Why did Michael O'Hare leave Babylon 5?

[Guy Gardener]

Oh, that is so "I work for Dick Jones!"

there was a line in a Peter David novelization of In the Beginning with an extra scene about Sheridan meeting Sinclair during the Mars riots or what not, and Sheridan was thinking "Some people have deep voices that originate from somewhere in the back of their throats, this guy however, his voice comes straight from his ankles."

he was no hammier than most of the original cast.

 

[Clym]

Doyle said on his radio show that O'Hare was a lunatic. I saw this on another forum about what he said on his show.

"My first season of Babylon 5 working with Michael O'Hare, he's a whack-job a complete lunatic. He flies out from New York, he gets the gig, we're doing our rehearsels he says to me one day "Uh can you give me a ride out the the set?" yeah sure! "Wanna stop and have breakfeast?" yeah good! He gets in the car and he's playing with the buttons in my car trying to turn the radio off and I'm like what are you doing? And he goes "I don't want any sound" and I go well why dont you just ask me to turn it off? And he goes "I dont want to talk today!" And I say well why do you want to go to breakfeast and he goes "you talk, I'll listen!" so obviously we hurry through breakfeast, we go out to the set and I realise I'm dealing with a complete nut-job here.

After we finished that first Friday night we go to this bar in Santa Clarita and I'm off in one corner talking to this actress Pat Tallman..just chatting her up having drinks we just got done shooting. He comes over and sits between us and I go oh ok...he was number 1 on the call sheet, he was the lead. He was the guy that got all the media interviews..because he was the lead on the show, and the face and voice on Babylon 5. So he's chatting her up and I'm like "Oh..ok..I'll just talk to the bartender here..." and order 3 more drinks. He turns around, looks at the 3 drinks and says "What is that?" and I say "umm...I'm buying a round..", and he says "Dont try to control me!!" and I went "oh..o...k..." this guy is a complete lunatic!

Now outside of the fact that he sexually harrassed an 18 year old makeup artist and hair gal because he's talking about how its lonely to be on the road and well he did certain things at night with her in mind I thought thats a very nice thing to address to an 18 year old that was interning on a show, not making any money trying to work her way up in the union.

He punches a female actress on the set. He comes after me we have the big meeting. Finally I say to him "Michael is there an Indian behind every tree?" and he says "maybe..you and I will settle this May 26 after we wrap production" And at the end of all this I went back to the guys and said you know what? I don't need this crap..I dont need the money"

I guess punching a female actress is grounds for dismissal

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

there was a line in a Peter David novelization of In the Beginning with an extra scene about Sheridan meeting Sinclair during the Mars riots or what not, and Sheridan was thinking "Some people have deep voices that originate from somewhere in the back of their throats, this guy however, his voice comes straight from his ankles."

Not sure exactly what that means, but it's still funny.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

there was a line in a Peter David novelization of In the Beginning with an extra scene about Sheridan meeting Sinclair during the Mars riots or what not, and Sheridan was thinking "Some people have deep voices that originate from somewhere in the back of their throats, this guy however, his voice comes straight from his ankles."

The novelization, iirc, has Sheridan and Sinclair meeting on the opposite side of a maglev train track during the Earth-Minbari War. Sheridan is either on the way to see his family or on the way back to the Lexington. Sinclair is shipping out. I don't have the book on hand in Los Angeles to look it up. It's back in Diego.

However, the one thing I do remember vividly about the scene is the description of Sinclair as being "someone who in a crowded room would still be alone." I think that perfectly described the character. Sinclair always seemed like he was a million miles away, lost in his own thoughts, even if he was in the room with someone else.

Also, I think the description of Sinclair's voice and stuff comes from Londo not Sheridan. The entire book is told, like in the telefilm, through Londo. In this case, it's a first-person narrative giving us Londo's view on the other B5 characters. Of course, PAD compensates for Londo being privy to this stuff as having been told by so-and-so in a conversation or his web of sources. I forgot how PAD explained that Londo knew about this chance meeting.

JMS found out that O'Hare was secretly a DS9 fan.

Or better yet, O'Hare found out JMS's dirty secret-- that he watched DS9 behind closed doors and enjoyed it! O'Hare was then promptly removed from the Babylonian production studios by a pack of wild boars led by Jerry Doyle.

Okay, maybe not. But can we at least laugh about it?

 

[David cgc]

I think he said Sheridan told him at one point while they were both drinking at the casino. Possibly during that heady period in early season five when everyone was friends with everyone.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I think he said Sheridan told him at one point while they were both drinking at the casino. Possibly during that heady period in early season five when everyone was friends with everyone.

