The Untold Truth About Michael O'Hare

[glenwo2]

Re: Michael O'Hare talks about Jerry Doyle

I never said that Jerry Doyle was a saint, far from it. In fact, there has been reports from certain cast members who said that Doyle was very difficult to work with at times as well.

In any case, I was glad that O'Hare was fired from the show because he was a terrible actor. I've seen puppets act better than this guy. Bruce Boxlitener was a much better leading man, by far.

They must've been some puppets if they can act THAT well. wow.


While it's true that Bruce did turn out to be a better fit for the leading role, I guess I'm in the minority who thought that O'Hare did an excellent job being the First Season Commander Sinclair of Babylon 5.

While Bruce brought a sense of emotional, impulsive, and, at times, kind-of-goofy-yet-funny brand of acting to the TV Screen, O'Hare brought a perfect representation of what a REAL Commander of a Space Station SHOULD Be. He had an eloquence with his words and voice(only rivaled by G'kar himself) that said to you "RESPECT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND". He, in my opinion, was THE quintessential person to be in charge of a huge spacestation.

Sheridan was more or less thrown in there and, at times, didn't seem like he was enjoying being pretty much the overseer of a mini-city(I guess you can call it). And It's understandable 'cause he was a soldier who was out there in the Agamemnon(sp?) kicking ass and taking names.



I don't know the real reason why O'hare was replaced nor will I or anyone else truly will know the truth but one things for sure, it had more to do with Jerry Doyle being a Take-my-ball-and-go-home crybaby then Stracinsky(sp?) "deciding" to fire O'hare to get someone better. I did find it impressive how he managed to incorporate O'hare being "reassigned" and then putting him into the past as Valen of all people.


Bottom Line : First, let me apologize for being absolutely rude and abrasive but when I saw how people were just crapping on someone who, I believe, did an outstanding job at making a Commander REALLY LOOK AND SOUND like a COMMANDER, it ticks me off something fierce.

I have and always will have the utmost respect for O'Hare(I heard he is now a Trader for the Stock Market...) and I find it completely BUSH LEAGUE that when they had a Babylon 5 reunion on that show(with that intelligent-looking fellow with a beard...his name escapes me), O'hare wasn't there and, I believe, wasn't even invited. Without O'Hare, the Foundation for Babylon 5 and it's overlying and underlying story would never have been properly developed. AND THAT'S A FACT.


(and Jerry Doyle can eat my shorts.... )

 

[Whitestar]

Re: Michael O'Hare talks about Jerry Doyle

They must've been some puppets if they can act THAT well. wow.

LOL! You'd be surprised! It just goes to show you that it doesn't take much to be a better actor than O'Hare.

While it's true that Bruce did turn out to be a better fit for the leading role, I guess I'm in the minority who thought that O'Hare did an excellent job being the First Season Commander Sinclair of Babylon 5.

You got that right!

While Bruce brought a sense of emotional, impulsive, and, at times, kind-of-goofy-yet-funny brand of acting to the TV Screen, O'Hare brought a perfect representation of what a REAL Commander of a Space Station SHOULD Be. He had an eloquence with his words and voice(only rivaled by G'kar himself) that said to you "RESPECT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND". He, in my opinion, was THE quintessential person to be in charge of a huge spacestation.

Everytime I listen to O'Hare's droning voice, it always put me to sleep. Gee, it's no wonder that Ivanova fell asleep when he discussed about his experience with Jesuit Priests about the importance of breathing! LOL. O'Hare was (supposedly) a stage actor and it was well documented that he was not accustomed to the fast-paced and back-breaking experience of tv production. In addition, he had a hard time memorizing his lines, so the writers had to simplify his speeches and worked with a voice coach on the set. Plus, that notion about him having a problem with his lines only shows he's a very poor actor because even though tv production is more fast-paced when you're shooting 40 pages a day, whereas in film you're shooting 2 and a half pages a day, you still have plenty of time to rehearse. I have a friend whose an actor and he admitted that while television is definitely a lot faster paced than in movies and theater, television is easier when it comes to running lines, however, it's also more frustrating because of having to run through the same lines over and over for pick up shots, different camera angles and what-not.

