WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.120 --> 00:00:05.630 Hi, I'm Roxann Dawson and I play Balada tourist, 2 00:00:05.630 --> 00:00:07.463 Or I played Balada tourist. 3 00:00:10.340 --> 00:00:12.660 I didn't know anything about Star Trek really 4 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:14.060 until I got this role. 5 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:16.470 And then I did some pretty fast research, 6 00:00:16.470 --> 00:00:18.670 but this was really my first contact 7 00:00:18.670 --> 00:00:20.520 with the whole franchise. 8 00:00:20.520 --> 00:00:23.090 Oh my gosh, there was so many wonderful moments that we had! 9 00:00:23.090 --> 00:00:25.630 Probably the best times were when we were 10 00:00:25.630 --> 00:00:27.710 in the break room when all of us were together 11 00:00:27.710 --> 00:00:29.190 and we hadn't seen each other in a while 12 00:00:29.190 --> 00:00:32.960 and we would just talking, shoot the breeze, you know, 13 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.330 and it was just so great to all be together. 14 00:00:35.330 --> 00:00:36.900 Of course, the director wasn't so pleased 15 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:38.810 because we would take way too much time, 16 00:00:38.810 --> 00:00:40.180 but we loved each other so much. 17 00:00:40.180 --> 00:00:41.800 It was a really great cast. 18 00:00:41.800 --> 00:00:43.120 I don't know if I'm at Liberty to say 19 00:00:43.120 --> 00:00:44.860 what I took from the set, 20 00:00:44.860 --> 00:00:46.510 but I do have a couple of things. 21 00:00:46.510 --> 00:00:48.010 In fact, I was just thinking of going through 22 00:00:48.010 --> 00:00:50.670 my attic to see what they were and if I should 23 00:00:50.670 --> 00:00:52.270 still hold onto them or not. 24 00:00:52.270 --> 00:00:57.270 I think I have a tri-quarter, think I have my costume. 25 00:00:57.380 --> 00:00:59.870 Don't tell anybody though (laughs). 26 00:00:59.870 --> 00:01:02.890 Voyager is the first time that I directed. 27 00:01:02.890 --> 00:01:05.740 I let them know early on that I wanted to direct. 28 00:01:05.740 --> 00:01:08.790 And they gave me Paramount as my school, 29 00:01:08.790 --> 00:01:10.750 which is not too shabby. 30 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:13.700 And I would follow around directors, I would go to meetings. 31 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:16.650 I would kind of shadow on other shows, 32 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:19.120 but I learned so much from Paramount 33 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:21.290 and so much from all the different departments 34 00:01:21.290 --> 00:01:24.350 who were so willing to share with me and to teach me. 35 00:01:24.350 --> 00:01:26.120 And I am profoundly grateful for that. 36 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:27.000 It really started 37 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:30.840 what is now over 20 year career for me in directing. 38 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:34.350 And it's just been a wonderful ride for me. 39 00:01:34.350 --> 00:01:35.183 I am Puerto Rican. 40 00:01:35.183 --> 00:01:37.180 You know, it's very interesting being sort of 41 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:38.600 fourth generation Puerto Rican 42 00:01:38.600 --> 00:01:40.520 and that my parents didn't speak Spanish 43 00:01:40.520 --> 00:01:44.010 and I didn't grow up with any real role model, 44 00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:46.150 except for me, maybe Chita Rivera 45 00:01:46.150 --> 00:01:48.240 and West Side Story (chuckles) you know, 46 00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:49.630 who is still my idol. 47 00:01:49.630 --> 00:01:53.420 And there wasn't a lot for me to look to. 48 00:01:53.420 --> 00:01:56.520 And I didn't identify actually honestly very much 49 00:01:56.520 --> 00:01:58.630 with being Puerto Rican as I was growing up. 50 00:01:58.630 --> 00:02:00.960 And it isn't sort of where I worked. 51 00:02:00.960 --> 00:02:03.950 I didn't get cast in roles that were 52 00:02:03.950 --> 00:02:06.900 stereotypically Hispanic, I just didn't fit those. 53 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:10.720 So I was often caught right in the middle of all of that. 54 00:02:10.720 --> 00:02:13.880 But it's interesting because even now having children, 55 00:02:13.880 --> 00:02:16.580 I'm starting to sort of re-examine 56 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:17.890 especially with all the politics 57 00:02:17.890 --> 00:02:19.490 that are happening right now in Puerto Rico, 58 00:02:19.490 --> 00:02:22.230 really examining my roots and wanting to go back 59 00:02:23.770 --> 00:02:25.550 and study it more and figure it out. 60 00:02:25.550 --> 00:02:27.340 So I'm probably becoming 61 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:29.310 more Puerto Rican now than I've ever been. 62 00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:32.470 Voyager, really if you look at the whole cast 63 00:02:32.470 --> 00:02:34.460 is very diverse. 64 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:38.600 And I think that it was a time that people really 65 00:02:38.600 --> 00:02:40.870 weren't formally trying to do that. 66 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:43.280 You know, Voyager just did it without a lot of accolade 67 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.770 without a lot of show. 68 00:02:45.770 --> 00:02:47.800 They just did it, they just cast it this way, 69 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:50.410 which was such a credit to them 70 00:02:51.359 --> 00:02:53.070 to do that at a time when 71 00:02:53.070 --> 00:02:55.080 it wasn't even being demanded of. 72 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:59.490 And I think that we made some real strides in diversity 73 00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:02.393 in terms of casting on network television.