Playboy's 20 Q: Jeri Ryan

Jeri Ryan burst into television prominence by wearing a formfitting costume on Star Trek: Voyager that many male fans pray she'll one day burst out of. Cast as Seven of Nine, Ryan is a no-nonsense Borg who is returned to her human form after the Voyager crew's encounter with the Collective leaves her stranded on the Federation starship. It's a challenging role that Ryan accepted only after the producers promised her that Seven was no intergalactic Barbie doll. In return Ryan has created a complex young woman trying to understand and regain her humanity even while Borg notions of efficiency and perfection linger in her head. And there's still the babe factor. It didn't take long for TV Guide to recommend that the producers rename Seven of Nine ''Ten Out of Ten.'' Ryan grew up as an Army brat, trained at Northwestern University's drama department, is the mother of a young son and has serious career ambitions. We asked Contributing Editor David Rensin to go where many men would love to go and meet with Ryan. Rensin reports: ''We hooked up midafternoon in a nearly deserted Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. In contrast to her stern TV persona, Jeri laughs easily. Each time she did, she kicked my leg under the table. I thought briefly of moving out of the way but decided I would rather get my kicks.''

1

Playboy: Last year TV Guide called you one of TV's sexiest stars, and a readers' poll named you favorite performer--male or female. Yet the folks who hired you for Voyager claim that your being a babe was beside the point. Do you believe it? Do you mind being thought of as eye candy?

Ryan: I've been told that they didn't set out to find a babe, that it was just a by-product of the audition process. I guess they just got lucky [laughs]. But once I saw sketches of Seven of Nine's costume, it was obvious that she was cast in part to add sexuality. And I still didn't have a problem with it, because the writing is strong and intelligent. So I auditioned, even though this is the last job I ever imagined myself having. For a while I didn't have any interest in taking the part because I thought a Star Trek character would be pigeonholed. But Seven is a positive female, and I was intrigued by the discoveries she could make each week.

And I don't mind being called a babe. It's better than being called a dog [smiles]. Maybe it's not the most eloquent compliment in the world, but it's a good place to start. I have a hard time with women who get upset by this stuff. When people whistle at you on the street I don't think it's meant to offend.

2

Playboy: Once, in a Saturday Night Live skit spoofing Trekker mania, William Shatner told a mock convention crowd to get a life. Now that you're a part of the Star Trek family, would a personal deflector array come in handy?

Ryan: It might with a few overzealous fans for whom the concept of science fiction is not clear. When I first signed on I was leery of Star Trek fans because they're notorious for being passionate and proprietary about every aspect of this franchise. They know every bit of technobabble ever uttered, and what it means. They write letters if you mispronounce a word or if some technical detail that means nothing in real life gets messed up. But for the most part they're very respectful. They're warm and loving toward anybody remotely related to the series, and dressing up as the characters they love is no different from impassioned football fans who paint their faces with team colors, or wear a big piece of cheese on their heads at a Wisconsin game. It's their social outlet. Before my first convention, my fellow Voyager cast members tried hard to prepare me. But believe me, there's no way to prepare to enter a hotel lobby and be greeted by a dozen Klingons in full Klingon regalia, speaking the Klingon language, drinking blood wine--the whole nine yards. I walked in, heard a loud greeting in the Klingon language, saw the crowd and walked right back out. I said, ''I can't do this! I don't belong here.'' It took a few minutes to recover.

3

Playboy: Compare Seven's sexual vibe with Captain Kirk's.

Ryan: He had a skirt of the week. Hers is static. Part of Seven's charm and popularity is her naivete. Yes, she wears a skintight suit that leaves nothing to the imagination, but she has no concept of its effect on the crew. It's as if she doesn't know what she's got on. Seven understands only the physiological processes of sexuality. Emotionally, she has just left childhood and grown into a rebellious teenager. Last season she had her first date, and though nothing happened, it's just a matter of time before she has to explore adult sexuality. But with whom? A crew member, or a good-looking alien from the Delta quadrant that she has to leave behind? I cast my vote for the alien.

4

Playboy: Sex: efficient or messy?

Ryan: [Laughs, clears her throat] For me? Efficient enough.