Ah, just like how Ivanova told Londo about her brother in the book. Over a drink. Then again, how else would you tell Londo something except over a drink.

 

[Jan]

I guess punching a female actress is grounds for dismissal

Pfft. Good story, I suppose but I don't believe it for even a second. How sober was Jerry at the time he told it?

Anybody who's read JMS's posts on the subject has read that he's on record as being willing to hire O'Hare again and that he considers O'Hare a friend. Most people who have to fire somebody for the kind of misbehavior that could have led to lawsuits don't usually have kind things to say about that former employee.

Jerry Doyle's pretty much always highly entertaining and *sometimes* thoughtful and intelligent. Other times he's full of hot air, crude and frankly, a drunken lout.

Jan

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Then she told us that it was because Michael was sleazy and "inappropriate" with some of the women on the set, whatever that means to whatever degree.

Now outside of the fact that he sexually harrassed an 18 year old makeup artist and hair gal because he's talking about how its lonely to be on the road and well he did certain things at night with her in mind I thought thats a very nice thing to address to an 18 year old that was interning on a show, not making any money trying to work her way up in the union.

Never heard either of these stories before... Its odd to me that Doyle and Claudia are essentially saying the same thing. Either there's some truth to it or they both got together and decided to "hatch" a common lie? The former seems more likely though I'll bet it was probably just a set incident that they both thought was distasteful and has nothing to do with his "firing".

 

[Good Will Riker]

I thought it was because he wanted to be nearer his family in New York.

Another is that the Network just didn't like him.

There is truth to those 2 rumors, because back in November 1996 (I was 21 at the time.) I was working as a seasonal employee at a Toys "R" Us in Chicago, Illinois, and a frumpy looking white woman came into my cash register aisle, who was purchasing a toy Borg sphere from Star Trek: First Contact.

When I chatted with her about that, she mentioned how her cousin actor Michael O'Hare was one of the "captains of a sci-fi show" but was replaced on "Babylon 5" because the network wanted a "bigger name" in the lead role and replaced him with Bruce Boxleitner. When I asked the lady what her cousin was up to nowadays, she told me that Michael was working in off Broadway plays in New York at the time.

 

[OmahaStar]

Nope, not touching this one again.

 

[Good Will Riker]

Nope, not touching this one again.

Well, thanks for that spam, man.

 

[Jan]

Nope, not touching this one again.

Well, thanks for that spam, man.

Well, after the exact same subject comes up on two threads within twelve hours of each other... This is one of those subjects that comes up regularly as clockwork and few posts come from any primary sources (like Good Will Riker's) yet they post their opinions as though they're facts.

Jan

 

[crouteru]

O'Hare was painfully wooden in almost every scene. When your lead man can't deliver the material, he needs to be replaced!

 

[Clym]

Nope, not touching this one again.

Well, thanks for that spam, man.

Well, after the exact same subject comes up on two threads within twelve hours of each other... This is one of those subjects that comes up regularly as clockwork and few posts come from any primary sources (like Good Will Riker's) yet they post their opinions as though they're facts.

Jan

are you saying Good Will Riker's lying?

 

[CorporalClegg]

What I find funny is Boxleitner and the "star" label.

I mean, other than Alan Bradley, his pre-B5 career was pretty forgettable. And even the TRON role is pretty obscure for most people.

 

[DWF]

What I find funny is Boxleitner and the "star" label.

I mean, other than Alan Bradley, his pre-B5 career was pretty forgettable. And even the TRON role is pretty obscure for most people.

I liked him on both Scarecrow And Mrs King and Bring'em Back Alive and he's done alot of westerns.

 

[Good Will Riker]

O'Hare was painfully wooden in almost every scene. When your lead man can't deliver the material, he needs to be replaced!

Thank goodness no one replaced Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula after their 1st seasons as captains, considering how most fans felt about them, especially in comparison to William Shatner.

 

[OmahaStar]

O'Hare was painfully wooden in almost every scene. When your lead man can't deliver the material, he needs to be replaced!

Thank goodness no one replaced Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula after their 1st seasons as captains, considering how most fans felt about them, especially in comparison to William Shatner.

They were all superior, and less annoying, than Shitner?

 

[DWF]

O'Hare was painfully wooden in almost every scene. When your lead man can't deliver the material, he needs to be replaced!

Thank goodness no one replaced Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula after their 1st seasons as captains, considering how most fans felt about them, especially in comparison to William Shatner.

Kate Mulgrew was a replacement for Genevieve Bujold though.

 

[Neroon]

That's quite a bit different, considering Bujold never made it to the screen. The fans really have no way to compare her and Mulgew as far as a starship captain role goes.