Michael Shanks not yet signed for season 10

[prion]

This reminds me of the attitude of many fans of Joss Whedon's series. I used to check out various forums dedicated to Buffy and Angel and i remember there being a sense of the fans believing that they somehow owned the actors and that, just because you happened to watch a series that an actor appeared in then they owed you some sort of debt.

It's a common thing that's been going on for decades that it gets to a point, if a show lasts long enough, that fans believe they're 'owed' something by the creators of the show. I think it's more prevalent and hostile when the writer/producer etc. actually joins online forums (it was never as bad before the net) and usually has some juxtoposition to fan fiction, as in 'ship' and other genres. That's when say a producer says "oh, it's a shippy episode" and when the fans watch it they go "waah?" and scream at the 'betrayal.'

As for actors, if they cancel a con appearance due to a job, hey, that's what we WANT them to do. If they don't work, then what? unemployment, or doing cons and rehashing the same story for decades. I don't think any fan wants that. All con contracts have the option for the actor to cancel in event of a job. All decent fan websites say that otherwise they could also leave themselves open for irate fans suing for, who knows, something.

MS canceling a convention in the UK for which he get paid say, geez, I don't know what UK cons pay, but I"m sure the actors like a free trip if nothing else to another country, compared to a REAL paying role on a top 10 US drama show. No contest.

There's been some talk of who gets top billing and I'm sure Ben Browder will or already has resigned, so he'll get top billing, and if he didn't, I don't think SciFi would have been so quick to renew if they lost a key cast member.

[ShadowMaat]

I'd feel no heartbreak if he left, but then, I don't intend to watch the show whether he's on or not so I can't say I'm very invested in his fate. At least in regards to Stargate.

I agree that the character has changed too much for me since returning in S7. I know change is inevitable and given everything that has happened to him, it's understandable... but that doesn't mean I have to agree with the changes and it certainly doesn't mean I have to like them. It'll be interesting to see him in CSI Miami. I doubt the role will be left open to the possibility of recurring, but ya never know.

I think it's fun to see the SG cast in other things. I wish they'd do it more often. Especially on shows or in movies that don't make me wanna jab icepicks into my eyes.

[skritsys]

MS taking off to do other projects is a good thing IMO.
The more diverse he gets, the more we get to see of him.
Granted I will always enjoy seeing him on SG-1, but I hope that he is able to continue his career beyond SG. MS has a lot of talent and he should not be typecasted as an SG actor. SG may have helped his acting career, and he brings a lot to the show, however, the fans should not get upset in the event that he spreads his acting wings into other productions. He deserves a h311 of a lot of respect for staying as long as he has.

[smurf]

If you speak several lines, I believe that entitles you to a SAG (in US) card. A whole part (guest star) would do it.

As for MS departing after season 5, as I recall magazine articles cited that he was financially secure enough to make that decision. Believe, how many of us would ditch the rat race if given the chance like Michael did?

Thanks for the info. I'm surprised he hadn't got one sooner.

I would have thought most actors would be financially secure after 5 years of regular work, unless they're spendthrift. I don't know if he was secure enough to ditch acting/working, but with hindsight it doesn't seem to have been his intention.
Still, it's a shame he didn't take the opportunity to find a few different roles, I could see TPTB leaving him a space open as their glowy jellyfish of choice. Probably even popping up SGA if the original plan had gone ahead.

It will be interesting to see him in CSI: Miami (as long as I manage to ignore David Curuso ). Personally I haven't been overly enamored by his acting of DJ in recent seasons and it'll be good to see him taking something different.

[GateGipsy]

Still, it's a shame he didn't take the opportunity to find a few different roles

He did. He did a couple of movies, a few guest roles on Andromeda and again on Stargate. And he also did the pilot season in Los Angeles, although nothing came of that. I know of at least one audition where he got quite close to the final cut, and presumably there are more that we the fans never heard about.

It is extremely hard for an actor to break into the US, even for someone already established in a show like Stargate. Even though it is a 'US' show, it is filmed entirely in Canada, and I don't think the industry in the US views it as such. Actor's have to prove themselves each and every time they go for a new role.

There's been some talk of the credits. It is very doubtful that the credits will change. Agents are extremely keen for their actors to have the best possible credit they can negotiate as it reflects on their ability as an agent. Michael's 'and with' credit is, in industry terms, a highly ranked credit, and I can't see the Agent giving that up even though for the fans, the first credit is the one that counts.

[smurf]

He did. He did a couple of movies, a few guest roles on Andromeda and again on Stargate. And he also did the pilot season in Los Angeles, although nothing came of that. I know of at least one audition where he got quite close to the final cut, and presumably there are more that we the fans never heard about.

