PLUME: At this point, do you enjoy the multi-faceted approach to all the arts?

SHIMERMAN: Yeah. I’m very sort of conceited that way. I’m very vain about the fact that I do all these different things and I do them moderately well. I just think that I made a contribution to society one way or another, and that was part of my early child upbringing as well. I was trained, “If you’re going to be here, make an impression.” So I continue to try to make an impression and to try to help. I want someone at my funeral to say, “You know, Armin made the world a better place.”

PLUME: Do you envision yourself slowing down?

SHIMERMAN: Well, you pick things that you can continue to do. You can write well in your 80s and 90s. You can act well into your 80s and 90s. You can teach well into your 80s and 90s. I think I would like to have more free time, and I probably will, but I will probably continue to do the things that I’m doing now.

PLUME: Would your wife like you to have more free time?

SHIMERMAN: Yeah. Yeah, she definitely would. We often have discussions about that. She’s very good at reminding me to say no. That’s why I said the last nine months have gotten a little better.

PLUME: Would you say that overall you’re happy with where your career is at right now?

SHIMERMAN: I’m ecstatic. I mean, I could be working more, and I would like to find another show where I’m a recurring character, that would be wonderful. I’m not sure that I want to be a series regular again… a recurring character would be just fine. I’m very happy. I’ve been a very lucky guy and for the most part, I’ve worked all of my life. Yes, there were years when there was nothing, but they were only temporary and I moved on. I’m very happy with my career. Every now and then people will tell me they saw an episode of something that really touched them, or really moved them, or really made them laugh - that’s all an actor can hope for.

SHIMERMAN: No. If I wanted to do that, I would have written different novels. Yeah, The Merchant Prince is slightly patterned after Quark a little bit, at least the first two novels are …

PLUME: The guy on the cover looks familiar.

SHIMERMAN: He looks familiar. And that’s really - that’s PR. I’m very honored that they put my picture on the cover, but really, there is a picture of John Dee - many pictures of John Dee - they should really have John Dee on the cover. It’s like doing a story about George Washington and putting the author’s picture in for George Washington, instead of George Washington. John Dee is a very real historical character, very important to the Elizabethan era, and it really should be him on the cover.

PLUME: But it’s got to feel somewhat good that they think your face will sell books.

SHIMERMAN: That’s what they thought. Whether it does or not, can’t tell you. But that’s what they thought. At least that’s how they explained it to me.

PLUME: Well, you’re on book three, so something must be selling.

SHIMERMAN: Something must be selling. People have enjoyed the books.

10 QUESTIONS

1. What is your favorite piece of music?
My favorite piece of music is Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto”.

2. What is your favorite film?
There are really two - and they’re totally opposite. One is Casablanca, and the other is The Producers.

3. What is your favorite TV program, past or current?
My favorite TV program is watching Inside the Actor’s Studio on Bravo.

4. What do you feel has been your most important professional accomplishment to date?
Well, the most important would probably be Quark on Deep Space Nine. The most artistically satisfying was a production of The Birthday Party, by Harold Pinter, directed by Andy Robinson at the Matrix Theatre.

5. Which project do you feel didn’t live up to what you envisioned?
Girls Club.

6. What is your favorite book?
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

7. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
I believe ageism is a major problem in our industry, that we all suffer from. Ironically, as you get older, you get better and you have more to offer - but the industry itself is more interested in very, very young people, and their work isn’t as satisfactory to me as the people who have more of a life experience.

8. Who - or what - would you say has had the biggest influence on your career?
My wife, Kitty Swink.

9. What is your next project?
The next project is another book - which is not a Merchant Prince book - which is called The Toad Eater. It is not going to be science fiction, but rather a period mystery. Obviously I’m doing a play right now, The Hostage, running at a theater called The Alliance Theater, in Burbank. This week I shoot an episode of Crossing Jordan… that’s my next TV work. My wife and I are about to do a small film called The Works, which will start shooting in July.

10. What is the one project that you’ve always wanted to do, but have yet to be able to?
The lead role in Richard III. I was in rehearsal once, but the director and I didn’t see eye-to-eye. I have played many parts in Richard III, but never played Richard.

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