NYPD Blue co-creator Steven Bochco has slammed the behaviour of the series’ former star, David Caruso.
In extracts from his new memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense, Bochco revealed "David Caruso had become impossible", going as far as to describe his behaviour as 'cancerous."
Carusso, who played the role of detective John Kelly, left the show midway through its second series, and was replaced by Jimmy Smits.
According to Bochco, “He was emotionally unavailable to everyone, and he was volatile, moody or sullen, depending on the day. Most people don’t function well in a dysfunctional environment, but Caruso loved it because he was the source of all the discontent, and it empowered him.”
“He never said it to me directly, but the simple truth was, Caruso felt he was too good for television. He wanted to be a movie star. And his plan was to alienate the writers, producers and his fellow cast mates, in the hope we would dump him from the show”.
Among the actors more extreme demands was a pay rise from $40,000 to $100,000 per episode, aswell as “Fridays off… a 38-foot trailer…. an office suite on the lot, replete with his own development executive, for whom we had to foot the bill to the tune of $1,000 a week… two hotel suites in New York when the company went there on location, plus a dozen first-class plane tickets… and additional security to shield him from his adoring public”, added Bochco.
The show, which also starred Dennis Franz and James McDaniel, ran for twelve series, and proved hugely popular with audiences, winning a total of 20 Emmy awards. Caruso went on to become best known for playing the role of Horatio Caine in fellow detective series, CSI: Miami.