However, theater/stage is the most difficult medium compared to TV and film because you have to stay in character for a total of two hours, barring intermissions. Plus, if you forget your line you have to cover yourself and your fellow actors by improvising. I'll give you an example. Prior to joining my first acting class, I attended a free show at the theater where I was going to study acting. There was a scene where one of the actresses was supposed to show up, but she was running late and instead of coming to the backstage area, she came through the audience, telling her fellow thespians (and the audience) that she apologizes for being late, but she had some things to attend to! LOL. Hence, stage/theater is harder than tv and movies because you really have to think on your feet. It's not impossible to do, it's just a matter of training, that goes for everything. But what's interesting to note here is that O'Hare is a graduate of the illustrious Julliard of Performing Arts in NY and its quite puzzling as to how he got accepted there. The way I see it, there are only two possibilities: one, he probably slept his way to the top, or two, he was a good actor at that time but lost his way long after graduating from there. By the time he was on B5, he was heavily into drugs and that has understandably affected his performance. After he wrapped up on his character arc in the two-part episode, "War Without End", he became clean and sober, and as a result, gained a lot of weight. He was obese when I saw him at a convention and for a moment, I didn't recognize him, it was a sad sight to see.

Sheridan was more or less thrown in there and, at times, didn't seem like he was enjoying being pretty much the overseer of a mini-city(I guess you can call it). And It's understandable 'cause he was a soldier who was out there in the Agamemnon(sp?) kicking ass and taking names.

True, however, Sheridan eventually matured into a fine statesmans.

I don't know the real reason why O'hare was replaced nor will I or anyone else truly will know the truth but one things for sure, it had more to do with Jerry Doyle being a Take-my-ball-and-go-home crybaby then Stracinsky(sp?) "deciding" to fire O'hare to get someone better. I did find it impressive how he managed to incorporate O'hare being "reassigned" and then putting him into the past as Valen of all people.

In regards to his abrupt departure from the show, well, after doing a lot of research, I came to the conclusion that it was for a variety of reasons. Originally, Straczynski envisioned Sinclair to stay on for all five seasons of Babylon 5. God, help us if that had happened because I would have tuned out long after seeing season one! LOL. Anyway, as Straczynski was completing the outline for season one, he immediately realized that he wrote himself into a corner with the Sinclair character because Sinclair was already an enlightened individual who was "already there", so to speak, so there was no more room for character development, hence, he decided to transfer him to the Minbari homeworld, serving as Earth's first ambassador on Minbar. Another reason for O'Hare's departure was that O'Hare himself admitted that he didn't feel comfortable with doing television work, let alone as the series leading man and it obviously showed onscreen with his awful acting. He wanted to return to doing theater work instead and parted on very good terms with Straczynski, who later told him that he will bring closure to his character sometime down the line. A third reason for O'Hare's departure was that the television executives didn't like O'Hare as an actor and as a leading man. They too have stated that he lacked chrisma and didn't possess a strong presence of a series leading man. And lastly, it was quite apparent that there was some bad blood between O'Hare and Jerry Doyle. I got the inside scoop from a friend of mine who was running a Babylon 5 convention in which I had the opportunity to meet O'Hare in person. He seemed nice and forthcoming and I noticed that he praised Mira Furlan, Bill Mumy, and Richard Biggs as wonderful actors, as well as calling them his friends, but he deliberately avoided mentioning Jerry Doyle. After the convention was over, I turned to my friend Paul and asked him what the deal was because I thought that O'Hare's onscreen chemistry with Doyle was somewhat convincing. Paul told me that the reason why they hated each other was that O'Hare was trying to put the moves on Andrea Thompson, who played Talia Winters and was married to Doyle at the time. Understandably, this pissed Doyle off and ever since then they never spoke to each other.

Bottom Line : First, let me apologize for being absolutely rude and abrasive but when I saw how people were just crapping on someone who, I believe, did an outstanding job at making a Commander REALLY LOOK AND SOUND like a COMMANDER, it ticks me off something fierce.

No offense taken, Glenwo. You're entitled to your opinion just like everybody else on this forum, yours truly included!

I have and always will have the utmost respect for O'Hare(I heard he is now a Trader for the Stock Market...)

Yes, I remembered reading an article about that too.

and I find it completely BUSH LEAGUE that when they had a Babylon 5 reunion on that show(with that intelligent-looking fellow with a beard...his name escapes me), O'hare wasn't there and, I believe, wasn't even invited. Without O'Hare, the Foundation for Babylon 5 and it's overlying and underlying story would never have been properly developed. AND THAT'S A FACT. (and Jerry Doyle can eat my shorts.... )

Well, let's put things in proper perspective, shall we? O'Hare DID NOT make Babylon 5 a success! He is not Babylon 5! He is merely one of many, many, many actors and crew that made the show a success: it was a group effort. This is equivalent to those William Shatner worshippers who think that he is Star Trek, when in fact, it was the whole cast and crew that made the show a success. But if you want to truly praise one individual, then it should be J. Michael Straczynski, the Great Maker himself. It is Straczynski you should be thanking and without him the Foundation for Babylon 5 and it's overlying and underlying story would never have been properly developed. AND THAT'S A FACT!

