Michael O'Hare

[Springer]

I've been able to find the time recently to have a little bit of a re-watch of season 1 and have managed to get through the first 12 episodes in two days. One of the things that has really struck home on this rewatch is what a superb job Michael O'Hare did, and in hindsight knowing what he was going through it makes his work seem even more extraordinary. O'Hare came in for a lot of stick from people saying he was wooden, but I honestly don't see it (seriously, tell me a scene where you think he was wooden?). I think part of it is due to people's expectations of what the lead of a show like B5 should be like, but the character of Sinclair was never meant to be charismatic like Kirk or Sheridan. What O'Hare, and in turn Sinclair, had in abundance was gravitas - he had a presence and his voice was just great, it commanded respect and authority and he played the role of the traumatised commander superbly in my opinion. So I just wanted to recognise the work that O'Hare did and I'll always value season one for his performance as Sinclair.

 

[KoshN]

I always liked O'Hare's performance except for his scenes with Blaire Baron (in The Gathering), with whom he had zero chemistry. That scene, discussing The Battle of the Line was filled with bad acting, by both of them. It was just a bad scene. They should've done it a few more times and had good direction.

 

[Raw Shark]

I was really disappointed when Michael O'Hare left the series. The character and O'Hare's performance really grew on me. I always thought it was plausible that the rumors were true, Warner Bros. wanted him replaced in order to renew the show for a second season. It just sounded right, partly because so many people complained about his performance. As it turns out, it was about mental health issues, and that certainly does add a new layer to his tenure. A man trying to hold it together playing a man trying to hold it together, I'm not sure how often that happens.

I have also been confused by the criticism that he was 'wooden,' because given Sinclair's tastes throughout the first season, it was obvious to me early on that he was a stoic individual. The Tennyson recordings, talking about meditating with the Jesuits, breathing exercises, appreciating the solitude of C&C when no one is there, staring at the Japanese stone garden, 'walking in the green' when G'Kar finds him, everything points to someone who needs contemplative time to himself, someone trying to construct and maintain a calm center. The character has wartime pain inside that he generally doesn't want to talk about, but sometimes it comes out, like in 'And the Sky Full of Stars.' Although JMS has stated that it was a mistake to make his character so complete (or 'arrived' is the word he used), who would not be as interesting to watch go through the hero's journey throughout the story (paraphrasing), I think Sinclair was one of the best-written characters in the entire series. After the shallow, not-much-to-them characters in Star Trek: the Next Generation (who talks about chocolate that much?!?), it was a relief to find a lead with real depth, a painful past, hopes for the future, and even a death wish. I love the idea of a leader who appears to be stable, but hides serious flaws within, who then has to take on an increasingly important role in a universe that's much more dangerous than he's ready for. And from time to time, circumstances force him out of his carefully-built shell of serenity, and when that happens Sinclair usually turns explosive. If he had remained, Sinclair might have been a time bomb. It's too bad we missed out on whatever JMS had planned for his death wish.

My favorite O'Hare performances were in 'Soul Hunter,' 'Infection' (I still think the most underrated episode in many ways, even JMS says it's one of his least favorites), 'And the Sky Full of Stars' of course, 'Deathwalker,' 'By Any Means Necessary,' and 'Chrysalis.' His voice was astounding. I used to crank the opening credits through my biggest speakers because his narration sounded so good, so deep, it was haunting and inspiring.

I was so glad O'Hare came back for 'War Without End,' and I was glad to hear the real story for his departure last year in Phoenix. That was a very cool convention, I hope there will be another one.

Raw Shark

"Be careful, Ambassador. Not every dream I've heard lately ends well for you."
Commander Sinclair

 

[Ubik]

Completely agree. His performance always seemed very restrained and nuanced to me. I was always intrigued by the 'original' arc that JMS had planned. What we got was great, but it would have indeed been fascinating to see it played out with Sinclair in place (had other circumstances been more favourable).

**And HELLO! to everyone here at B5TV, some of you will know me from JMS News already. Same user ID. More when I get time folks!

 

[KoshN]

I was really disappointed when Michael O'Hare left the series. The character and O'Hare's performance really grew on me. I always thought it was plausible that the rumors were true, Warner Bros. wanted him replaced in order to renew the show for a second season. It just sounded right, partly because so many people complained about his performance. As it turns out, it was about mental health issues, and that certainly does add a new layer to his tenure. A man trying to hold it together playing a man trying to hold it together, I'm not sure how often that happens.

