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August 05, 2002
The Lowe Down
What really made Rob Lowe quit ''The West Wing''? The former Brat Packer says his character had become useless, but insiders say Lowe wanted more money and didn't like playing in an ensemble
by Nicholas Fonseca & Lynette Rice
ew.com
Karen Hughes isn't the only heartbreaker in the Beltway these days. Just weeks after the presidential counselor departed the Bush administration, another passionate politico announced plans to leave 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Come March, after 16 of the season's 22 episodes, NBC's ''The West Wing'' won't have Rob Lowe to kick around anymore.
While the 38-year-old actor said he's leaving the Emmy-winning political drama because his role has diminished since the show's 1999 debut -- ''There was no longer a place for Sam Seaborn on 'The West Wing,''' he said in a statement -- insiders say Lowe's exit was partly fueled by money. Lowe joined ''Wing'' as one of its highest-paid actors, earning about $70,000 per episode. That figure has held steady while castmate Martin Sheen's recently negotiated salary is more than four times that amount. In addition, costars Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Bradley Whitford are now on par with Lowe, thanks to July 2001 shenanigans in which they threatened a walkout unless they got a pay hike. (Their previous earnings? Roughly $30,000 per episode.) At the time, Lowe also asked producers for a raise and was told to wait an extra year. He did. But according to a source close to the actor, this year ''Rob never even got to the point where he could discuss a raise. They said, 'We're not negotiating.''' (In another Lowe blow, he was missing from the list of nine ''Wing''-ers who received Emmy nods.)
Given the current economic climate, fattening Lowe's wallet could be risky -- particularly since Warner Bros. Television will soon enter discussions with NBC to renew its licensing fee, which expires after the upcoming season. With its large ensemble cast and creator Aaron Sorkin commanding increasingly hefty salaries, ''Wing'' costs an estimated $2.7 million per episode. (That's in line with other 3-year-old dramas like ''Third Watch'' and even cheapie stalwarts like 12-year-old ''Law & Order,'' which boasts a $2.2 million-per-episode price tag.) But Warner -- a division of Entertainment Weekly parent AOL Time Warner -- has yet to turn a profit on the show. That's why one NBC insider says Lowe's request was denied: Warner execs feared a rerun of last summer, with the other ensemble players also stomping back to the bargaining table.
Still, one source close to the situation says Lowe reacted too quickly: ''If he would have been willing to wait, things might have changed. Warner could have figured out how much money they were going to make [on a new licensing deal].''
But when it came to Lowe, it wasn't just the economy, stupid. Though his stature first helped the show secure a spot on NBC's schedule, he grew frustrated as his character became less prominent after the first season. ''Rob doesn't want to be part of an ensemble,'' claims the source. In an EW interview last year, Lowe admitted that ''Wing'' ''is not a fun show to do...the hours are extremely long.''
Lowe's movie-star background wasn't an easy match in the relatively low-rent TV world: A show insider says he would often insist that his wife, Sheryl, apply his makeup for on- and off-set appearances, and he (alone among the cast) once requested a private jet from NBC for a trip to advertising up-front presentations in New York City. (Lowe didn't get the jet -- nor did he attend.) Says another ''Wing'' source, ''Martin had to sit him down at one point to talk about his attitude.'' Responds Lowe's spokesman: ''If he was so bad, they would have kicked him off the show. And if he didn't want to be part of an ensemble, he wouldn't have taken the show in the first place.''
Despite all the apparent backstage drama, Lowe's departure took at least one NBC exec by surprise. At a Peacock party held hours after the July 24 announcement, network entertainment prez Jeff Zucker was overheard asking Whitford if he'd heard from Lowe -- and why he'd chosen to leave. The exit is particularly puzzling given the career boost ''Wing'' gave the actor, who emerged as part of the Brat Pack but was sidelined by a 1988 sex scandal and trudged through the '90s with straight-to-video thrillers and spoofy bit parts in films like ''Tommy Boy'' and the ''Austin Powers'' movies. Aside from a supporting role in next year's Gwyneth Paltrow comedy ''View From the Top'' and a starring gig in CBS' holiday flick ''The Christmas Shoes,'' his slate is clear.
Alas, the history of actors walking away from Nielsen hits isn't encouraging. Consider the examples of ''Three's Company'''s Suzanne Somers, ''Dallas''' Patrick Duffy, and ''Cheers''' Shelley Long. Even David Caruso -- whose cranky 1994 exit after just 26 star-making episodes of ''NYPD Blue'' turned him into a media whipping boy -- recently admitted he ''mishandled the...situation quite handily.''
A Lowe confidant says that other networks have approached the actor about headlining possible fall 2003 pilots, but many question his chances of landing a more plum TV gig. Says one top agent who has worked with the actor, ''Whatever Rob's aspiration beyond 'The West Wing,' he has virtually no chance of ever finding a writer of Aaron Sorkin's caliber.'' But at least there'll be reruns.
Posted by MorganG at August 5, 2002 02:36 PM