Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 2, 1993 TAG: 9310260219
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ian Spelling
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
She rarely watches television, had seen only a handful of "Trek"-classic episodes and didn't know a Ferengi from a Klingon.
"The day before my audition, I called one of my boyfriend's good friends," Udy says by phone from her Los Angeles home. "He's a `Trek' fanatic and kept me on the phone for an hour, describing the Ferengi.
"He told me what they're like, about the makeup and that they had never shown a female Ferengi before because they're always naked."
The next day, Udy, who plays Myra, the likable call girl on the CBS Western series "Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman," went in and won the role. Pel appears in the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Rules of Acquisition," which will air the week of Nov. 8.
Udy, who is in her late 20s, describes the episode as "Yentl"-like in that her character is a female who poses as a male in order to succeed in a male-dominated society. After arriving on DS9, Pel finds work as a waiter in Quark's Bar and quickly displays her business acumen.
"Quark [Armin Shimerman], being interested in profit, joins forces with me," says Udy, who spent three hours every day having Pel's makeup applied.
"He finds himself attracted to me, which he has a hard time understanding. Then he discovers I'm not of the male persuasion.
"No one enjoys finding that out - especially Quark and the Grand Nagus [Wallace Shawn]. It's taboo for female Ferengi to wear clothes, and a male Ferengi dealing with a female Ferengi [in a business setting] breaks every law in the book."
The actress describes her time aboard DS9 as "a wonderful experience."
"It was really nice to be on a set where people really care about the work," she says.
Udy, who was born in Albuquerque, N.M., and raised in Montreal, says her parents helped spark an interest in acting at an early age by taking her to films and theater productions.
Since making her debut in the Canadian feature "Pinball Summer" (1981), she has appeared in numerous Canadian film and television projects, including the cult horror favorite "My Bloody Valentine" (1981). She also did a stint on the American soap opera "As the World Turns."
A move to Los Angeles led to assorted telemovies and features, among them the science fiction-oriented "Nightflyers" (1987) based on a novella by George R.R. Martin.
Last year, she landed her role on "Dr. Quinn," which became a surprise hit.
"We're still kissing the ground," the actress says of the mood on the "Quinn" set. "I was a guest star in the pilot, so I'm thrilled it turned into a regular job.
"Myra's still a prostitute, but she's trying to make a decent woman of herself. Maybe she will by the end of this season."
Though Udy is planning to remain a regular on "Quinn," she's not ruling out another visit to the "Trek" universe.
"They left Pel's story wide open," she says. "If they asked me back, of course I'd do it."
\ CON CALENDAR Nov. 12-14
Philcon at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia. (Call 215-957-4004.)
Sci-Con 15 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Virginia Beach, Va. (804-868-7162)
Windycon at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, Ill. (708-383-6948)
Dreamwerks at the Ramada Harrisburg in New Cumberland, Pa., featuring Jonathan Del Arco and Elizabeth Dennehy. (Nov. 13-14 only; 407-488-2822).
TREK ALERT
If you have Trek news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to "Star Trek" - write to Ian Spelling, care of features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.
by CNB