I have also been confused by the criticism NSPUCY 8:00AM (M4K)-> East Palestine, Short Turn Assist Until Released.that he was 'wooden,' because given Sinclair's tastes throughout the first season, it was obvious to me early on that he was a stoic individual. The Tennyson recordings, talking about meditating with the Jesuits, breathing exercises, appreciating the solitude of C&C when no one is there, staring at the Japanese stone garden, 'walking in the green' when G'Kar finds him, everything points to someone who needs contemplative time to himself, someone trying to construct and maintain a calm center. The character has wartime pain inside that he generally doesn't want to talk about, but sometimes it comes out, like in 'And the Sky Full of Stars.' Although JMS has stated that it was a mistake to make his character so complete (or 'arrived' is the word he used), who would not be as interesting to watch go through the hero's journey throughout the story (paraphrasing), I think Sinclair was one of the best-written characters in the entire series. After the shallow, not-much-to-them characters in Star Trek: the Next Generation (who talks about chocolate that much?!?), it was a relief to find a lead with real depth, a painful past, hopes for the future, and even a death wish. I love the idea of a leader who appears to be stable, but hides serious flaws within, who then has to take on an increasingly important role in a universe that's much more dangerous than he's ready for. And from time to time, circumstances force him out of his carefully-built shell of serenity, and when that happens Sinclair usually turns explosive. If he had remained, Sinclair might have been a time bomb. It's too bad we missed out on whatever JMS had planned for his death wish.

My favorite O'Hare performances were in 'Soul Hunter,' 'Infection' (I still think the most underrated episode in many ways, even JMS says it's one of his least favorites), 'And the Sky Full of Stars' of course, 'Deathwalker,' 'By Any Means Necessary,' and 'Chrysalis.' His voice was astounding. I used to crank the opening credits through my biggest speakers because his narration sounded so good, so deep, it was haunting and inspiring.

I was so glad O'Hare came back for 'War Without End,' and I was glad to hear the real story for his departure last year in Phoenix. That was a very cool convention, I hope there will be another one.

Raw Shark

"Be careful, Ambassador. Not every dream I've heard lately ends well for you."
Commander Sinclair

I also completely agree. I never thought O'Hare's acting was wooden except for his scenes with Blaire Baron in The Gathering, but she was bad there, too. He just always seemed like somebody who was maintaining a tight grip on things to avoid losing control, and was fiery inside. However, since I started B5 with "Shadow Dancing", I started with Sheridan. However, I liked both station commanders; they were just different.

As in your sig., it's certainly true that O'Hare/Sinclair/Valen had some great lines that were perfectly delivered.

ps. You know what ringtone I use for my closest friends on my Droid? Sinclair to Garibaldi: "Hello, old friend."

 

[KoshN]

Completely agree. His performance always seemed very restrained and nuanced to me. I was always intrigued by the 'original' arc that JMS had planned. What we got was great, but it would have indeed been fascinating to see it played out with Sinclair in place (had other circumstances been more favourable).

**And HELLO! to everyone here at B5TV, some of you will know me from JMS News already. Same user ID. More when I get time folks!

You need an avatar.

 

[ranger phil]

Liked O Hare's performances. It's difficult to portray someone of that ilk. Little did we know. As far as his performance in War Without End, it was amazing.

I for one was gutted when they 'replaced' him at the beginning of season 2. Not saying Bruce didn't do a good job, it just took me a while to adjust to sheridan over sinclair.

 

[Springer]

I always liked O'Hare's performance except for his scenes with Blaire Baron (in The Gathering), with whom he had zero chemistry. That scene, discussing The Battle of the Line was filled with bad acting, by both of them. It was just a bad scene. They should've done it a few more times and had good direction.

I haven't watched The Gathering in a while so I can't remember how the acting played out in that scene, but I do remember reading an interview with Julia Nickson in TV Zone magazine where she said her and Michael O'Hare spent a lot of time outside of the set working on their scenes so that they could get the chemistry right. It was a shame we didn't see more of Sakai as she brought out a different side of Sinclair and helped make him a more rounded character.

Raw Shark mentioned By Any Means Necessary as a standout Sinclair episode and I agree, it was a real tour de force for Michael O'Hare. And even in Believers, which is a Franklin-centric episode, I thought he was outstanding.

