http://usatoday.com/life/television/news/2002-07-24-lowe_x.htm
Over a salary dispute…hmmm, can we say Shelley Long? David Caruso? Denise Crosby? Any other stars leave a hit show?
In any event, I’m going to miss Sam. I wonder who they’ll repace him with? Do you think he’ll pop up on CSI Miami?
What a dipthong. Before the West Wing, the guy was almost invisible.
The difference with Lowe (vs the two you mention) is that he was a somewhat marketable quantity before The West Wing. It’s too bad, I’ve come to like his character quite a bit. But shaking up the main characters helps to add some realism.
I don’t think comparing Lowe to Long, Caruso, et al, is entirely fair. They weren’t famous before they got onto the shows they quit, and had no reason besides ego to think they were big enough stars to move on. Lowe was famous before The West Wing, and I doubt he’ll fall into oblivion like the others you mention.
I can’t say I blame him for leaving. His role on the show has declined steadily since the first season. During the past season, Sam Seaborn wasn’t involved in any interesting plotlines and seemed to become more of a background character. Lowe had less to do than any of the other male actors. I can’t think of anything interesting that Sam did in the past season, apart from the episode where he played chess with the President while trying to figure out a strategy for a dispute between China and Taiwan.
I’m not surprised that Lowe was the only West Wing cast member not nominated for an Emmy this year. I’m not casting aspersions on his acting ability when I say that. But his character had nothing to do, while the others seemed to become more developed. Remember some of the scenes from this past season: Leo’s flashback to falling off the wagon during the campaign; Bartlet talking to a psychiatrist about his father; Toby foolhardily confronting Bartlet about his psychological hangups with his father. The writers didn’t give Rob Lowe any scenes with one-tenth the emotional impact of those. (And yet Lowe wanted an Emmy nomination as a lead actor? Not likely.)
So I’ll miss seeing Rob Lowe on The West Wing. But I don’t think the show will suffer too greatly from his departure. I can’t imagine we’re missing out on any potentially gripping plotlines for Sam Seaborn, since the writers hadn’t done much with him anyway.
Poor poor Robby, I hope he gets through this tough time in his life.
I’d have to agree that he doesn’t seem to be all that integral to the plot lines lately. He’s definitely sinking more into the “ensemble” cast. There are so many actors on the show, and so many good ones, that I just don’t think he’s been standing out lately.
It is unfortunate, since his character is always good for some humorous banter.
That is unfortunate, but like someone above said, it makes it more real, you don’t always stick with the same people. I liked Rob Lowe’s character much better in the beginnin also. I hope he can move on to better things.
Can anyone spell ‘spoiler’?
It’s actually not a spoiler. It’s on the MSNBC homepage.
I’ve never understood the complaint that Lowe’s role wasn’t a good one. For me, some of the most memorable moments on the show are Sam obsessing about pennies, Sam arguing with Ainsley and the temp about sexual harassment, and Sam talking to the loon that thought there were spaceships in Fort Knox. In a show full of power brokers, why would playing another power broker be such a meaty role? I think Sam and Donna and Charlie are critical to the show, because they provide a more personal and human backdrop to the high stakes politics carried out by characters like Leo, Josh, and the Pres.
Charlie had far less to do this season - there were a few episodes where he literally had about three lines - and yet he got nominated for an Emmy. (Dule Hill is a very talented actor, of course; I’m just surprised he gets nominated now and not in either of the previous two seasons, when it seems like he had a lot more to do then.)
Anyway: while I agree that Sam’s been wasted somewhat this season, at the same time I still kind of think Lowe’s being an ass about this. And I’m really, really gonna miss Sam. I loved him.
Speaking of Charlie…is he still dating Zoey, or did that end after the Prez got shot?
Though Rob Lowe HAD been something of a star 9a teen idol, anyway) early in his career, he had rarely been taken seriously as an actor before “The West Wing.” Indeed, there were those (I was one of them!) who didn’t think the guy had a lick of acting talent before seeing him do a splendid job on “The West Wing.”
