How Jolene Blalock Almost Lost the Role of T’Pol in “Star Trek: Enterprise”
The Casting Struggle for T’Pol on “Star Trek: Enterprise”
As one of the leads of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” T’Pol and, therefore, Jolene Blalock clocks in a ton of appearances on the program. Of the series’ 98 total episodes, T’Pol appears in a whopping 95 and, unsurprisingly, doesn’t miss out on any of the four seasons. Though Blalock’s run as the character doesn’t extend beyond “Enterprise,” she’s synonymous with T’Pol all the same. Be that as it may, back when the minds behind the show were assembling the cast, getting Blalock to agree to play T’Pol wasn’t an easy feat.
The Challenge of Casting T’Pol
During a 2011 interview with the “Star Trek” website, “Enterprise” casting director Ron Surma revealed that casting T’Pol was a challenge, and Blalock didn’t dive in immediately. “That was the toughest role to cast,” he said, recalling that the correspondence from Blalock’s camp was far from encouraging until it suddenly turned around. “Her agents said no numerous times. She wasn’t interested. And that last week, she decided to come in,” Surma continued, going to praise Blalock for her work in the role.
The Right Choice: Jolene Blalock as T’Pol
While it stands to reason that sci-fi veteran Marjorie Monaghan would’ve done a great job as T’Pol, the performances Jolene Blalock consistently turned in as the character is proof enough that she was the right choice all along. It’s a good thing she came around.