Why did Wil Weaton leave the show?

[Trekker4747]

Or, an actor got his knickers in a twist over the terms of the contract he signed and was obliged to uphold. I'm no fan of Berman et. al, I think that should be obvious by know, but this doesn't really read like "OMG BERMAN IS SUCH A DICK!" it reads like Actor trying to call the shots for the whole TV show to further his career outside that TV show. I realise I have no proof of this whatsoever, so I'm not trying to say this definitively, just reading between the lines - particularly the first paragraph sounds rather puffed up with importance, trying to underline his immense non-Trek fanbase.

That's exactly how I saw it. Wheaton always comes off as smug and pretentious, but in a way where he tries to conceal it through being 'cool'.

It sounds to me like Wheeton wanted both slices of the cake and Berman was trying to organise the show around a budget and a schedule, not at the whim of a teenager and his career prospects.

The whole article by Wheeton smells of shit, puffery, lies and 'Dem evil producers'.

Please. We're talking about a teenage kid that wanted to do a project over the hiatus a project that would've precluded him being in *one* episode and as he said, he wasn't the captain he was the firggin' helmsman. The Producers acted like they owned him by not showing him an ounce of leniency and lettimg him miss-out on one episode. Furthered by the fact that Berman told Wheaton that he couldn't miss the episode because the episode was about him, which was a bold-faced lie.

Berman acted like an arrogant bastard instead of an understanding and reasonable man. I don't see how a teenage boy could be pretentious or prima-donna and it's not even like he had a lot of weight to throw around.

He wanted to miss-out on ONE episode and Berman didn't allow it because in Berman's mind he "owned" Wheaton.

Wheaton left because TNG's producers weren't working with him or his career but dicking around with him and treating him like property.

 

[cultcross]

Furthered by the fact that Berman told Wheaton that he couldn't miss the episode because the episode was about him, which was a bold-faced lie.

It may not have been, at the time. Episodes are extensively re-written, stories are swapped, episode orders are switched. It is probably true that he was told he would be prominent in the episode then wasn't - there is no proof that it was a 'bold faced lie' on Berman's part. Given that everyone knew how season 4 would open, lets assume it was season 3. It begins with Evolution, a Wesley heavy episode - quite possibly the one to which Berman referred. However, due to whatever production reason it ended up being filmed after 3x02, The Ensigns of Command which Wesley isn't in. Isn't it worth giving Berman the benefit of the doubt that he may not have known about the switcharound when Wheaton asked, and Wheaton therefore most certainly would have been needed for 3x01? Rather than condemn him outright as a 'bold faced liar'?

I don't see how a teenage boy could be pretentious or prima-donna and it's not even like he had a lot of weight to throw around.

Then you never knew anybody who did acting as a teenager. I had a schoolfriend who thought he ruled the Earth because he had a bit part in a film which had 3 lines.

He wanted to miss-out on ONE episode and Berman didn't allow it because in Berman's mind he "owned" Wheaton.

Speculation.

Wheaton left because TNG's producers weren't working with him or his career but dicking around with him and treating him like property.

In Wheatons opinion. If he wanted freedom to do what he wanted, he shouldn't have signed up to a weekly TV series which wouldn't allow him to do so.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The writers had really toned down Wesley's prominence starting in Season 3, probably because he had proven unpopular.

Not true. Wil Wheaton received more fan mail than the rest of the cast combined. But it was mostly from teen and pre-teen girls, and these fans weren't necessarily commenting on SF newsgroups.

He was getting movie offers he simply couldn't accept due to TNG filming, and asked to be released from his contract, but then the film offers dried up, and the roles he chose ended up being in lacklustre films.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000696/

Given that everyone knew how season 4 would open, lets assume it was season 3. It begins with Evolution, a Wesley heavy episode - quite possibly the one to which Berman referred. However, due to whatever production reason it ended up being filmed after 3x02, The Ensigns of Command which Wesley isn't in. Isn't it worth giving Berman the benefit of the doubt that he may not have known about the switcharound when Wheaton asked, and Wheaton therefore most certainly would have been needed for 3x01?

