Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 28, 1995 TAG: 9507280040
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GAIL SHISTER KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After nine months of juggling ``Chicago Hope'' in L.A. with his family in New York, Patinkin is leaving the acclaimed CBS drama later this season to be with his wife and two young sons.
``It hurts my heart to leave, but I had to make a choice,'' says Patinkin, 42, who plays volatile surgeon Jeffrey Geiger. ``Something was going to suffer, whether it be my TV family or my personal family. I decided the TV family could withstand it a lot better than my wife and children.''
Patinkin will appear in the first eight segments. He has the option to return, he says, depending on his availability and David Kelley's plot twists. No word on how Geiger will be written out, but Patinkin's preference is that he chuck the bucks and head for Bosnia.
The departure of Patinkin will mean beefier story lines for the rest of ``Hope's'' fine ensemble cast. Still, Patinkin's passion will be missed.
``I wish he'd reconsider,'' says Hector Elizondo, whose Dr. Phillip Watters, the hospital's ultra-controlled chief administrator, clashes frequently with Patinkin's character. ``Geiger is one of the most important valves in the show. The organism will remain healthy, but we'll miss the valve.''
As an actor, Patinkin ``brings a particular kind of angst'' to Geiger, Elizondo says. ``Mandy doesn't walk through anything. He's almost a force of nature.'' (More specifically, a hailstorm.)
Walking away from close to $1 million in salary this season was a no-brainer, Patinkin insists.
No amount of money could make up for the emotional price of being separated from his family, he says. Patinkin and his wife, writer Kathryn Grody, considered moving to the West Coast, he says, but they didn't want to uproot Isaac, 13, and Gideon, 9.
``All last year, Isaac used to say, `I know we're moving to L.A., because fame and fortune is all that matters, anyway,''' says Patinkin, his eyes welling with tears. ``When I told the boys we were staying, they wept.
``I have nine years left with Gideon before he's in college and five years with Isaac. A friend of mine, whose father is a very famous TV star, told me that if his father had just once canceled a job instead of a family vacation, it would have made all the difference in his life.''
Because of the 16-hour-a-day demands of ``the one-hour beast,'' Patinkin says he had to scrap five planned family vacations. When Isaac flew out for a week, his dad didn't have time for him.
``I never saw him,'' Patinkin says softly. ``He hung out on the set and played a little basketball while I was working. He went home furious with me. It lacerated my heart. I thought about it the other day in the car and burst into tears.''
An accomplished vocalist and two-time Tony winner, Patinkin will not lack for work. His new album is set for release in October. A concert tour is planned. He wants to do a classical play. And a few ``Hope'' episodes. No more full-time series commitments until the boys are grown, he says.
Geiger dominated ``Hope's'' freshman season, including a three-episode arc in which he suffered a nervous breakdown. Being in so many scenes ``was the one frustrating thing about the show,'' Patinkin says. ``My story line was too heavy. It didn't allow enough flexibility for other characters to grow.''
The major beneficiary of that growth will be Adam Arkin. As Geiger's best - and only - friend, his Dr. Aaron Shutt ``was a bit of a facilitator to Jeffrey's eccentricity,'' Arkin says.
Minus Shutt's yin to Geiger's yang, ``my character will bust out a bit,'' Arkin says. ``I think the producers will start exploring Aaron having some eccentricities of his own. It's a healthy opportunity for other characters to come into their own and get more attention.''
Patinkin plans to come into his own by becoming a cantor in a synagogue.
``I will definitely do it someday,'' he says. ``I know a lot of the music already. It's the first music I ever heard. It's in my bones and I love it. It makes me feel great, like comfort food. It's my mashed potatoes and meat loaf.''
by CNB