It is extremely hard for an actor to break into the US, even for someone already established in a show like Stargate. Even though it is a 'US' show, it is filmed entirely in Canada, and I don't think the industry in the US views it as such. Actor's have to prove themselves each and every time they go for a new role.

There's been some talk of the credits. It is very doubtful that the credits will change. Agents are extremely keen for their actors to have the best possible credit they can negotiate as it reflects on their ability as an agent. Michael's 'and with' credit is, in industry terms, a highly ranked credit, and I can't see the Agent giving that up even though for the fans, the first credit is the one that counts.

Sorry, I was being a bit imprecise in my meaning .

I meant to say it's a shame he didn't give more time to take the opportunity to find a few different roles. A few years of building a network with the backup of Stargate. I know it might be disheartening, but I could easily see him as a regular on another show by now. Another four years of Stargate may well have pushed him another four years behind career wise. His finishing in season X puts him in the same place as when he left in season 5, since he will still be marked in the industry as supporting cast member on one show.
Not that Stargate isn't a good thing, but we were talking earlier about typecasting and Stargate being sci-fi might be giving himself a big hill to climb.
Unless he loves doing sci-fi, in which case all power to him.

Anyway topic, signing for S10? Yes he will.

[Skydiver]

One thing that could be hampering is that so many of his vocal fans seem to only want him to be daniel. Notice that i said SOME.

Yeah, it is possible that had his fans not campaigned so hard he could have gotten more movie roles and possibly some guesting shots on US tv, which often lead to recurring roles....but they wanted him back as daniel so that's what happened.

whether it was good or bad for his career (actors in scifi especially have to worry about being typecast and then never getting other roles because they're always seen as their scifi role.....for example, how many of the trek actors have had non-scifi roles over teh years?????) unless we really have a time machine, no one will know for sure

however it is just as likely that, in getting what they want, MS' fans haven't exactly promoted good things for his career. the longer he's linked to being 'daniel jackson' the harder it'll be for him to ever be seen as anything else

[ShardsofGlass]

But if Michael hadn't wanted to come back as Daniel, I'm sure he wouldn't have. The fans didn't force Michael to come back to SG-1. If he'd wanted to stay away, he has that power. But he's the one who keeps signing up year after year to continue, so there's something about the role or the show that he must really like.

[Madeleine]

I think it helps him that although he's in a SF series he's got a role that's less SF than it might be. AT has been technobabble-girl and CJ has been The Alien, but MS has played a human Archaeologist, wearing non-SF clothes and without a great deal of SF dialogue to spout. I think he's lucky in the same way that the cast of The Dead Zone, X-Files and other shows set in the present day in a terrestrial setting within the SF genre are lucky. They've got cachet with people who are fans of the genre, and that grants them a good chance of cameos and guest roles and even major parts on other genre shows; and they're less likely to be stereotyped by mainstream casting directors as someone who's only good for wearing a prosthetic forehead and silver spandex.

I'm not saying that AT and CJ won't / can't go mainstream, just that MS is in a particularly fortunate position.

[ShadowMaat]

Oh, I don't think that Michael is any safer from typecasting than the rest of them. IMO, they're all pretty much hamstrung at this point. Sure, they choose to keep coming back and I'm sure they dearly love working on Stargate, but part of it also has to be that it's a steady paycheck and a known quantity. At least with Stargate they know more or less what to expect and they know they'll be making X amount of money for it. Throwing themselves into the piranha-filled waters of Hollywood (North or South) is far from a sure thing and I'm sure that steady, high-paying roles are even fewer and further between than the random guest spots.

[Skydiver]

with stargate they are big fish in a little pond. in hollywood???? they're just one of teh massas

and with stargate there is the con circuit to ride, which, i would imagine, is rather lucrative

i'm not saying that MS is the only one who's in danger of being typecast, heck, RDA is still better known as macgyver than Jack O'Neill, but i am saying, while his non-stargate opportunities during s6 weren't all that much, who knows what else he could have done had his character not been intrinsically linked with Daniel via on-line campaigns, fan bought ads and the such. I'm sure he wasn't forced to come back in s7, however if he'd given thought to moving on further that thought was set aside to return to a place where he originally wasn't happy.

for all we know, he could have tried to break into the hollywood market and have a part on a tv show by now if he'd not been drawn back into stargate

now i have to wonder if signing is less of a 'gee, i can't wait to get back' and more of 'well, i may as well since there'll be way too much fuss if i leave, and hey, the money's good, so why not??'

[SEREN LWCH (MAL)]

One thing that could be hampering is that so many of his vocal fans seem to only want him to be daniel.

i just hope that if he is in S10, he will be clearer vocally!

[prion]

One thing that could be hampering is that so many of his vocal fans seem to only want him to be daniel. Notice that i said SOME.

