LaSalle Returns to ER
Posted: January 30, 2002 @ 5:45 PM C
Source: E!
Online
Don't toss out those scrubs just yet, Dr. Benton.
Despite making a "dignified, low-key" departure from ER in
December (as an NBC press release put it), Eriq LaSalle is now expected
to return this season for more episodes of NBC's top-rated drama.
But unlike the return of Sherry Stringfield, this decision wasn't
made by the actor, but by producers. Warner Bros. Television apparently
wanted to get a little more work out of the original cast member, seeing
how his contract was supposed to run through the rest of the season.
"There's a terrific line from Godfather III--'Just when I
thought I was out, they pull me back in,'" LaSalle tells Daily
Variety.
LaSalle's first "final" episode came less than two months
ago, when a custody trial for his son forced Dr. Peter Benton to choose
between his child and his job. The December 13 episode also marked the
final bow for cast member Michael Michele, who played Benton's
girlfriend Cleo Finch.
According to Variety, LaSalle was written out of the show after 10
episodes so they could clear the way for costar Anthony Edwards to say
goodbye over several episodes at the end of the season.
But they've apparently had a change of heart. While the trade paper
speculates that Warner Bros. simply wants to get more episodes out of
LaSalle (and his $9 million-per-season paycheck), other sources said the
reasons for LaSalle's return are purely creative.
"If they left it up to me, I'd be done, because I feel Benton
had a graceful, clean and dignified exit and I think that Noah Wyle is
the future of that show," LaSalle said. "He's carried it well
and I hope that my return won't prove distracting to viewers. But I'm
under contract still, so it's ultimately their choice. If they want me
back, I'll be back."
No word yet from Warner Bros. on how many more episodes La Salle will
shoot, or when he's expected to return to the set.
Meantime, the 39-year-old actor has moved on to big-screen endeavors,
making his directorial debut with Crazy as Hell (which debuts Wednesday
at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival) and costarring with Robin
Williams and Connie Nielsen in the forthcoming One Hour Photo.
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