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Star's Trek to Becker
Terry Farrell
played an alien for six years in Star Trek: Deep Space 9, and now she's running
a New York diner in Becker. She couldn't be happier, as Simone Hewett
reports.
Terry Farrell has put herself on ice, but it's not in preparation for New Year's Eve. Farrell has pinched a sciatic nerve, the result of "one too many days of bumps" while on safari in Kenya during Thanksgiving.
"I got home thinking I'd be all right with it, and it just kept getting worse," she says.
With the ice pack offering some relief, Farrell is eager to talk about Becker. The Channel 10 comedy revolves around Dr. John Becker (Ted Danson), a grumpy but dedicated GP who says exactly what he thinks.
When he's not working at his practice, Becker spends most of his time hanging out at the local diner, run by the smart, sassy and beautiful Reggie Kostas (Farrell).
Farrell is probably best known for her role as the alien officer Jadzia Dax in Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
Although she enjoyed her six-year stint on Star Trek, she has welcomed the chance to work on a show that's more drive by words than action.
"I liked the character of Dax, but I find action really difficult to read," she says. "It's so nice to be working on a show where I"m excited about reading the scripts.
Farrell says Reggie doesn't really know wher she's going, but isn't losing any sleep over it.
"Not as much as I would," she says, laughing. "If I was stuck in a cafe in the Bronx, I'd be really flipping out."
Farrell says her character is developing with the show. She can reveal that next season Reggie will go back to school, because Becker gets sick of her telling him she doesn't know what she wants to do.
Farrell is full of praise for Danson.
"He is just the sweetest man. When I first met him, I just thought: 'Oh my God, I have to be able to work with him.'"
Fortunately, they "connected in a very easy way."
"I know it's kind of corny, but I think we all got really lucky on this show because we're all of the same kind of mindset," Farrell says. "We all want to entertain people and make 'em laugh and make 'em feel good."
Originally from the Midwest, Farrell grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
At the age of 17, she embarked on a high-flying career as a model.
"I sent my pictures to New York and Elite modeling agency flew to Iowa to see me. Then I started modeling and taking acting classes," she says.
After modeling for three years, she was offered a role in Paper Dolls -- a TV drama series about modeling -- and moved to Los Angeles.
Her acting career took off, with guest spots in Quantum Leap, The Cosby Show, The Twilight Zone, Family Ties and then Star Trek.
She also scored film roles in Back to School, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Off the Mark and Legion.
Then, along came Becker.
Farrell is revelling in the relaxed atmosphere on the set after the frenetic pace on Star Trek.
"With my last job, everything was so time-efficient, there was really no time to relax. With this, it's so much more laid back."
Becker airs Wednesday, 8pm, on Channel Ten in Australia! :)
This article is from The Sunday Telegraph --
Australia, and is reprinted here for your convenience.
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