GATES MCFADDEN Reveals What Working With JIM HENSON on the MUPPETS Was Really Like

[@MichaelLaing71]

I worked as an extra on Muppets most wanted, and I have to have to say that was the most amazing experience. The muppeteers were amazing and really nice as well. Just seeing the entire process, of them becoming the characters and interacting with each other was one of the most memorable experiences, I have had on either side of the camera.

[@andrewcoulthard-clark]

I got to see her at a Convention in Queensland, Australia and I asked her what it was like to work with David Bowie and Jim Henson. She seemed relieved to be asked about something other than Star Trek. FYI, she was lovely, and the fans had a great time, thanks Gates!

[@Musashi413]

I was briefly acquainted with one of Jim Henson's daughters, Cheryl, during my sophomore year in college. We met by chance in the stairwell, and I offered to help her with a small coffee table she was carrying. She was in the process of getting rid of it, and so let me have it. She must have told me about her father's impending visit to campus at that time. Students in our residential college (dorm) were invited to a special screening of The Dark Crystal at a local movie theatre, and then to a Master's Tea (party/reception) afterward. Jim did a Q&A in the theatre after the screening, and then mingled at the Tea. He was very soft-spoken and seemingly a bit shy, but also very personable and kind. He came across as a tall, skinny, slightly reserved Santa Claus. The only celebrity visit to our campus to surpass that experience was Fred Rogers. Mr. Rogers sat on a chair with his back to the wall of a dorm common room, and he bade us all, hundreds of us, sit on the floor in a semi-circle around him. It was the most natural thing to do, as he spoke to us so calmly, so naturally, speaking to us as children, not condescendingly, but as children who approach the world with curiosity, and openness, and wonder, and joy.

[@darthvadersith514]

Reading what you said about Mr. Rogers nearly brought a tear to my eye. God I miss him. The world needs him more than ever now. 😢

[@mrquirky3626]

Wow, I had no idea about her Jim Henson work. Just looked it up, she worked on both 'Labyrinth' and 'Muppets Take Manhattan' but used a different name (Cheryl McFadden) on the credits to keep it separate from her acting work.

[@skidawg22]

Her full legal name is Cheryl Gates McFadden. She uses Gates for her acting work and Cheryl for choreography work.

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

If im not mistaken she was one of the spiders on roller skates in the dark crystal

[@DenkyManner]

She's in the making of documentary for Labyrinth. I remember being so surprised to see her, had no idea of that side of her

[@wallywest2360]

There are people who still will insist that Gates has a twin sister, Cheryl, that did all the choreography and behind the camera stuff.

[@john.premose]

I really love that high brow sort of acting and performance. I could always tell there was something special about her as Dr Crusher. The main time you could tell was when she taught Data to dance but also in the later episodes she became the sort of director of amateur plays on the ship. You could tell she was very much in that theatre world.

[@craigstevenprentice4426]

When she danced with Data to the lush "Isn't It Romantic" , I was floored ! I still have the whole dance routine music on real tape . I LOVE IT !

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

Not my favorite episodes but she was very much in control and performed at an even higher level than normal

[@graymcgoldrick8388]

I love to here her telling about her past and other jobs with teaching and everything else she has done over the years without any reference to Start Trek

[@sleepinglionarchives]

I remember watching Labyrinth again after STTNG began airing and was surprised to see her name in the credits (in regards to dance)

[@YTEdy]

I saw cloud 9, off Broadway I think it was, might have been Broadway. Years and years later I'd heard that Gates was in it, and I wondered if she'd been in the one I saw. It was a brilliant play. I still remember it.

[@b.chuchlucious5471]

She's a class act and took the high road, not the low hanging bait.

[@moe47988]

it sounds like she’s the type of person that creates drama wherever she goes.

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

​@@moe47988agreed. Everything tastes so bitter. Not that I can blame her.

[@the21stcenturydavincibegin35]

@@WoodworkingforAnyone If you're an actor, you would know the ups and downs.

[@jerbear7952]

@@the21stcenturydavincibegin35 i dont have to be an actor to know I wouldn't want any part of it. I love the art but can't fathom how anyone makes it out normal in any sense. At least in the states.

[@somarriba333]

I just watched a behind the scenes clip of her in "Labyrinth" and she looked amazing in it. To bad it wasn't her genre because it looked like she excelled at it. I'm glad she was Dr. Beverly Crusher but now I wonder what other things she could have done behind the scenes.

[@danielroden9424]

so she didnt really say if she liked *him*. she didnt like that process/role/anamatronic stuff but what about henson?

[@momokomiyafuji396]

It is called not speaking i’ll of the dead. Although he may have projected a gentle, aww shucks image, I understand he could be pretty intense. Even a bit cruel sometimes. Jim Henson was a human being. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Sirharryflash82]

It was a passive-aggressive way of showing unfavorable judgment by saying nothing at all.

[@kelaarin]

Like many introverts, his means of expressing himself was through his creations. Watch some of his Johnny Carson interviews - he's much more comfortable interacting with other people as Kermit than as himself.