5

Playboy: You say your costume leaves nothing to the imagination. We disagree. If we were to see you without it, would we be surprised? What do your parents think of Seven's getup?

Ryan: Perhaps you're right. Every curve is shown, but there's no flesh exposed. No cleavage. No leg. Nothing. It's all about what you think you see. The perception is the allure. They took great care to make sure that the fabric fit my body (continued on page 162) Jeri Ryan (continued from page 123) perfectly. This costume is a stunning feat of engineering. If you were to see me without it there wouldn't be any surprises except for the fact that I don't have vertical Borg ribs. My dad carries pictures in his wallet and lets everyone he meets know who his daughter is. My parents are my biggest fans and they have no problem with this character being a sex symbol.

6

Playboy: Which cast member would you like to see in Seven's uniform?

Ryan: Robert Beltran, who plays Commander Chakotay. I would pay big bucks to see him in that corset and those heels. And if he can't get into my costume, I'm sure we can arrange to have one made. Also, he has to do it on the set so the cast, crew and Teamsters can watch. That's only fair. Actually, to see any of the guys would be worth the price of admission, except Bob Picardo, the doctor, whom I've already seen in tights. That's close enough. As for the rest of them, my money is on the table.

7

Playboy: Seven was once a part of the Borg Collective, in which all minds are linked and there are no individuals. Does being part of a collective make for a more or less interesting life? Does Seven need therapy?

Ryan: A collective mind seems to me less interesting. Although every Borg possesses the knowledge of every species they've assimilated, there's nothing they can do with it. Each Borg has a specific designation and job in the Collective, and all they do is work to be perfect and more efficient. It's work, regenerate, work, regenerate. That gets old. As an individual you're open to a lot more. Seven has always been part of dysfunctional families. Her human parents were not altogether conventional, dragging a child across the galaxy. The Borg, whose goals are efficiency and perfection, think they're doing other races a favor when they assimilate them. If anything, they think they're misunderstood. As for the Voyager crew, they try to function efficiently, but when you think you won't be home for another generation or two, problems can crop up.

8

Playboy: Speaking of the Borg, is resistance ''few-tile'' or ''few-tul''?

Ryan: Good question. When my character was introduced I had to say, ''Resistance is futile.'' The producers had shown me the movie First Contact so I'd at least know what a Borg is, and every time a Borg speaks the line it's ''Resistance is few-tile.'' Few-tile, few-tile, few-tile. So I asked your question: ''Few-tile? Is that a Borg thing? Or is it few-tul?'' They said, ''No, no, no, it's few-tul. You don't say few-tile. Patrick Stewart says few-tile because he has an English accent.'' I said, ''Well, what about the voice of the Collective? It says few-tile, doesn't it?'' ''No, no, no. We recorded the voice of the Collective and it says few-tul.'' I said, ''All right, but I don't want to take the flak if we start getting mail because I said the wrong thing.'' Sure enough, the show airs and the voice of the Collective says few-tile, and I'm the only Borg in the history of Star Trek, apparently, who has ever said few-tul. It has no zip. It's depressing.

9

Playboy: Do you remember the first guy who resisted you?

Ryan: Yes [smiles]. I was a freshman in high school, in Paducah, Kentucky. He was the school studmuffin. I had a huge, unrequited crush--when I was 14 I was very much a kid, and not particularly cute. He was a bag boy at the grocery store. Whenever my mom had to go to the grocery store, I'd insist on going along. Then I'd take an hour to put on my best outfit, all just to say hi. Then one day my brother busted me. He told the bag boy why I always got dressed up to go to the store. My crush thought it was cute: cute-kid cute, not this-hot-chick-likes-me cute. I was devastated.

10

Playboy: We hear you like to hang out at the supermarket and fondle the vegetables. Give guys who don't do the shopping a short course on how to choose the best produce.

Ryan: It's all about the smell. A tomato should smell like a tomato. Very few in grocery stores do, unfortunately. On a melon, you smell where the stem was. You can also push on the spot to see if it's hard or soft; it should give a little but shouldn't be mushy. With vegetables such as zucchini and cucumbers, smaller, thinner and younger are better because they're not tough. The same with squash and sweet potatoes; younger vegetables always have more flavor. Obviously no bruises or dings, even if it's purely cosmetic. I can't eat a banana that's the slightest bit brown.

