Why did Michael O'Hare leave Babylon 5?

[Brolan]

I strongly suggest that unless you have some pretty conclusive proof - such as URLs or references to printed materials - that people refrain from posting the more sensational types of stories.

Is this a BBS or Wikipedia?

 

[Neroon]

It's a BBS, and one that would rather not be party to spreading rumors that can affect a person's professional career.

 

[Jan]

If this is true the rest of the cast and crew would know of it too. I've been on this board long enough to know there are many here with connections to Hollywood. Work your sources people! I want the truth!!!!

Why???!? Whatever happened, it was more than fourteen years ago! What possible use is it for people not involved to keep poking and prodding at this?

The change happened. Life happened.​

And the show went on.

Decide what you want to believe and let it go. SF fans do that for their fictons all the time, why not in this case?

Jan

 

[JoeD80]

The change happened. Life happened.​

And the show went on.

Decide what you want to believe and let it go. SF fans do that for their fictons all the time, why not in this case?

This is what I was getting at with the last O'Hare quote I posted. Both jms and O'Hare were fine with it, and continued to be fine with it, so there's no need to worry further.

 

[Neroon]

The way I see it, O'Hare must have handled his being replaced - however it was initiated - with a fair amount of grace and professionalism. Otherwise, he'd not have been brought back in "The Coming of Shadows" and "War Without End".

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I must be one of the few people who really enjoyed O'Hare's performance.

Are you kidding? I loved loved loved Michael O'Hare as Commander Sinclair! The look on his eyes told you more about his inner feelings than a thousand words.

I preferred him to Sheridan. Boxleitner was just too obvious an actor for my tastes. No nuance at all.

Good Will Riker, I am curious to know --- at what university did you hone your expertise and earn your degree on the craft of acting?

Well if he was slamming Al Pacino, then we might have a reason to ask. But slamming Gwynneth Paltrow and Keanu Reaves? Not exactly going out on a limb there.

 

[Lonemagpie]

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".

If this is true the rest of the cast and crew would know of it too. I've been on this board long enough to know there are many here with connections to Hollywood. Work your sources people! I want the truth!!!!

Well, I've heard O'Hare himself, Jurasik, Katsulas, Rick Biggs, Patty Tallman, Julie Brown and Jeff Conaway all talk about the changeover, and all give/gave an explanation that's a mix of "the studio wanted a bigger name" and "the story needed it because it was too top-heavy". Even in private, after a few drinks, or even at breakfast, I never heard anything like the salacious story upthread.

Not about Michael, anyway. I know there was at least one person with a wandering hands problem, but it wasn't him, and the person wasn't fired or anything.

 

[Forbin]

I wanna hear more about you having breakfast with Pat Tallman!
Which one of you cooked?

 

[Lonemagpie]

I wanna hear more about you having breakfast with Pat Tallman!
Which one of you cooked?

Never had breakfast with Pat Tallman - but I have done with Julie Brown and Rick Biggs on separate occasions (In Rick's case at a buffet place called Shoney's which has the best breakfast buffet in the US, with the best strawberries and whipped cream for waffles, ever.)

Sad in the first instance and glad in the second to say there was nothing salacious about either situation!

 

[Brolan]

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".

If this is true the rest of the cast and crew would know of it too. I've been on this board long enough to know there are many here with connections to Hollywood. Work your sources people! I want the truth!!!!

Well, I've heard O'Hare himself, Jurasik, Katsulas, Rick Biggs, Patty Tallman, Julie Brown and Jeff Conaway all talk about the changeover, and all give/gave an explanation that's a mix of "the studio wanted a bigger name" and "the story needed it because it was too top-heavy". Even in private, after a few drinks, or even at breakfast, I never heard anything like the salacious story upthread.

Not about Michael, anyway. I know there was at least one person with a wandering hands problem, but it wasn't him, and the person wasn't fired or anything.

Thanks for the great info. I'll take this as the definitive answer.

 

[crouteru]

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.

But at least those people could actually act or even emote. O'Hare was ok when delivering dialogue to move the current episodes' plot along, but when he tried being a person, like dialogue with his wife or casual banter with Garabaldi etc., he just seemed bored and uninterested.

 

[David cgc]

I'm suddenly reminded of Babylon 5: The Missing Lines.

Catherine: Don't touch me unless you mean it.
Sinclair (stiffly as ever): What do you mean by that?
Catherine (frustrated): Never mind. You speak with a monotone! You're as stiff as a block of wood!
Sinclair (still stiff): That's really ironic. I have sex more often than anyone who ever has or ever will stay on this station.
Catherine (passionately): Maybe that's not so ironic at all (they kiss).

 

[doubleohfive]

I wanna hear more about you having breakfast with Pat Tallman!
Which one of you cooked?

Never had breakfast with Pat Tallman - but I have done with Julie Brown and Rick Biggs on separate occasions (In Rick's case at a buffet place called Shoney's which has the best breakfast buffet in the US, with the best strawberries and whipped cream for waffles, ever.)

Oh my God... Shoney's is still around? I'm sure you think its awesome.... but try eating there three days in a row like I had to on a school trip. Like we ended up saying back then, "Crew spelled backwards is 'work'; Shoney's spelled backwards is 'crap'!"

 

[Lonemagpie]

Oh my God... Shoney's is still around? I'm sure you think its awesome.... but try eating there three days in a row like I had to on a school trip. Like we ended up saying back then, "Crew spelled backwards is 'work'; Shoney's spelled backwards is 'crap'!"

This was, like, ten years ago!

 

[doubleohfive]

Fourteen years ago, from my experience.

Has it improved at all? The did the strawberry whipped cream waffles then too, and they weren't anything special then, either.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Fourteen years ago, from my experience.

Has it improved at all? The did the strawberry whipped cream waffles then too, and they weren't anything special then, either.

Maybe it was a different location...

 

[doubleohfive]

Washington, DC and also Lakeland, FL.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Washington, DC and also Lakeland, FL.

Nah, West Virginia here...

Must be different in DC and Florida - you make it sound like bloody Denny's...

 

[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.

I stand by my answer, and believe that woman I met 12 years ago to be Michael O'Hare's cousin, because Mr. O'Hare himself hails from Chicao, Illinois.

"Michael O'Hare" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Hare

 

[glindros]

I'd rather hear about what Mr. O'Hare is up to these days. Anybody have any information about that?