Best Sinclair scene? Kicking Neroon's arse in Legacies has got to be up there. Even Marcus couldn't do that!

In some ways Sinclair and G'Kar were similar, kind of 'warrior-monks' if that makes sense.

 

[KoshN]

I always liked O'Hare's performance except for his scenes with Blaire Baron (in The Gathering), with whom he had zero chemistry. That scene, discussing The Battle of the Line was filled with bad acting, by both of them. It was just a bad scene. They should've done it a few more times and had good direction.

I haven't watched The Gathering in a while so I can't remember how the acting played out in that scene, but I do remember reading an interview with Julia Nickson in TV Zone magazine where she said her and Michael O'Hare spent a lot of time outside of the set working on their scenes so that they could get the chemistry right. It was a shame we didn't see more of Sakai as she brought out a different side of Sinclair and helped make him a more rounded character.

Raw Shark mentioned By Any Means Necessary as a standout Sinclair episode and I agree, it was a real tour de force for Michael O'Hare. And even in Believers, which is a Franklin-centric episode, I thought he was outstanding.

Best Sinclair scene? Kicking Neroon's arse in Legacies has got to be up there. Even Marcus couldn't do that!

In some ways Sinclair and G'Kar were similar, kind of 'warrior-monks' if that makes sense.

I was thinking of the scene in The Gathering where Sinclair throws his Battle of the Line medal (in its case) against the wall of his quarters and she picks it up. THAT SCENE. Very clunky.

I definitely liked Sinclair and Sakai better. That looked far more real.

Yes, Sinclair and post-dust/Kosh G'kar were similar.

 

[GoldChannel]

As it turns out, it was about mental health issues, and that certainly does add a new layer to his tenure. A man trying to hold it together playing a man trying to hold it together,

fascinating observation


it definitely adds a layer to watching his performance

true to the ethos of the character, he does a hell of a better job holding it together than most of us would probably do

 

[Raw Shark]

Thanks! I looked up Michael O'Hare's bio on Wikipedia, and it mentions the stress of playing a character with his own mental issues as being overwhelming for him, and in turn making O'Hare's own problems worse. I suppose that would be a real danger for an actor immersing himself in a challenging role, getting sucked in too deep. It's sad that it cost him on such a personal level, in terms of his own career and stability. Again, I wonder how often this happens? He cannot have been the only one who experienced this. Heath Ledger springs to mind, but I don't know that much about the events leading up to his death.

Raw Shark

"Get out of my way, or by God I'll throw you out the nearest airlock."
Cmdr. Sinclair

 

[Jan]

Wow, I seriously disagree with "Halfway through filming, his hallucinations worsened and the stress of playing a character who was suffering from a similar mental illness was becoming overwhelming." *What* similar mental illness? PTST (Sinclair) isn't generally equated with paranoid delusions (O'Hare). In addition, in both his recent interview and in Phoenix, JMS didn't offer "... to suspend the show for several months to accommodate O'Hare's treatment for mental disease;..." He offered to shut down the show-full stop.

Jan

 

[Springer]

I agree, the description on Wikipedia almost makes it sound like O'Hare became ill, or that his illness was made worse, partly because of the character he was playing but I don't recall JMS ever saying that.

Did Sinclair have PTSD? He certainly had survivor's guilt, which is pretty much what Garibaldi implies at the end of 'Infection', and is also hinted at with his memories of Mitchell in 'And the Sky Full of Stars'. He was haunted by the events on the line and his missing 24 hours. But people suffering PTSD also experience paranoia, anxiety, depression, flashbacks, withdrawal and a lack of confidence. I never saw any of that in Sinclair and we never saw Franklin discussing it with him. Sinclair was very confident, very sure of his abilities and his decision-making, never became flustered or hesitant. He didn't have a problem getting back into a Starfury and going back into battle or of working with Minbari. It does make me wonder a little bit if people are conflating Sinclair with O'Hare's illness, of which we do not know the details.

 

[Republibot 3.0]

I always liked O'Hare's performance except for his scenes with Blaire Baron (in The Gathering), with whom he had zero chemistry. That scene, discussing The Battle of the Line was filled with bad acting, by both of them. It was just a bad scene. They should've done it a few more times and had good direction.

