1. Landing the Role of Deanna Troi
Marina Sirtis trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London before spending years working in British repertory theatre. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry cast her as Counselor Deanna Troi after watching her performance in the 1986 film Aliens, where she played a tough Colonial Marine, a role far removed from the empathic counselor she would soon inhabit. During the audition process, Sirtis and fellow actress Denise Crosby initially read for each other’s parts, with Sirtis trying out material intended for the security chief Tasha Yar before the roles were sorted out. She had been close to leaving the United States and returning home when the offer for Star Trek: The Next Generation finally came through, a decision that reshaped the rest of her career. She relocated to America in 1986 to take the part.