11

Playboy: When we're invited to your place for dinner what should we expect on the menu?

Ryan: The first meal I cook is usually steak. I learned how to make it in New York. First I heat a well-seasoned cast iron pan under the broiler. The cast iron gets really hot; it's almost smoking. When you put in the steak it sears one side right away. Then you put it real close to the flame and the broiler cooks the top. Flip it only once. Keep it in for maybe five minutes; I like mine pretty rare. Then take out the steak and mix the juices with shallots, wine and fresh herbs. God forbid I should ever date a vegetarian. For a second dinner I'll make pasta. I specialize in comfort food because I like big, filling meals like risottos and casseroles and stews and soups.

12

Playboy: Did you grow up in an atmosphere of strict Army discipline?

Ryan: There was no Army discipline. My dad is a pussycat. He cries during Kodak commercials. He cried when I got college brochures in the mail during my senior year of high school. When I'd visit him at work on the base I couldn't understand why all the soldiers seemed so scared of him. He was just my daddy.

13

Playboy: If Seven is struggling to regain her humanity, what should the rest of us struggle to recapture?

Ryan: You're talking to a soldier's daughter, so the answer is patriotism. I grew up getting misty when I heard the national anthem and saw our flag. They mean something to me because they meant so much to my father, who risked his life in Vietnam to support our American ideals. We have a lot of freedoms we take for granted.

14

Playboy: When should a man be a man?

Ryan: All the time. I like strong men; I always have. Strong doesn't mean overbearing or disrespectful of women. My dad is romantic; he's always bringing my mom flowers. I don't like wishy-washy guys. I want a man to handle decisions on small day-to-day things, but major decisions obviously have to be a collaborative effort. I admit that I can't make up my mind very well, so just tell me where we're going to dinner, tell me what time to be ready, and I'll be there.

15

Playboy: When your son grows up, what are you going to tell him about girls?

Ryan: That Mommy is the only girl he ever needs [laughs]! I'm trying not to think about it now, because those days will be upon me before I know it. To be honest, I'm not sure I'll be able to help him much. The things that give women a really bad name, like being way too emotional and fickle, I'm notorious for. It's not just about men, it's everything. It's a chick thing. All I can do is tell my son how to treat girls when he starts dating. Relationships are all about respect, and I can help him be a gentleman.

16

Playboy: Let's do a Voyager fashion makeover. What change would you make in each character's look?

Ryan: I'll get in trouble for saying this, but Star Trek is known for making beautiful people look dowdy. Neelix needs to stop wearing upholstery. Torres, Ensign Kim and Tuvok need to get rid of the mustard yellow. Captain Janeway already took my fashion tip--she let her hair down. The doctor is dressed perfectly for his character. It sums up his personality and his job. If Paris and Chakotay bagged the turtlenecks under their uniforms and did something a little more daring, ratings might soar.

17

Playboy: Seven has all the Borg's technical knowledge in her head. What can you fix around the house?

Ryan: I'm pretty good at assembling things and programming a VCR. I'm not great with plumbing. I'm better at making things, which I learned while at Northwestern. You have to learn stuff like set construction. I am mean with power tools, especially sanders--disc or belt. I'm good with a jigsaw and a table saw. I love electric drills, especially ones that can be used as screwdrivers. And a pneumatic nailer is wonderful.

18

Playboy: We know what the world thinks of your figure. What's your assessment? What would you change? Improve? Kill to have?

Ryan: Lots of things. I think my legs from the knees down could be a little longer. My ankles could be a little thinner. My torso could be a little shorter. I could be a little firmer and more toned here and there--which is within my power to do. I'm just too lazy.

19

Playboy: Where do you keep your action figures?

Ryan: One's on a shelf in the TV room. The others are at the bottom of my son's toy chest. He's not real into them.

20

Playboy: If you got to act in baggy outfits, what would you eat more of?

Ryan: This is a long list--are you ready? Cheesecake. Ribs. French fries. Big Macs. Tacos. Cheese. I eat them now, but I'd eat more. After my son turned two I discovered that I can eat exactly what I want and as much as I want for three or four days, and then for the next few days I watch it. I guess I have a good metabolism.