Actually, IIRC, that was exactly what caused his frustration. Diana Muldaur had more clout; she wanted to miss the first three eps of Season Three to do "The Return of McCloud" reunion telemovie, and she was able to do so because she wasn't on the standard five-year contract.

 

[Trekker4747]

Isn't it worth giving Berman the benefit of the doubt that he may not have known about the switcharound when Wheaton asked, and Wheaton therefore most certainly would have been needed for 3x01?

Berman was the Executive Producer. It's highly unlikey he wouldn't know about the episode filming order switch around.

 

[cultcross]

Isn't it worth giving Berman the benefit of the doubt that he may not have known about the switcharound when Wheaton asked, and Wheaton therefore most certainly would have been needed for 3x01?

Berman was the Executive Producer. It's highly unlikey he wouldn't know about the episode filming order switch around.

I meant that the episode order decision had not been made yet. He may not have been aware that it would become necessary. I'd have thought that was obvious from what I said, but OK.
We have no idea how far in advance Wheaton asked, and it's likely the decision to swap them was based on something like set or guest star availability (you know, the people who weren't contracted to the show), which wouldn't likely become apparent until the script writing stage was done or almost done.
Given that at the start of season 3 a Wesley centric première episode ended up being pushed to second place in the filming schedule, this doesn't throw even a shade of doubt on Berman's automatic guilt of being a dick and a bold faced liar? I can't help but feel that you're desperate to indict Berman for the full blame here, and yet what evidence we have doesn't really support that.

 

[PhoenixIreland]

Jeesus....saucer of milk and some kittykat to this thread....

Why is it every problem ST has ever had can be traced back to Rick Berman

Does anyone know why WW stopped doing those episode reviews? I thought they were genius!

 

[Praetor]

Jeesus....saucer of milk and some kittykat to this thread...

My thought too. On the one hand, Hwil Hwheaton was a contract player and should have been mature enough to understand that. On the other hand, it's overt dickkery to 'try to teach him a lesson.'

Why is it every problem ST has ever had can be traced back to Rick Berman

Well, when there's a fox in the chicken house and your chickens start turning up dead...

Does anyone know why WW stopped doing those episode reviews? I thought they were genius!

A good question.

 

[Hawkeye_90]

lets be honest, it was probably a little both of both, theres some truth to wheatons story and theres probably some truth to the bremen idea of having wheaton do a heavy episode early in the season, Though and im new to the trek realm it sounds like bremen may have been a little hard for people to work with judging from the posts, I can't ever think of a time where it doesn't take two to tango. This is also why I find it hard to believe that it was all rick B and he is suck a jerk to wheaton. I also think wheaton in his statement was maybe strechthing his popularity a tad, but that also doesn't mean that it was all weaton who caused the problem. At the same time either is he completely guilt free for the problem, just as Bremen probably isn't guilt free for the problem either, but it would seem to me both have roles in how things worked out.

 

[Praetor]

Yeah, usually the truth is 'somewhere in between.'

 

[Trekker4747]

I think it's somewhere in between too, but I think the bulk of the blame would fall on Berman's side. Him being a smug DB producer and all from nearly interview I've seen him and encoutner recounts from other cast members.

 

[BillJ]

The Berman bashing is getting old. A Hollywood executive only has his own interests in mind!!!

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Do we have any other negative comments from any of the other TNG cast members about Berman? It usually only seems to be SOME of the actors from the other shows, except Wheaton.

 

[Trekker4747]

The Berman bashing is getting old. A Hollywood executive only has his own interests in mind!!!

Berman is a decent Executive Producer he did, after all, EP TNG over most of its run. He's just not very creative nor... "artistic."

He insisted that the background music be little more than wallpaper and taking a more creative seat in Voyager and Enterprise made those series pretty bland. He further didn't like serialized story telling which lead to *many* problems in Voyager -given her crew's situation.

Could you imagine what Voyager would've been like with RDM, Piller or Behr as the writers or EPs as they were during DS9's run? Or running Enterprise?

