The popular WB series Smallville ran for 10 seasons from 2001 to 2011, but actor Michael Rosenbaum only starred in seven of those seasons. Now, he’s opening up about his decision to leave the show.
The 54-year-old actor chatted with Variety in a joint interview with co-star Tom Welling to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show premiering.
Michael starred in the series as Lex Luthor, who becomes fast friends with Tom‘s Clark Kent, though they eventually become enemies.
So, why did Michael Rosenbaum leave the show?
“I mean, do I get into it?” Michael said in response to a question about his exit.
Tom then chimed in, “There’s a point in the show where the actor’s contract comes up for renewal, and the idea is that, based on the success of the show, the contract will be increased. And that wasn’t happening.”
Michael revealed that he had been wanting to move on from the show and do other things, and then the “impasse” came up.
“It was like, ‘Hey, we want you to come back for three years — we want you to sign a three-year deal, and give you no increase in pay.’ And anybody who works in any business, it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m an integral part of this show, or this business,’ or whether you work at Kmart or whatever. And you’re like, ‘I’m part of the success, and don’t I need to get rewarded?’ So I said, ‘Yeah, no thanks.’ And that was it,” Michael said.
Michael Rosenbaum returned for the series finale
Michael asked to return for the finale. He recalled thinking to himself, “You should come back and wrap it up for the fans — I think the fans will love it. And I didn’t realize how much I would love it, and I’m glad I did it.”
While Michael shaved his head for his seven years on the show, he wore a bald cap for his finale appearance.
While they were in New York for Comic-Con earlier this month, Michael reacted to Tom‘s big hotel room blunder.
Posted To:Michael Rosenbaum Smallville Television