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

When someone loves working with a legend they will gush about it immediately. "Oh I looooved Jim". Gates: "I liked Kermit"

[@thatguy6054]

@@WoodworkingforAnyone No. she said she loved Kermit. Everybody who worked with Jim says Kermit was the personification of one aspect of Jim's personality. You can love an individual without liking how they do everything they do.

[@Spike-ck5tj]

That was interesting as I had no idea she had done anything but acting BUT she never answered the question "what was it like working with Jim Henson?"

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

She absolutely answered it. You just have to read between the lines.

[@StoneSlumber]

because 4 other questions are always asked before someone has the chance to answer the first question...(i know, I'm guilty of it myself..)

[@glenwaldrop8166]

She said he just let people 'handle it' or something when they didn't get along. She's a super lefty, safe spaces and all that, she can't handle people that don't need big brother handling everything for them.

[@rickseiden1]

When Gates (credited as Cheryl) did Labyrinth (was that what this was about?) did she get to work with David Bowie at all, and if so, what was he like?

[@terrylong8894]

So we’re not going to talk about Dr. Crusher is friends with Yoda?

[@MrBlackbass59]

I clicked on this video just to see Gates. She’s beautiful!

[@danieloutloud9151]

Have never seen or heard of the Mad Hatter bit or the movie it was in so , couldn't glom onto that experience she had . I do remember her doing a series for late night where she rode in a car with a small person (David Rappaport ,....Time Bandits , The Wizard ) in very snazzy shots to promote music videos , ( called "Beyond The Groove" 1990 ) .

[@randywarren7101]

I would have liked her being in the movie The Hunt For Red October more if she had more than the few minutes.

[@lowsee]

Now I feel bad that I gushed to her about Labyrinth when I met her.

[@creativeguy1138]

You shouldn't. Your appreciation of a film she worked on is wonderful of you, no matter her experience on the project.

[@alphanerd7221]

The worse your experience making art the better it is hearing that it as worth while.

[@macsnafu]

Who *doesn't* love Kermit? He's a fictional character, a wonderful character. Maybe he was alternative persona for Jim Henson, but I don't know anything about that. I'm just sitting here drinking my tea.

[@sandroabate]

I love Dreamchild. It was such a good movie.

[@treesny]

I agree completely. Ian Holm brilliant, best role Coral Browne ever had -- very touching --, and of course a script by the great Dennis Potter. What a surprise to learn that Gates McFadden was involved in directing the fantasy sequences with the Henson puppet creations.

[@gcvrsa]

Cloud Nine really is an incredible play, and if you haven't seen it, you should.

[@Rickkolchak]

This is fantastic

[@roymclean3554]

interesting how one has a perspective from the outside and the actual internal machinations are very different. a question about Labyrinth ends up being a brief but detailed look at dream child... and a laissez-faire director creating a competitive environment accidentally... she is so intelligent and careful with her words...

[@BishopWalters12]

That was a little bit of a Politician answer, I guess she didn't like Jim Henson as a person on top of everything else.

[@Sirharryflash82]

Yup, I would say that is pretty much the gist of it.

[@WoefulMinion]

It doesn't sound as though it was Jim Henson as a person so much as his style of working. She doesn't strike me as someone who would enjoy the muppets.

[@brianfergus839]

@@WoefulMinion 0:37 “Kermit is very special to me” seems to indicate otherwise.

[@WoefulMinion]

@@brianfergus839 You're right. I meant to say, "enjoy working with" the muppets. Kermit is special to most people. 🙂

[@the21stcenturydavincibegin35]

Henson worked with a schedule and I''m sure, for what he did, a very tight budget. That comes with a lot of pressure, and even though he was 'famous' he was also a shy and introverted person (which makes dealing with conflict in an organization difficult at best.)

[@softdreams1776]

^_^ oh my goodness im glade shes ok after the skiing accident i had no idea :S

[@DeconvertedMan]

YAY Gates! :D

[@mililaniman]

She still looks beautiful. She had lovely red hair when she was younger.

[@jackknopf5974]

I will forever have a crush on Beverly Crusher.

[@ticler]

And I will forever have the urge to curb stomp wesley crusher

[@WoodworkingforAnyone]

Unless your an irish ghost she's not going to return your calls. Move on with your life man. There must be plenty of red haired, single mom, starfleet doctors running around. It's hard for them to date, you might get lucky.

[@the21stcenturydavincibegin35]

And in her seventies, she's still gorgeous. (And no longer a red head.)

[@illyth63]

@@WoodworkingforAnyone *Scottish* ghost.

[@charliepiland3285]

Clip title & content don’t match- she never says anything substantive about her option of Henson…

[@shubinternet]

I disagree. I think she answered that question by reframing it and answering the question she wanted to get. Which is a way of answering the question by not answering the question. Politicians do this all the time. I think she was being more graceful about it than most politicians are, but the process was the same.

[@Sirharryflash82]

​@@shubinternet disagree, I think her omission wasn't showing grace, rather than showing her judgment by passive-aggressiveness.

