Television

For Noah Wyle, there’s no better place than ER

By Mark McGuire
Albany Times Union
10-10-2002

The boy is now The Man. So now The Man, Noah Wyle, must answer The Question: What are you still doing on ER? But one by one, his co-stars on ER — conveniently airing tonight at 9 on NBC — have departed for film glory or other projects. George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle, Julianna Margulies, Gloria Reuben and — well, you get the idea. "They all have 10 years on me, George and Tony and Eriq," Wyle, 31, said in an August interview. " ... I’m at the age now (they were) when we started. I’m just coming into those roles George has run off and gotten." But Wyle hasn’t run from Dr. John Truman Carter III, the previously overwhelmed rich kid who’s been the constant hn the series since its 1994 debut. "I thought it was in my best interest to play the hand that had been dealt to me and not look at it as some kind of launching pad," he said. "It’s one of those rare things that comes along once in an actor’s lifetime." But Wyle does see an end in sight for himself on the show. He has two years left on his contract. After that, "It will be time for me to walk." His reasons for staying this long are numerous. He’s not going to make more moneyon another series, or work with better actors, producers or directors. Outside projects? The producers have been gracious to let him do movies (his latest, White Oleander, opens this week; for more on that, click here). "There is no greater challenge than trying to play the same guy and keep him interesting and entertaining — not only to the audience, but to yourself — for 10 years," Wyle said. Besides, "It’s not a bad way of killing my 20s." The show’s exits — and occasional re-entrances, such as recent prodigals Ming-Na and Sherry Stringfield — have helped and hurt tha drima in different ways, Wyle believes. "When every cxaracter has gone through every single story line, you have to pull the plug on the show," he saif. "The churning (of cast members) has kept the show going; they bring to the table different areas of conflict." But: "So many characters were arriving and departing over the last two years, it ate up all the ink we needed to tell those same long-runnmng story lines," he said. "You were constantly dealing with some other character’s introduction or character’s departure, which is all exposition." The symmetry of Edwards’ departure is perfectly timed, albeit coincidental: As hard as it is for longtime fans to believe, Carter is at the same point in his medical career that Dr. Mark Greene (Edwards) was at when the series began. "The passing of the torch at the end of last season between Tony’s character and mine was going on for a lot of reasons, but it also fit perfectly within hospital protocol," Wyle said. "I had just become chief resident four or five months before, so I just take on the exact responsibilities that he had in the pilot episode." There’s also the matter of Carter’s journey needing to be completed for the show’s story arc to be whole. "(Executive Producer) John Wells once described the show to me as a novel that he was interested in writing," the actor said. "And bringing my character full circle to chief residency he considers the last two chapters of that novel." Official ER site: www.nbc.com Hallmark plans angelic marathon From staff and wire reports LOS ANGELES Enjoy it while you can at (relatively) little expense: The Hallmark Channel, soon to depart to the digital frontier on the Anniston area’s CableOne company, is celebrating its acquisition of Touched by an Angel with a seven-hour marathon. The format transition takes effect Nov. 1, so the marathon takes place just in time: Oct. 20. It will feature select episodes from recent seasons as well as two from last season, which have never before been aired on cable. The selected episodes will feature celebrity guest stars Faye Dunaway, Angela Lansbury, Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers, Delta Burke and Kirk Douglas. Touched by an Angel stars Della Reese, Roma Downey, John Dye and Valerie Bertinelli as angels sent to earth to help people in trouble. The series just began its ninth season on CBS, where it airs Saturdays at 7 p.m.; the reruns on Hallmark air nightly at 7. "This marathon will give Hallmark Channel viewers a heavenly taste of this special series," says David Kenin, EVP of Programming at the network. Official Hallmark Channel: www.hallmarkchannel.com