By my third year of Law and Order, I was climbing the walls. But you don't leave a hit show, especially when you have a five-year contract.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
If I was roped into a seven-year TV contract I'd probably hang myself.
Well, I was coming off of being on 'Law & Order,' and I was a little worried that it might be the end of my career - I've never been one of those actors with a lot of confidence that the next good job will come along.
I would rather do twenty TV series than go through what I went through under that Rank contract I signed a few years ago for which I blame no one but myself.
I dropped out of law school when I got my record deal.
Shows can come and go. They can be a hit and then in three years, gone. There's some comfort in having the stability of a job and having children. It's a double-edged sword.
When you accept a role in a pilot, you automatically sign up for five years. You think it's scary to walk down the aisle? Try signing a five-year contract for a show you may not want to be part of down the road.
In 'Law & Order,' your main job is to stay out of the way of the plot. On another show you'd receive your script and see stuff that seems challenging and feel excited that the writers thought highly enough of you to write it for you.
If you do an American TV series, before the audition you sign away the next five years of your life.
I left 'L.A. Law' after five years when my contract was up because I felt I had done all I could do with the character. I didn't walk off the show with a three-picture deal to pursue this wonderful film career.
You do a show to be a hit and hopefully run a couple of years.