4 Actors Who HATED Working On Stargate
3. Michael Shanks
The second Daniel Jackson to feature on this short list - it makes one wonder if there was something in playing this character that got the actor's back up? But with Michael Shanks, his is thankfully a tale with a happy ending. His 'dark' time on the show came during the fifth season, leading to his departure for the show's sixth.
For a long time, there were rumours of 'creative differences', which in Hollywood slang is often just a term for 'fired'. But that was not the case here. Shanks did elect to leave on his own, as he felt that for the fifth season in particular, Jackson was being relegated into the background. While the show was of course an ensemble piece, he felt as though there was simply no point to his being there.
He was unable to reach a satisfactory deal with the producers and so his character was memorably (and heartbreakingly) written out in the series' penultimate episode, allowing room for Corin Nemic to take his place as newcomer Jonas Quinn.
However, he did return for several cameos throughout season six. This also kept him in contact with the producers and the lines of communication stayed open. Thanks to this, they were able to work on a storyline that suited all parties.
It was bad news for Corin Nemic though who, after one short season, was written out of the show to make way for Shanks' return.