Rob Lowe felt "very undervalued" on 'The West Wing' and left the show because he felt he was in a "super-unhealthy relationship".
Rob Lowe felt "very undervalued" on 'The West Wing'.
The 59-year-old actor left the political drama in 2002 after four seasons playing deputy communications director Sam Seaborn and he's now explained he decided to leave because he "did not have a good experience" and compared his time in the show to being in an abusive relationship.
Speaking on the 'Podcrushed' podcast, Rob said in an interview conducted before the actors' strike: "Whenever I talk to actors who complain about, you know, their relationships on their shows, it happens — it happens in any workplace.
"You could be in an environment where people sandbag you, want to see you fail, don't appreciate you, whatever it is.
"Whenever I share my stories, people are like, 'I will never share my own stories again.
"They would make your hair stand up, and there's some of them I wrote. I shared some of them in my book, but I purposely didn't share half of the other ones because it would make the people involved look so bad that I didn't want to do it to them. So, I did not have a good experience."
Rob "tried to make it work" but realised he needed to make changes because his sons were "getting to a certain age where I could see them having first girlfriends and being in a relationship that was abusive and taking it."
He elaborated: "She's the popular girl, everybody likes her, she's beautiful, it must be great' — all the things that people would say about making 'The West Wing to me'. 'It's so popular, it's so amazing, it must be amazing.' But I know what it's like, and if I couldn't walk away from it, then how could I empower my kids to walk away from it?
"I walked away from the most popular girl at school, but I also knew that it was a super-unhealthy relationship, and it was the best thing I ever did."
Despite his comments, Rob returned to the show for two episodes in the seventh and final season in 2006, including the finale, and also took
part in a 2020 HBO special in aid of the non-profit organisation When We All Vote.
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Electronic music pioneer and producer Annie Elise says that the release of her first EP - 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' feels "both vulnerable and...
Ever since he was a little boy, Maximo has been interested in living the high...
Word has it that a 4-year-old came up with the idea for this unapologetically silly...
Tripp doesn't like the small town life that's currently encapsulating his life. He's a senior...
There's half of a great satire here, as Seth Rogen, James Franco and Evan Goldberg...
Although it presents itself as a rude sex comedy, this movie is actually a prudish...
Jay and Annie once had a thriving sexual relationship, but now they've been together for...
An extraordinary tale of friendship and romance is set to hit our screens as the...
This biopic about the pianist-showman Liberace may look almost painfully camp, and sometimes it is,...
Liberace was an American pianist and entertainer well-known for his flamboyant lifestyle and the sense...
Jonathan; Ron; Richard and Tim met at college 25 years ago and have been friends...
Watch the trailer for The Invention Of LyingThe Invention Of Lying is Ricky Gervais' first...