Berman's other problem was his.. "faith" in Braga who is a decent writer when working under others to "hone in" his work. Braga was a writer on some of TNG's best episodes. But he was working with, and under, much superior writers like Piller. Left to his own devices, from Braga we get episodes like Genesis. So he was not a good choice to be head writer/EP on Voyager and Enterprise.

Of the two Berman is the far lesser of the two evils and I've always felt that. He's a bland, uncreative, dickish producer who dove Star Trek into the ground, sure, but if far superior writers had done Voyager and Enterprise (fan reaction to Enterprise's final season was much better than it was int he earlier years) things woud've been much, much different.

 

[BillJ]

The Berman bashing is getting old. A Hollywood executive only has his own interests in mind!!!

Berman is a decent Executive Producer he did, after all, EP TNG over most of its run. He's just not very creative nor... "artistic."

He insisted that the background music be little more than wallpaper and taking a more creative seat in Voyager and Enterprise made those series pretty bland. He further didn't like serialized story telling which lead to *many* problems in Voyager -given her crew's situation.

Could you imagine what Voyager would've been like with RDM, Piller or Behr as the writers or EPs as they were during DS9's run? Or running Enterprise?

Berman's other problem was his.. "faith" in Braga who is a decent writer when working under others to "hone in" his work. Braga was a writer on some of TNG's best episodes. But he was working with, and under, much superior writers like Piller. Left to his own devices, from Braga we get episodes like Genesis. So he was not a good choice to be head writer/EP on Voyager and Enterprise.

Of the two Berman is the far lesser of the two evils and I've always felt that. He's a bland, uncreative, dickish producer who dove Star Trek into the ground, sure, but if far superior writers had done Voyager and Enterprise (fan reaction to Enterprise's final season was much better than it was int he earlier years) things woud've been much, much different.

I'm well aware of Berman's accomplishments and stumbles as Executive Producer of the Star Trek franchise. Everything for good or ill is ultimately to be laid at his doorstep from 1990 - 2005 (including Deep Space Nine and Enterprise season four. It's this outlandish concept that he was there to do anything more than money that is starting to infuriate me (see the 'Berman Memoirs' thread in TrekLit). Then there is this concept amongst the fan-base that if there is something they liked made in those years somehow Berman wasn't part of it. His name is listed as Executive Producer on every piece of Star Trek made in that time period. He is listed as a creator on every TNG spin-off.

I'm sorry Wil Wheaton did not have a fun experience working on Star Trek. But a job is a job.

I also don't get all the Ron Moore love around these parts. He's a fairly capable writer when on a leash, like Braga. But his work definitely tends to suffer when not balanced out (see Battlestar Galactica).

 

[Loqutus]

WHO CARES

 

[Captrek]

Actually, IIRC, that was exactly what caused his frustration. Diana Muldaur had more clout; she wanted to miss the first three eps of Season Three to do "The Return of McCloud" reunion telemovie, and she was able to do so because she wasn't on the standard five-year contract.

Huh? The conversation must have been something like this:

Muldaur: I need to take off the first three episodes of Season Three to do a TV movie, OK?

Berman: Sure, no problem. Take off the first three episodes of Season Three. In fact, take off the whole season. In fact, take off the rest of the series. It’s been nice working with you.

Muldaur: Thanks.

Wheaton: Hey, how come I can’t get that kind of treatment?

 

[Cdr MacDuff]

Colm Meaney is different. He was a back-burner character in TNG if ever there was such a thing.

If Berman ask Weaton to come shoot for the next episode and his answer is: "No, I got something else to shoot". I think there's nothing wrong with asking him to choose between his movie career or the regular TV gig.

 

[Captrek]

If Berman ask Weaton to come shoot for the next episode and his answer is: "No, I got something else to shoot".

Has anybody ever indicated that Berman ever gave Wheaton an instruction that Wheaton flat-out refused?

I think there's nothing wrong with asking him to choose between his movie career or the regular TV gig.

