it simply the common meme that anyone foreign shown in popular American film and television must have an English accent? Picard's tastes too seem to be particularly British -- "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" anyone?

Also, what was the reaction on the part of the French to this? I'd imagine that they'd be offended (I'm assuming TNG was aired in France). Was there any outcry that a French actor was not selected?

Answer

Bob Justman, a member of the Star Trek: The Next Generation production staff, was taking a class with his wife and there were two guest readers for one class, one being Sir Patrick. After hearing Stewart read just one line, Justman was thrilled and said, "I think I've found the next captain of the Enterprise!"

Justman thought he was great for the part, but Roddenberry didn't like him. When Rick Berman joined the team, he saw footage with Stewart and felt he was right for the part, and won more and more converts. Eventually they won Roddenberry over.

So it wasn't a case that they went out and looked for him, it was that Justman saw him and said, "He's perfect for a starship captain!" And he, along with others, pushed to go with him. The producers (or all but one) loved him for the part, even if he didn't speak with a French accent.

It was a case of picking a French accent or going with an actor who could best act as the kind of starship captain they wanted. And, in a case like that, if the only drawback is an accent, you go with the good actor. (Especially since they couldn't find anyone else they liked for the role.)

Now, as to why they didn't see if Stewart could do the role with a French accent, I don't know.

You can read more about it in this trekmovie.com article.

Also, one other point to consider: I don't know if they spoke French at home (or if, by then, there's a global language like Esperanto), but if Picard learned English while in Britain, that would explain the accent. (Then we can assume that the scenes at the Picard vineyard were in French, just translated to English for the audience.)