They probably intended to do retakes after principle photography was done,, then were told it was being trimmed way back. in the preliminary edit. Or, conversely, the trimmed version we got might have been an attempt to salvage something from a scene that just wasn't working.

 

[Republibot 3.0]

It does make me wonder a little bit if people are conflating Sinclair with O'Hare's illness, of which we do not know the details.

Agreed. Easy to do, certainly under the circumstances.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but O'Hare was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia, wasn't he?

 

[Republibot 3.0]

I can only point to a few really bad scenes (The bar scene in "Born to the Purple" is cringingly awful), and some occasionally odd line readings, but I think the problem is that Stage acting and Screen acting are different animals. On state you're playing for the cheap seats in the back, and tend to be a little exaggerated in nuance. Screen is more intimate, the perormances more measured and restrained. (Example: "The Producers" broadway musical, which is pretty good, versus the movie version of "the Producers" musical, which is terrible [Though the John Barrowman part cracks me up])

I think O'Hare was primarily a stage actor, and he didn't really have time to find the sweet spot between the two mediums. As a result, I think he might have played the stoicism "too big," if that makes sense. He over-sold it. I can see how this would make people think he's merely wooden, and not give him the second chance he deserved.

On the other hand, in his "Achiles sulking in his tent" scenes, his over-selling it just totally rocks and is amazing.

 

[Jan]

I agree, the description on Wikipedia almost makes it sound like O'Hare became ill, or that his illness was made worse, partly because of the character he was playing but I don't recall JMS ever saying that.

Did Sinclair have PTSD? He certainly had survivor's guilt, which is pretty much what Garibaldi implies at the end of 'Infection', and is also hinted at with his memories of Mitchell in 'And the Sky Full of Stars'.

You may be correct. My comment was based on the (few, thank goodness) people I've known with post-combat PTSD who were prone to flashbacks. Which Sinclair definitely seemed to have, even without the Knight's machine. However, he definitely had survivor's guilt.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but O'Hare was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia, wasn't he?

It sounds like it, but JMS never mentioned any actual diagnosis. BTW, if you haven't seen it yet, there's a *long* interview with JMS at http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/j-michael-straczynski# and a link to a clip where he talks about Michael just a short time before he did so at Phoenix Comic-Con. In the clip, the discussion of Michael's illness starts shortly after the 46:00 mark.

Jan

 

[JoeD80]

I always liked O'Hare's performance except for his scenes with Blaire Baron (in The Gathering), with whom he had zero chemistry. That scene, discussing The Battle of the Line was filled with bad acting, by both of them. It was just a bad scene. They should've done it a few more times and had good direction.

They probably intended to do retakes after principle photography was done,, then were told it was being trimmed way back. in the preliminary edit. Or, conversely, the trimmed version we got might have been an attempt to salvage something from a scene that just wasn't working.

um that scene was cut in the original pilot. the full scene was there in the "special edition.". Personally I think o'hare is awesome in that scene.

 

[Springer]

Thank you for posting a link to that video Jan. I haven't had chance to watch all three hours yet but I viewed the part where he talks about Rick Biggs and MIchael O'Hare. Very sad, and the respect he had for those actors is clear to see.

 

[Raw Shark]

There was a fair amount of emotion on display in Phoenix. I loved the stories about Jerry Doyle living with Andreas Katsulas, and the free ham he was obsessed with getting his hands on. And that part about several of the cast watching Galaxy Quest together one night was very funny.

But my favorite part was Tracy Scoggins' defense of her friend Jeff Conaway's reputation. Prior to his death, they had been friends for many years. After years of dancing and performing on Broadway and elsewhere, he had (I think) several injuries to his back and elsewhere, and got hooked on prescription painkillers. That's how a lot of addicts start out, and after sustaining my own injuries I've become keenly aware of this trend over the last few years. She was really unhappy with the way he was portrayed on the reality series Celebrity Rehab, which I'm guessing was along the lines of a self-absorbed, overly dramatic trainwreck. I haven't seen the show, I hate reality tv with all my heart, but that's what she was implying. She said he was not like he appeared on the rehab show, but was instead a good friend and a good man. It didn't quite fit with the other topics being discussed, but she needed to say it, and I thought it was pretty damn cool. Count me as a Tracy Scoggins fan.

Raw Shark

"Perhaps everyone is wrong."
Kalain