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August 30, 2002
Lowe Hints at Staying on 'West Wing'
Zap2it.com
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Rob Lowe may be backing away -- slightly -- from his assertion that he'll leave "The West Wing" when his contract expires in March.
According to Reuters, Lowe said Thursday (Aug. 29) in an interview with a Los Angeles TV station that "Nothing would make me happier" than being able to stay with the show past March.
"But at the moment, no one has told me that anything has changed. We'll see," said Lowe, who plays speechwriter Sam Seaborn on the Emmy-winning White House drama.
NBC announced in July that Lowe would leave "The West Wing" during the coming season. The actor was reportedly asking for a pay raise shortly after Martin Sheen, who plays President Jed Bartlet, saw his salary tripled to a reported $300,000 per episode.
Lowe makes about $75,000 per show, the same as when the series debuted in 1999. At that time, he was the biggest name in the regular cast (Sheen was originally going to be just an occasional presence). The show quickly became more of an ensemble piece, however, with the fictional White House staffers getting roughly equal screen time.
Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer and Bradley Whitford all negotiated raises before the beginning of last season; they all make roughly $70,000 per episode.
Lowe's comments Thursday came a day after Sheen, appearing on "Access Hollywood," urged Lowe to reconsider, saying "We’re hoping he will have a change of heart."
For his part, Lowe doesn't appear to bear any ill will toward the show or his castmates.
"I'm so disappointed that it's turned out this way and that I have to go," he said. "My contract takes me to March, and I'm going to live up to it. And when I do go, I'll have been there longer than a lot of people in the real White House."
Posted by MorganG at August 30, 2002 03:34 PM