 

[glenwo2]

Andrea Thompson, who played Talia Winters and was married to Doyle at the time. Understandably, this pissed Doyle off and ever since then they never spoke to each other.

And now Jerry isn't with Andrea anymore. How does that make him feel? Probably like an ass. He probably thinks that he should've let O'Hare have the b----!

 

[glenwo2]

By the way, I'm not going to change your opinion but what type of "Drugs" was O'hare on during his time on B5, if I may ask?

That's the problem I have with listening and reading these *ALLEGED* drug use reports. There's never any explanation as to what type of drug was used. It was ASSUMED that it was cocaine which is ridiculous because if it was, don't you think O'Hare would be in jail right now for Cocaine possession?

You see what I'm getting at? You see why I find it hard to believe the "Drug abuse" reports?


I don't know, man....

 

[triskvelin]

look guys, have you seen O'Hare before B5? He always was fit. What drugs are you telling about at all???

 

[Brian G Turner]

Re: Michael O'Hare talks about Jerry Doyle

What I'm offended at is the fact that you are pretty much saying that O'Hare DID have a cocaine addiction despite the fact that there was no real proof of this. That's all I'm saying.

I'm not actually saying any such thing, as much as allowing reports to be posted which claim to offer an insight into an otherwise cloudy part of B5 history.

Bottom Line : First, let me apologize for being absolutely rude and abrasive but when I saw how people were just crapping on someone who, I believe, did an outstanding job at making a Commander REALLY LOOK AND SOUND like a COMMANDER, it ticks me off something fierce.

Not probs, and I appreciate the passion. It was a great show.

I actually didn;t mind Sinclair in the first season - but this is probably because I didn't come to B5 until Season 3 - so re-watching, I always knew Sinclair was simply an entre to for Boxleitner's fire and fury character.

 

[Whitestar]

And now Jerry isn't with Andrea anymore. How does that make him feel? Probably like an ass. He probably thinks that he should've let O'Hare have the b----!

I agree with you on that one! LOL!

 

[Whitestar]

look guys, have you seen O'Hare before B5? He always was fit. What drugs are you telling about at all???

O'Hare was reportedly taking narcotic drugs and that can make you not want to eat and as a result, you get very thin.

 

[glenwo2]

O'Hare was reportedly taking narcotic drugs and that can make you not want to eat and as a result, you get very thin.

what is this "reportedly" business? Who "reported" this? What is their "source"?


Anything is just pure speculation. Besides, I say again that if he was indeed using Narcotics, he would've been arrested prior to even finishing Season 1, don't ya think?

What if he used some sort of Fat Burner(there's millions of pills out there) to lose the weight fast?

 

[Rodders]

Sorry guys, but this argument is not going anywhere and i can see it devolving rapidly.

Me, i love B5 too. Can we talk about that instead?

 

[triskvelin]

Sorry guys, but this argument is not going anywhere and i can see it devolving rapidly.

Me, i love B5 too. Can we talk about that instead?

I think some people just like rumours. That's all. They don't care about anything else.

 

[Rodders]

Unfortunately, B5 is so long ago, rumour is all we have left.

 

[meleager]

Re: Michael O'Hare talks about Jerry Doyle

They must've been some puppets if they can act THAT well. wow.


While it's true that Bruce did turn out to be a better fit for the leading role, I guess I'm in the minority who thought that O'Hare did an excellent job being the First Season Commander Sinclair of Babylon 5.

While Bruce brought a sense of emotional, impulsive, and, at times, kind-of-goofy-yet-funny brand of acting to the TV Screen, O'Hare brought a perfect representation of what a REAL Commander of a Space Station SHOULD Be. He had an eloquence with his words and voice(only rivaled by G'kar himself) that said to you "RESPECT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND". He, in my opinion, was THE quintessential person to be in charge of a huge spacestation.

Sheridan was more or less thrown in there and, at times, didn't seem like he was enjoying being pretty much the overseer of a mini-city(I guess you can call it). And It's understandable 'cause he was a soldier who was out there in the Agamemnon(sp?) kicking ass and taking names.



