Mandy Patinkin Says He Never Should Have Done "Criminal Minds"

[JamesG]

Mandy Patinkin left "Criminal Minds" in 2007 to the shock of the show’s creators. Patinkin only recently began opening up in interviews about that departure.

“The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do 'Criminal Minds' in the first place,” he says. “I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality. After that, I didn’t think I would get to work in television again.”





Even though "Homeland" has its own share of violence, Patinkin sees its message as antithetical to shows like "Criminal Minds".

“I’m not making a judgment on the taste of people who watch crime procedurals,” he says. “But I’m concerned about the effect it has. Audiences all over the world use this programming as their bedtime story. This isn’t what you need to be dreaming about. A show like 'Homeland' is the antidote. It asks why there’s a need for violence in the first place.”

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/fall-2012/m...tinkin-2012-9/

[Mr. Television]

Mandy's a great actor but he needs to shut up. He's already stated why he left the show. All he's doing now is trying to make us feel guilty for liking the show in the first place.

[JamesG]

Mandy Patinkin on his "Criminal Minds" Stint: "I Behaved Abominably"
Aug 21, 2013
by Robyn Ross


Looking back on his career, Mandy Patinkin says he's not proud that he was once a very spoiled actor who thought he needed more fame.

In a recent New York Times Magazine profile, the "Homeland" star talks about some of his past career regrets, including his departure from "Criminal Minds".

After exiting "Chicago Hope", Patinkin signed on "Criminal Minds" and left after the second season. He told The New York Times that agreeing to do the show was "the biggest public mistake" he ever made last year.



In the new interview, Patinkin suggests he shouldn't have taken the role in the first place. "It wasn't the right fit. I made a choice I didn't want to make. I pushed myself, thinking I needed more fame, more economic security," he said.

"When Criminal Minds came along, I had just survived the discovery that I had prostate cancer, so I guess I had that vulnerability. I'll never forget sitting on the bed in my cousin's house in L.A. reading the first script, and I schmoozed myself, I brainwashed myself, thinking, It won't be like that as it goes along. I didn't listen to any piece of myself, and I paid the price. I never expected to work in television again."

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Mandy-Pa...s-1069431.aspx

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

Mandy's a great actor but he needs to shut up. He's already stated why he left the show. All he's doing now is trying to make us feel guilty for liking the show in the first place.

[JamesG]

I don't know why Mandy always brings it up. It seems he's the only who can't get past it.

I'm not too sad he left. He's on "Homeland" now and "Criminal Minds" got Joe Mantegna who I enjoy much better on the show.

[robyrob]

i was MAD when he announced he was leaving the show - I mean he's not really my favorite actor or anything (although he was great on Dead Like Me and a few other shows), but it was the way he handled it and how it messed up the focus of the show just when it was starting to really take off.

I felt betrayed and maybe he should have dealt with the matter with a little more class.

Although it took a little getting used to Montegna, I am quite happy with his character on the show and could never imagine Patinkin coming back.