The gig made the actor very, very famous and very, very rich; it wasn’t easy to leave. In the end, it was too safe for him.
Even in this economy, career evaluation is important. Petersen used a 4-week sabbatical in season 7 to test the waters back into the theater. More on him in a sec.
How much does “safety” play in your decision to stay put? How much sameness do you feel day to day? Could your career be in a sweet spot that’s preventing you from thinking much about what else might be “out there?”
Taking a career break – a sabbatical- could get you some answers.
William Peterson, a.k.a. Gil Grissom – a character so beloved by his audience that CSI, nine seasons in, is still the No. 1 scripted show on television and made Peterson one of the highest-paid actors on television.
Peterson says he liked the money and really didn’t have to work that hard anymore. He’d sorta figured out his character. But he also realized, “do anything year after year for nine years, and it becomes rote.” He’s leaving because of “artistic integrity” – meaning the situation was promoting atrophy – a sameness that’s pretty much paralysing for actors.
Or anybody else for that matter.
Petersen literally notched the passing of each season on his trailer ceiling. It’s a powerful visual.
Petersen walks away from a lot and his decision to leave caused some angst for the rest of the cast. He’s now playing to theater audiences of less than 300 versus the 21.3 million viewers he had before.
Just curious here. When’s the last time you re-evaluated your career path? And how many notches in that office ceiling?
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