[@williamjansen1]

I think she never really got to know Henson as anything other than a boss, so she chose not to judge him based on that, but she clearly wasn't a fan of that (which is fine, a boss doesn't have to be nice, as long as he/she isn't actively harming anyone, being mean, belittling others or some such).

[@randomspiel]

@@Sirharryflash82 You want her to just outright say she didn't like working with him, or to spin some fantasy that he was a joy to work with bc that's what you want her to say? Jesus.

[@retroelectrical]

Hey, ho, clickbait vid-e-oooo! She doesn't talk about Jim at all. She just worked with Henson and Co. while she was sidelined due to a ski accident.

[@allanfifield8256]

She (mostly) dodged the question. Seem like a case of "If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all.

[@christophermoshier]

I find the entire show very boring. With that said - I find the shorts very well done. It hands me new and good information. I'd much rather watch a bunch of "Inside of You" clips than the entire show.

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

I think thats why he offers both...kinda smart, huh?

[@deanbarnette1602]

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

[@Electrobilia]

Great guests. But the host over reacts as standard.

[@PianoUniverse]

She is aging like a fine wine.

[@arthurleegis1333]

And not Romulan Ale?

[@jamiecashes]

Too much plastic surgery honestly

[@MrJabez89]

@@jamiecashes WAY too much. She looks like something from The Dark Crystal

[@alphanerd7221]

Turned to vinegar.

[@richardthompson6366]

Came here for Henson, was disappointed.

[@Shinzon23]

Jim Henson died from easily treatable pneumonia, didn't he?

[@brockpifer9929]

Well when he came to the hospital some hours prior and then when he died, the doctors said that he came in to late and that if he would’ve came sooner they could’ve saved him. Jim never really liked going to doctors cause of him being raised on Christian science, as you know people who do Christian science only pray to overcome diseases and injuries and hardly ever or really never seek medical attention and never take medicines, pills, prescriptions, etc

[@cinemasage]

She's making it sound like she was harassed by him (and I sincerely hope not).

[@monkeywrench4169]

Her name makes her sound like a throw away character from a Family Guy joke.

[@skidawg22]

She did Family Guy, along with the rest of the TNG cast.

[@Madagon367]

We can all come up with our own idea what working in 'Beirut' might look like. She chose not to talk bad about the dead. It is what it is.

[@Valkonnen]

He WAS a Christian Scientist, and that may have had a lot to do with it. I mean, the very reason why he died is that his religion refuses medical treatment and he had a lung infection, which one shot of penicillin would have taken care of . It's a shame that religion does this to people...

[@johnmccall5576]

Not happy on Star Trek, not happen with Henson ... eventually maybe it is just you at some point.

[@akafuguvids]

hawt!

[@Subangelis]

Stalker, not stocker

[@chapterhawk]

I love her work and respect her craft. But she definitely comes off as pretty full of herself here. I'm sure it comes with the territory of being in showbiz. But, I'm pretty disappointed to be honest.

[@northernbohemianrealist]

This chick had to be 60 when she was rightly fired from Star Trek more than thirty years ago. I can't believe that she is still alive.

[@bigchief5023]

Clear example of adults still living as children.

[@jatsherrod]

I thought Frank OZ did YODA?

[@HughJass-313]

Good point

[@Plotinus587]

She was talking about Frank Oz at that point.

[@TheHiddenGroove]

four minutes answering a question abut Jim Henson, was there a single word about actually working with Jim Henson?

[@patlambert-tr7gq]

Now, I know why she seemed to overreact as Beverly in SNG. She was trying to impose her character onto the scene

[@BillShartner]

Be sure not to ask about all the shit she's done to her face...

[@williechops213]

Lady seems full of herself

[@TheBaconWizard]

You are projecting.

[@mem1701movies]

@esportsacademy8749I am starting to see Maurice Hurley’s POV

[@momokomiyafuji396]

I see the incel squad is here in full force 😑

[@Valkonnen]

@esportsacademy8749 I've worked in film for 35 years and actors get shuffled around and treated like cattle. A a certain point, around middle age , you realize that it doesn't have to be that way, and you make demands which would seem "Difficult" to a person like you. I remember early in my career as a makeup artist, being paid a lot of money and preparing for months. I get to the location, and they tell me that the only place to do the makeup is in a van, where it is nearly impossible to maneuver and move around the actor, like with a makeup chair. I dealt with it...Later in my career, I saw that kind of thing happening a lot, so eventually I began to speak up in a reasonable manner. Once I went to a location and we were supposed to go to a motel. The Motel we pulled up to , had thugs and Hookers fighting in front and was obviously a dangerous place. So I reasonably said . "You hired me to build these items for your film, and you want me to stay in a motel where we are sure to be robbed?" . They switched to a much better hotel and the crew loved me for saying something. See, how something like that can easily be seen as "Unreasonable" when it actually was not?

[@Sirharryflash82]

​@@momokomiyafuji396So are the simps.

[@MrJabez89]

She looks like a Jim Henson creation

[@ericblair1984ish]

Hang on! ... Wasn't this chic on Star Trek?