Second chance for actor Isaiah Washington
Less than a month after ABC told Isaiah Washington his services would no longer be needed on the top rated Grey’s Anatomy, the actor who infamously referred to co-star T.R. Knight as a ‘faggot’ and then repeated the word at the Golden Globes found a new job, as a recurring character on NBC’s much hyped Bionic Woman remake.
Back in May, when Dr. Preston Burke (Washington) left his fiancee (Sandra Oh) at the altar, the actor’s status on the series was left up in the air.
A month later, we learned Washington had been let go, and following the deluge of interviews in which he blamed his unemployment on his race, the one time promising young actor seemed damn near unemployable.
But NBC seems to see things differently, as big boss Ben Silverman made the announcement to a crowded room of television critics at the network’s press day on Monday.
“He’s a wonderful actor… and he became available,” Silverman said, drawing laughter from the assembled reporters, according to Zap2It.com.
“I started talking to him before he was available. …I didn’t have any idea–when he told me he was available, I was like ‘What? I don’t understand. You’re a star on a huge TV show.’ I didn’t quite understand what was going on there.”
Washington’s Golden Globes tirade drew back lash from members of the media, gay rights activists and even co-stars.
As an attempt at damage control, Washington checked himself into rehab and met with leaders from GLAAD to prepare a series of public service announcements denouncing homophobia.
But upon being let go from the series, Washington indicated much of his behaviour following the incident was demanded by ABC.
In one interview, he suggested that people on the series were afraid of him because he isn’t a “mush-mouthed negro,” according to the Associated Press.
Bionic Woman will premiere on NBC in the autumn and Washington is said to appear in five of the series’ first six episodes.
Additionally, NBC announced they are in development with Washington on a forthcoming action series.
Ross von Metzke
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