Posted on 10/04/2006 2:06:15 PM PDT by Hildy
Dennis Haysbert was furious when he found out that his character on 24, President David Palmer, was being assassinated and told producers he would refuse to tape the scene. The star argued over the storyline for months because he felt killing the president would send out a dangerous message to viewers. Haysbert appeared on US chat show The View yesterday where he explained how he left the show saying, "They did it as a stunt to get ratings and it worked. It started at the end of season four when I did the last six episodes. Then I thought I was done. I was right in the middle of the fourth episode I was doing when they called me up at lunch time to talk to me and said, 'Dennis, on the first show of next season, we're going to shoot you.' I said, 'Good luck with that. What's it going to be a CNN (news) report? Because I won't shoot it.' So we went back and forth and back and forth and the season ended and all during the summer the fellows kept calling and then they sent their mercenary, one of my best friends on the show, the show runner Howard Gordon, whom I love, and I have to tell you before I go any further that I love the guys on 24, both in front of the camera and behind it. We have a legacy of killing our leaders in this country and I said, 'Guys, don't do it.' Howard basically said, 'Dennis, look I understand how you feel. I believe you, I believe in what you're saying, but we need it to start the show, because without it, we don't have a season.'" Haysbert eventually gave in and went on to star in the TV series The Unit about a top secret United States Special Operations Force.
No kidding. That's not cool.
Its the only show...
uhhhh...With the exception of "Jericho" and the "NFL" that I would actually sit and watch...
Everything else is rehashed garbage...
But thats just my opinion...
I read that is why the president in the third or fourth season was in a coma the whole season. They wanted to kill him in the plane crash but Fox told them they could not.
First episode in January. Yippee!!
Jericho is just too depressing so far, despite an excellent cast. If you haven't seen them yet try SciFi's Eureka and the new NBC/SciFi show Heroes. I describe Eureka to folks as Andy of Mayberry meets the X-Files. Heroes assumes some folks similar to x-men type mutants show up, but unlike that universe these appear to be the very first and they really have no clue what's going on. It could be good or it could drive right off a cliff. Battlestar Gallactica starts up later this month, I think, as well.
Me? I'm a Food Network junkie. I never miss Good Eats
Too bad they had to kill him off. I look forward to '24' coming back on the air.
He is way better in the Unit.
He was the current President. That's why they wouldn't kill him. Palmer was a past president.
24 is a great show. When Palmer got killed you could hear people say "Holy Sh*t!" all over the country.
I like The Unit also.
He's got a great role as leader in the Unit.Course this is the kind of show his character could be killed off too. But hey, he has those insurance commercials he does!
I was pretty miffed that they killed him off, but I had it the other way around: I thought he wanted to leave so he could go to "The Unit".
I would take this story with a grain of salt.
Good grief. Why didn't someone simply tell him that he really wasn't going to die, but rather his unknown twin brother--like in the soap operas?
Best fake President ever!
He's an actor on a TV show not the conscience of the universe. He also is complaining about doing it for the ratings? I bet Dennis' agent was all for it.
I wasn't too keen on this myself and I didn't really like it when they killed off his estranged wife either. Haysbert is the only "president" on there who was worth a damn. The last "president" was so spineless and duplitious I wanted to off him myself.
I just learned something that I didn't know until just now. He also played "Cherokee Jack Jackson" from the "Return to Lonesome Dove" in 1993. I didn't realize it until my wife told me just now.
I like Haysbert a whole lot. I also liked Denzil Washington's character in "Man on Fire." They both did what was required.
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