I don't know the real reason why O'hare was replaced nor will I or anyone else truly will know the truth but one things for sure, it had more to do with Jerry Doyle being a Take-my-ball-and-go-home crybaby then Stracinsky(sp?) "deciding" to fire O'hare to get someone better. I did find it impressive how he managed to incorporate O'hare being "reassigned" and then putting him into the past as Valen of all people.


Bottom Line : First, let me apologize for being absolutely rude and abrasive but when I saw how people were just crapping on someone who, I believe, did an outstanding job at making a Commander REALLY LOOK AND SOUND like a COMMANDER, it ticks me off something fierce.

I have and always will have the utmost respect for O'Hare(I heard he is now a Trader for the Stock Market...) and I find it completely BUSH LEAGUE that when they had a Babylon 5 reunion on that show(with that intelligent-looking fellow with a beard...his name escapes me), O'hare wasn't there and, I believe, wasn't even invited. Without O'Hare, the Foundation for Babylon 5 and it's overlying and underlying story would never have been properly developed. AND THAT'S A FACT.


(and Jerry Doyle can eat my shorts.... )

I'm watching The "Babylon 5" now and I couldn't agree more with that opinion. O'Hare is perfect as a commander, very convincing and a key figure in general. Many years ago I pass through some episodes on TV, without any attempt to follow. It was new, exciting and seemed full of energy. Now I have watched it again, but this time in order and from the first to the last of the episodes. The show is still valid, still convinsing and simply wonderful. Some will say it's naive and childish (I've heard such comments), other couldn't watch it at all, but hey, it's different strokes for different folks.
To me it's a great sci-fi and every single one of the actors (with just one exception) fits just perfectly well in it.

Peace, love and less television to all!

 

[Interference]

I loved it so much I bought the series

O'Hare was by far them more convincing of the two commanders - there was always something a little too "nice" about Boxleitner, for me - and although one or two of the B5 movies sucked big-time (lots and lots of talk, very little new philosophy) and despite my disappointment overall with the final season (ditto, but also little action), it will remain one of my most enduring fondnesses.

 

[Rodders]

I didn't like Sinclair at first and thought hos acting was terrible. After a while though i got used to it and was a little disappointed when he didn't appear in the second series. Still, of the two, i preferred Boxleitner.

I lent the entire series to a colleague at work who didn't like it at all. I think it's time to get them back and start powerdiscing.

 

[kd5]

It's sad this thread title is misleading in that it is not actually truth, but rumors and heresay...

My wife & I are enjoying Babylon 5 for the 3rd (or 4th) time, we've watched the pilot movie (The Gathering) and we've started Season One. This series brings back fond memories, it will always be one of our favorites... -kd5-

 

[Interference]

Yeah, I'm afraid this thread caught me out that way as well

Even so, I hadn't heard even the rumours before and had always wondered why O Hare had left while his character seemed so pivotal to the series. I agree with Rodders that his acting wasn't exactly top-notch, but he had an endearing presence that wasn't quite recaptured in the recasting (imho, of course ).

 

[Whitestar]

It's sad this thread title is misleading in that it is not actually truth, but rumors and heresay...

My wife & I are enjoying Babylon 5 for the 3rd (or 4th) time, we've watched the pilot movie (The Gathering) and we've started Season One. This series brings back fond memories, it will always be one of our favorites... -kd5-

Well, it is true according to Jerry Doyle and I happen to have a clip that confirms this and I would post it here if this site had an itunes attachment, but I have no way doing so unless you want to PM me. Besides, keep in mind that this is Doyle's word against O'Hare's and it's such a shame that they didn't get along offscreen, unlike onscreen.

 

[kd5]

Well, we have Doyle making allegations and JMS refuting them. Unless I hear/see verifiable proof it's just one person's word against the other. Verifiable proof would be O'Hare admitting to the allegations or video proof of the claims. Video of someone making allegations is not proof enough for me. Besides, I'd rather not have the image I have of Sinclair and Garibaldi spoiled by rumors and heresay. Not that I'd prefer to bury my head in the sand (so to speak), but B5 is one of my favorite shows. Knowing that one or more of the cast was an a***ole is not how I want to remember Babylon 5... -kd5-

 

[Interference]

This gawdawful celebrity culture we've allowed ourselves to create is to blame. Actors are people who present us with characters. What they do when they aren't doing that is, to me, irrelevant. Unless I marry one of 'em of course