Yeah, it is possible that had his fans not campaigned so hard he could have gotten more movie roles and possibly some guesting shots on US tv, which often lead to recurring roles....but they wanted him back as daniel so that's what happened.

Thank you for saying some. Not everybody who likes Michael Shanks is obsessed with seeing him as Daniel (the same could go for any fan who is so into a character they want it to go on forever). And not everybody who likes daniel is an 'evil dannyranter' (wish some fans had better things to do than think up insults for other fans).

The thing is that many actors who do scifi shows get typecast - not necessarily by fans but by casting agents. 'Oh, he was that guy on trek, right? Nah, we're looking for someone with more experience, etc.' Also, Michael isn't a character actor. He's more in the leading man category and I wouldn't be surprised his agent tries to get him jobs in that category as well. If you're good looking male hunk (sorry for the bluntness), you're not going to get the fascinating role as the whacko street person. Hollywood and its ilk do stereotype. Someone like say John Delancie is a character actor. Good guys, bad guys, comedic roles. Character actors can outlive, career-wise, leading men/women as agents (and audience) can see more variety for them.

RDA is leading man, MS is leading man, BB is leading man, etc.

[Dani347]

All credit to MS for getting a part on CSI and putting his career first. I think his year out from Stargate taught him a few useful lessons about ego, and I think it's a shame he wasted a great opportunity at the end of season 5 to go out and spread his acting wings. I don't think many other actors have had the chance to take risks, and have the security of recurring work on their old TV show.

One thing I never will understand is why anyone leaving a tv show should be "taught a lesson." And, does that only apply if people think the reason for leaving isn't noble? I mean, nobody will say that RDA needs to be taught a lesson, because his reason is a "good" one. (the quotes aren't to suggest some doubt that his reason was good, but to suggest that there is no "bad" reason to leave a show) I don't think anyone needs to be "taught a lesson" regardless of why they leave a show.

As for MS now, for my own selfish purposes, I would like him to stay on. I won't be crying if he decides to sign up for season 10. However, if he decides not to, all I can say is more power to him.

(Can I be a good Danny ranter?)

prion:

Also, Michael isn't a character actor. He's more in the leading man category and I wouldn't be surprised his agent tries to get him jobs in that category as well.

The whole leading man/character actor thing is very interesting to me. What makes MS a leading man instead of a character actor? Or BB, for that matter? Is it possible to tell from one defining role? (Stargate for MS, Farscape for BB)

[smurf]

with stargate they are big fish in a little pond. in hollywood???? they're just one of teh massas

and with stargate there is the con circuit to ride, which, i would imagine, is rather lucrative

i'm not saying that MS is the only one who's in danger of being typecast, heck, RDA is still better known as macgyver than Jack O'Neill, but i am saying, while his non-stargate opportunities during s6 weren't all that much, who knows what else he could have done had his character not been intrinsically linked with Daniel via on-line campaigns, fan bought ads and the such. I'm sure he wasn't forced to come back in s7, however if he'd given thought to moving on further that thought was set aside to return to a place where he originally wasn't happy.

for all we know, he could have tried to break into the hollywood market and have a part on a tv show by now if he'd not been drawn back into stargate

now i have to wonder if signing is less of a 'gee, i can't wait to get back' and more of 'well, i may as well since there'll be way too much fuss if i leave, and hey, the money's good, so why not??'

The difference for RDA is that he is known for MacGyver rather than seen as MacGyver. He isn't typecast because his subsequent roles are different (it help's that he's a big enough star to pick and choose what he does). In the same way, in the mainstream, Corin Nemec best known for being Parker Lewis, but it didn't stop him being cast as Harold Lauder or Jonas Quinn.

On the other hand it can be argued that Michael is already typecast because in quite a few fans eyes Michael Shanks is Daniel Jackson is Michael Shanks (probably not helped by him returning to the role). There isn't a differentiation between actor and character. Like the way William Shatner is Captain Kirk, or Leonard Nemoy is Spock.

Of course the difference between RDA and CN, and MS, WS, and LN, is that for three of them their best known roles are in the less mainstream genre. Although scifi is hip now (I still can't see how Lost is scifi, except because someone said so ), it wasn't always and I don't think it will be for long (more reality TV and police/medical dramas for everyone ).

I think the person in the best position to not be typecast out of MS, AT and CJ, is going to be Amanda. The same thing which stops her becoming the lead in Stargate is also the thing which will provide her with a longer career. In a setup of (male) lead + supporting, she is the female lead. Taken outside of Stargate she can be cast as either the lead or be placed back into the position she has now of first female actor in a male lead show.
If SG1 was less male dominated with more female support characters she would probably be in the same position as MS and CJ.