Aaron Sorkin is a superb writer, and he CAN make many actors look good… but more than a few performers have proven utterly incapable of engaging in Sorkin’s trademark banter and sounding natural. I was surprised at just how well Lowe did, and wonder if I just misjudged him all along (after all, who COULD have looked like a good actor in junk like “St. Elmo’s Fire”).
In any case, while he will be missed, I can also see why he wanted out. In an ensemble show, much of the cast is going to be underused for long streches of time, and that can be frustrating. I can also see why Aaron Sorkin wouldn’t want to spend too much money on anyone member of a large ensemble cast- ere long, scads of other people could rightly ask, “WHy is HE getting a million per episode? MY part is as big as his. Heck, I have MORE lines than him, most weeks.”
So, I don’t see this move as a pure ego trip, a la David Caruso or Suzanne Somers. Still, for Rob’s own sake, I hope the next project he chooses will be something worthwhile, and not just a star vehicle.
Look at Lowe’s page on the IMDb. Before he was in the public eye each week on a highly rated program, he was doing stupid comedies with former SNL players and pathetic made for tv flicks. His career was definitely in a holding pattern. He had name recognition coming into The West Wing, but almost certainly as much (if not more so) for his former brat-packer-with-sex-scandal notoriety than his acting.
Contrast that with Martin Sheen or even John Spencer, who was probably the third best known when the show began - unless you count Stockard Channing, but she wasn’t in the first couple of episodes if I recall correctly. Someone refresh my memory if I’m wrong, please. Rob Lowe got lucky. He’s throwing it away over a garbage argument about cash, which makes me wonder how much connection he has to his craft or reality.
Every major actor on the show has been given a HUGE raise in the three year run, except RL. Apparently the studio wasn’t even interested in talking to him about a salary renegotiation. Martin Sheen was given a 4x raise. I think it was pretty clear the studio wanted him gone and this is just the easiest way out.
Still, I’d work for $75K and episode.
Having said all that, I liked the bookends that Sam and the President made for the show. It felt at the begining that it really was Sam’s story, but as the show progressed it became about the president and his staff. Time to move on.
I think it will add a touch of realism that a major member of the president’s team will be leaving the White House. This group of people has been around the President far longer than a similar group would in real life.
Look at the Clinton and current Bush White Houses. Not all the big players hung on that long.
And have we ever met the Secretary of State?
My guess on how he’ll go–well, remember the China/Taiwan show when Bartlett told him he had the right stuff, and he’d be a good President someday? Sam will never be President if he doesn’t run for office. He’s on the show until March, that takes him past this election cycle, but gives him just enough time to get up and running for a congressional seat in the next elections in two years. So after Bartlett is re-elected, we get a show or two spotlighting Sam trying to figure out what to do–stay with the team for for more years, or leave and start raising money and name recognition in whatever state he’s from. Bartlett will tip the scales somehow, you know, the old “fly, my little bird, you have been well taught, go and find your destiny, yadda, yadda, yadda.”
Either that or the call girl scandal will catch up with him again, depends of Sorkin’s mood.
IIRC, when 1st cast as president, Sheen was supposed to have a small part. The show was to centered on the behind-the-scenes guys, and the prez wasn’t going to seen in most of the episodes. They soon discovered that audience wanted to see the prez, too.
I got that from a radio interview with John Spencer.
From reading a story, not sure if it was the one linked or not, but Lowe originally had the highest salary because he was the biggest name of the main characters. He got $75K an episode. Spooje is right in that Sheen was supposed to be a back story character. Once that evolved intto what it is today, they gave Sheen top billing and top money and the success of the show allowed the other characters to get their salaried doubled to $70K an episode. Lowe wanted to discuss a raise and the producers said no, so he’s pissed.
I can sort of understand his point.
Is it too late for Sam to run for congress this year?
Actually, I believe that Spencer, Schiff, Janney, & Whitford had their salaries tripled. That left Lowe as the only chief actor that hasn’t had his salary changed at all since the first episode. Seeing everyone else get raises but not you (even after Emmy & Golden Globe nods) would bother me a bit, especially if the reason was that they were reducing your part from what it originally was designed to be.
I suspect that he’ll probably play it a little smarter now and hold out for some better parts, since now he has the cred to pull it off.