On a publicity tour through New York, Scott Bakula ("Captain Archer") took the opportunity to plug the three-week old Enterprise but also another project he's starring in that will air on cable TV this weekend.
"What Girls Learn" is an original Showtime movie being featured on the cable network this Sunday, Oct. 14, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time (please check local listings for airtimes). Bakula is the star and executive producer of the movie, which is an adaptation of Karin Cook's novel about two Georgia sisters trying to adjust after being uprooted when their mother (played by Elizabeth Perkins) falls for a New Yorker (Bakula).
Friday morning Bakula appeared on CBS' The Early Show and was interviewed by Julie Chen. After a clip from "Broken Bow" of a clash between Archer and T'Pol, Chen asked him, "She's very attractive, which makes me think, are you going to follow in the footsteps of Captain Kirk and have romances with green women, all types of women?" Bakula replied, "Green women, possibly, all types of women, possibly, but not my crew people."
Since Bakula had previously forayed into the science fiction world with Quantum Leap, Chen asked him if he was afraid of getting typecast as "the sci-fi guy." He said, "No. You know, I've been doing this for a long time, and I've done a lot of different things, so if this were my first big thing, that would be a greater fear of mine. And beyond that, you really don't have any control over what people typecast you as anyway."
Bakula also mentioned another upcoming movie project, "Life as a House," where he will be co-starring with Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas.
Later that morning Bakula popped over to ABC and "The View" with Barbara Walters, wearing the same casual leather jacket, sweater and slacks, and being greeted with a standing ovation. The interview with the women hosts started on an emotional note as Bakula described his visit to the site of the World Trade Center destruction. Choking on his words, Bakula said, "I lived in New York for 10 years — it was ... it was pretty devastating." He said he was moved by the sight of recovery workers at the nearby Trinity Church getting "bear hugs" from volunteers from all over the country.
Speaking mostly about "What Girls Learn" on the talk show, Bakula said his involvement with the movie reaffirmed his belief that "women are eminently and infinitely more interesting than men," to the applause of the predominantly female audience. But he also spoke of Enterprise, comparing it to previous Star Trek shows saying, "There's more a sense of reality to it. My guy's a very emotional guy, he doesn't like rules. There are no rules in the galaxy because we're not in Kirk's time, so we're pioneers, we're explorers, and it's very romantic in that sense, I think. And we're the first ship to go out and represent this planet."
