Patrick Stewart, best known for Captain Picard in Star Trek, turned Shakespeare into a daily ritual during lockdown; how his wife's idea became a viral project

Actor Patrick Stewart died at the age of 86 on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was known for his popular roles of Jean-Luc Picard from the Star Trek series and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise. According to an official statement, Stewart passed away after a “brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He was also an established Shakespearean stage actor and a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

How did Shakespeare's reading begin?

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in March 2020, he began recording himself reciting Shakespeare's sonnets. The idea during a walk with his wife, Sunny Ozell. Stewart began reciting a Shakespeare sonnet aloud when Sunny noticed what he was doing. She asked him to repeat the lines and then recorded it. After watching it, she suggested sharing it online. The video surprisingly got a positive response.

Sunny suggested that he recorded on sonnet each day. She believed that the readings could give people something meaningful during the lockdown. Stewart then introduced the initiative with the phrase, "A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away." The project eventually covered all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Why was Shakespeare important to Stewart?

Stewart's association with Shakespeare began when he was 12. His English teacher introduced him to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Stewart had said that his teacher encouraged students to perform Shakespeare's dialogue aloud rather than simply read it.

He credited the teacher with introducing him to acting and changing the direction of his life. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. He spent around 12 years performing with the company.

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How did reading become a larger project?

Stewart's daily videos attracted a large online audience during the pandemic. The reading introduced Shakespeare's poetry to people who might not otherwise have engaged with his sonnets.

The project was not initially planned as a book, audiobook or commercial venture. Sunny played an important role in recording and encouraging the daily performances. Stewart eventually completed readings of all 154 sonnets. He continued discussing Shakespeare and the project in interviews even after the pandemic lockdown ended.

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The 2026 audiobook

On April 7, 2026, Stewart released 'Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare.' The audiobook contains recordings of all 154 sonnets. It includes his personal reflections and explanations of the poems.