How did Denise Cosby help or hurt her career by leaving TNG??

[Trekker4747]

I think its hard to say if TNG would have been better or not if she had stayed. But I have to think that she missed a nice steady paycheck and also 4 movie paychecks. So I think she should have stayed. .

It's easy to say that in hindsight though, when we know the series was very successful, lasted seven seasons, got multiple movies, etc..

But when she made he decision, none of that seemed likely and she wasnt getting much from it, so leaving didnt look like the worse decision you could make.

Denise Crosby left TNG because her 18 hour days involved her standing around on the bridge in the background at tactical and saying the odd line or two. She hated every minute of it and couldn't wait to get out. !

The problem is she was a young actress with no weight the throw around who was given a regular role in a new TV series. She thought she was better and more deserving that she really was. She was also in a contract! It doesn't matter how happy or unhappy she was she was obligated by contract to do a certain level of work. Which, hey, means that her employers were obligated to give her that work or at least pay her a certain amount.

She thought she was bigger than she was, more deserving of something than she was and wrestled out of her contract.

How is that going to look to future employers who see that she couldn't even finish one damn year of a four-year contract before feeling unhappy and wanting out?

If she didn't think the show was going anywhere what would be the harm in sticking it out until the show is canceled?

Backing out of a contract is never a good idea unless you've got an ounce or two of weight to throw around and even then you're asking for trouble. David Caruso weaseled out of his contract for NYPD Blue and, as is the norm, his character was decimated in a way to preclude his return, and Caruso went on to do... Pretty much nothing until CSI Miami came around almost a decade later which revived his career just enough to make him a Internet joke and meme.

Crosby thought she was better than she was when, really, she was lucky to have the work she did have. She was a regular on a TV series with a built-in fanbase and guaranteed at most few years of work in her contract (if the show lasted.) Yeah, she wasn't used much in the first season but neither was Dorn or Burton. Yeah she was told things weren't going to change, which she's an idiot for believing given that even TV producers can't see years into the future. She should have suffered through it or at least finished the first season and then tried to negotiate out of it during the hiatus which would have looked a bit better.

But, nope, she wanted out now! Now! Now! Because I'm a star and I'm special! Well, it worked out great for her didn't it?

As proof that she made the wrong choice just look at what did happen. TNG was wildly successful and got four movies. She possibly could have been part of that if she had just bothered to hang in there for another year or so. (Tasha would've made the transition into Season 3 very well.)

Yeah, hindsight and all but, still, you don't try and weasel out of a contract unless you know something is going to happen for you and you've got weight to toss around. Crosby didn't. She was self-entitled and had delusions of grandeur.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Denise Crosby left TNG because her 18 hour days involved her standing around on the bridge in the background at tactical and saying the odd line or two. She hated every minute of it and couldn't wait to get out. !

Oh, po' baby!

Yeah, hindsight and all but, still, you don't try and weasel out of a contract unless you know something is going to happen for you and you've got weight to toss around. Crosby didn't. She was self-entitled and had delusions of grandeur.

I can't help but believe her entitlement and ego came from being heir to the Crosby name. I guess it never occurred to her that she wasn't in ol' Bing's league. Shit, she wasn't even in Mary Crosby's league. At least Mary shot J.R. Denise's greatest claim to fame is getting shot by an oil slick!

 

[MikeH92467]

Part of the problem is the nature of an "ensemble" cast. The idea being that there is no real "star" and everyone will get more or less equal treatment. Yeah sure.

Certain characters just lend themselves to better storytelling, certain actors have an "it" factor with the audience and sometimes circumstances develop that no one can foretell. Patrick Stewart broke out and everyone else ended up supporting him, when the original plan was for Frakes to be the action hero.

If she had stuck with the show Ms. Crosby might have simply been eased out or her character might have grown into something different. I agree that whining your way out of a contract isn't all that great a career move, but then Robert Beltran's way of going through the motions for the last few years of his series while pissing and moaning all the way isn't all that great an idea, either IMHO.

In hindsight, yes, she should have toughed it out, but then again a lot of people thought John Travolta was making a mistake by leaving "Welcome Back Kotter". George Clooney could have stayed with "ER" until the bitter end, but I think those guys made good choices. You never really know. I do think hanging on to a regular paycheck in Hollywood is a good thing and for those who really want to find ways to stretch themselves there are usually ways to do that while you're working on a series, either during the off-season or even during the season if you're on good terms with the producers (George Takei comes to mind).

 

[Grant]

Why do folks assume if she stayed she would have gotten better/bigger parts and got better as an actor?

I think 5 weeks in, they realized she was awful and kept her part small. Then when she demanded to leave----great, problem solved.

Later they probably felt guilty and tossed her those bones.

I liked nothing about her---back-story, looks, acting, potential arc.

"You should get down on your kness to what Starfleet is!!!!"


They should have left her frozen after that line/delivery.

 

[MacLeod]

Well given that she hasn't had much of a career afterwards, the answer is most likely that it hurt her career. That being said even if she had stayed with the show it doesn't mean she would have had a career afterwards.

After all who have had signifigant career's post-TNG

Patrick Stewart (but he already had a career pre-TNG)
Micheal Dorn continued his role on DSN
Brent Spiner had a few movie roles as well as guest appearnces in ENT
Wil Wheaton did the odd movie and has recently been in shows such as "The Big Bang Theory" and "A Town Called Eureka"
Levar Burton was already known before TNG from "Roots" (I believe)

If you want another example of an actor on good relations with the producers how about Colm Meany. They let him off to do other roles and not forgetting the "O'Brien must suffer" episodes. So they didn't have an issue with his acting abilities.

 

[SoM]

If you want another example of an actor on good relations with the producers how about Colm Meany. They let him off to do other roles and not forgetting the "O'Brien must suffer" episodes. So they didn't have an issue with his acting abilities.

Well, he made it a condition of joining DS9 that he got extra time off written into his contract so he could make some movies while still on the show. And, of course, with Michelle Forbes turning down the chance to be a regular as Ro Laren (a role that was redefined into Major Kira after her refusal - probably a good thing, given), they were probably moderately desperate to get someone from TNG onto the new show to give it credibility with TNG fans (lots of DS9 S1 is fairly TNG-like - certainly, a lot more than it later became. Picard's appearances in "Emissary", Q & Vash in "Q-Less" and Bashir's return appearance in TNG: "Birthright pt 1" were attempts to further solidify the link).