David Caruso was an ordinary fixture on our television screens within the Eighties and 90s. With roles in hit TV showsT.J. Hooker and Hill Street Blues, he more than proved his worth as an actor. And it was his position within the latter that inspired manufacturer Steven Bochco. Having labored with the actor on Blues, he made up our minds Caruso can be best possible for a leading position in his upcoming police drama, NYPD Blue. It was a decision he would later be apologetic about.
NYPD Blue became some of the greatest cop shows of the early 90s, however tv audiences were ignorant of the behind-the-scenes issues brought about via Caruso. According to Steven Bochco, in the extracts of his memoir showcased on the Hollywood Reporter, the actor's conduct was 'cancerous.' He it appears clashed with some other of the show's manufacturers, David Milch, each day. He was allegedly emotionally unavailable to any person. And his ongoing temperament, in keeping with Bochco, was risky, sullen, and moody. Allegedly, Caruso additionally loved being the 'supply of all discontent' at the show and even felt empowered via his personal behavior.
Not lengthy into Season 2, Caruso was written out of NYPD Blue. Unsurprisingly, his exit was hooked up to his tough conduct, even if he wasn't without delay fired from the display. So, what precisely did happen?
David Caruso's Exit From NYPD Blue
It turns in the market was a reason why why Caruso behaved so badly at the set of NYPD Blue. According to Steven Bochco, it was because he sought after to be removed from the display. In his memoir, the producer writes:
"He never said it to me directly, but the simple truth was, Caruso felt he was too good for television...He wanted to be a movie star. And his plan was to alienate the writers, producers, and his fellow castmates in hopes that we would dump him from the show.”
Towards the end of the first season of the show, Caruso asked to be relieved of his contractual obligations, but the show's producers refused to let him leave. They didn't want to jeopardize the future of NYPD Blue because, after one season, the show had become a breakaway hit.
It was at this point that things became more difficult. When working on the second series scripts, Caruso's agent got in touch with the producers to let them know about the actor's new demands. If he wasn't to be let out of his contract, he wanted it to be restructured.
Under a new deal, Caruso wanted a pay rise from $40,000 to $100,000 per episode. He also wanted Fridays off, a 38-foot trailer, his own office suite, a dozen first-class plane tickets, and private security to protect him from his fans. The agent informed Bochco that, if these demands weren't accepted, the actor had another series of demands, which included time off the show so he could concentrate on his movie work.
Understandably, Bochco rejected Caruso's demands and even threatened to sue the actor if he didn't return for season 2. But as things became more difficult between the actor and the program's showrunners, push eventually came to shove. After many other battles with the actor, they agreed to the termination of Caruso's contract to let him pursue his hoped-for film career. Their final stipulation was for him to do the first four episodes of season 2 so they could properly write him out of the show. Caruso agreed, although his behavior was still less than warm on the final day of his time on the show. Bochco said in his memoir:
"When he had shot his remaining scene of the fourth episode, he grew to become with no word and left the set, the stage and the lot. He did not say a unmarried word of thanks or a goodbye to his castmates — nothing."
Despite Caruso's departure, the show continued to be a success. Jimmy Smits replaced the actor, and audiences continued to tune in each week. But what about David Caruso? Did he become the major film star that he wanted to be? Well...no!
David Caruso's Short-Lived Hollywood Career
The transition from TV to film is notoriously tricky. Will Smith, Michael J. Fox, and George Clooney are just a few of the TV actors who managed to hit the big time in Hollywood, but others have not been so lucky. Matthew Perry, Tom Selleck, and Melissa Joan Hart are some of those television actors who failed to make it as movie stars, and unfortunately for David Caruso, he didn't make it in Hollywood either.
The actor wasted no time trying to secure movie roles for himself after NYPD Blue, but bad judgment calls ended his film career as soon as it had begun. His first major film, 1995's Kiss of Death, received good reviews but failed at the box office, and his next major release that year, the erotic thriller Jade, earned the actor a Razzie nomination. His next major film, 1997's Cold Around the Heart, made little impact on critics and audiences, and 1998's Body Count also failed to put bums on cinema seats. The actor's movie career then started to slide.
After a supporting turn in the Russell Crowe-starring Proof of Life, Caruso starred in a couple of low-budget efforts that are rarely remembered today. These marked the end of his career in the movies, so he did what so many Hollywood wannabes have done before him: He returned to television. With a regular role in CSI and its many spinoffs, Caruso's career seemed to be on the rise again. But when CSI Miami ended in 2012, so too did his acting career, as he hasn't been heard from since.
Will he make a comeback? Time will tell, but it might be that both the worlds of TV and film are finally done with the actor and his monumental ego.
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