I don’t know exactly what went down behind the scenes, but imagine the following scenario, which is more or less consistent with Wheaton’s description:

Wheaton: Milos Forman — you know the guy, his last four films were One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Hair, Ragtime, and Amadeus — wants me to be in his next movie! That’s a really big deal! Unfortunately, the shooting schedule would require me to miss one episode of TNG. Since the typical TNG episode these days gives me little to do but push some buttons and say “Yes, sir,” I’d really appreciate it if you would do me a huge favor and just for one episode have somebody else push those buttons and say “Yes, sir” so that I can do this movie.

Berman: Listen, twerp. You work for me, not vice versa. That means you do what I want, I don’t give a shit what you want, and I don’t do you any fucking favors. You are going to be the guy pushing that button and saying “Yes sir” for that episode. I don’t care how little it benefits the show or how much it damages your film career. That’s simply the way it’s going to be. If you don’t like it, quit.

Obviously, that’s not the way a producer treats an actor he values or respects. When a valued actor asks for an accommodation that would be of great benefit to him and little cost to the show, he usually gets what he’s asking for. If Wheaton asked for an accommodation that would have been of little cost to TNG and great personal benefit to him, and Berman refused, that’s pretty much Berman showing him the door.

 

[JoeD80]

Obviously, that’s not the way a producer treats an actor he values or respects. When a valued actor asks for an accommodation that would be of great benefit to him and little cost to the show, he usually gets what he’s asking for. If Wheaton asked for an accommodation that would have been of little cost to TNG and great personal benefit to him, and Berman refused, that’s pretty much Berman showing him the door.

I don't pretend to know what Berman personally did or didn't do, but it's doubtful he "showed him the door" because this movie would have been between season 2 & 3. (Valmont was in 1989). Wil Wheaton was on TNG until mid-season 4. If Berman was pissed about it his option wouldn't have even been picked up for season 4, and Wil wouldn't have been back for his guest spots either.

Television contracts have first-call for an actor in them, because you can't guess when and when you're not going to have an actor. The scripts are written well ahead of the filming schedule (hopefully anyway), and your actors need to be guaranteed. It's probably true that Gene would let Wil go off and do a film when he wanted, but they were friends and it's not a guarantee in the business that the producer will let the actors skip episodes to go film movies.

Television can be a lot of fun, but at its core it's a business.

 

[Captrek]

Television can be a lot of fun, but at its core it's a business.

You’re right. It is a business, much like the company I was working for a few years ago.

We had a mandatory hour-long meeting for status updates every Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM. One Wednesday, at about 8:30 AM, I received a phone call and was informed that my wife was going into labor. I told my supervisor that I had to get to the hospital for the birth of my child, which would mean missing the status meeting. My supervisor told me that my attendance at the status meeting was a requirement of my job and that if I could not fulfill all the requirements of my job I should resign. It might seem cold, but business is business, and there’s nothing wrong with asking me to choose between my job and everything else that is important in my life.

OK, just kidding. That didn’t really happen to me. Situations like this arise all the time, of course. 99% of the time, the employee is allowed to miss the status meeting to attend the birth of his child. The 1% of the time it is not allowed, it is because the supervisor despises the employee and/or is clueless about how to run a business in this culture.

If an employee needs to miss a perfunctory status meeting in order to attend the birth of his child, you let him. If an actor needs to miss one episode of anybody-could-do-this-job pushing buttons and saying “Yes sir” in order to have a major part in the next film from a director whose last four films garnered 28 Academy Award nominations and won two Best Picture awards, you let him.

Particularly galling, if Wheaton’s account of events is to be believed, is that he was in the end written out of the episode anyway. Imagine that my supervisor refused to allow me to miss the status meeting, and I couldn’t afford to be out of a job with a new baby, so I attended the meeting and missed the birth of my child. Then, just before it was my turn to report my status, my supervisor took a personal call on a trivial matter and abruptly terminated the meeting saying my contribution to the meeting wasn’t really needed anyway. Ouch. Obviously, if I had two brain cells to rub together, I’d start looking for a new job immediately.