News on Chris Carmack's Contract

Perhaps we were mistaken. A previous news item revealed that Chris Carmack signed a new contract with the show, but according to the New York Post, we may have been falsely informed:

One of the hot young actors on Fox's "The O.C." might not be back next year. Chris Carmack, who plays Luke Ward, declined to sign a contract with the series - not due to money concerns, as some people were saying, but because producers refused to guarantee him airtime in the upcoming year."It's not about money," Carmack's rep, Jerry Shandrew, said. "They gave him a generous raise. They just refused to give him a guarantee. He's bummed people would think he would leave the show because of money. Chris has a lot going on. He couldn't sign a contract without a guarantee. He is doing a movie with Dennis Hopper for USA, 'The Last Ride,' and has some other things on the table. Chris decided to keep on working without a contract and pursue other roles."

Other actors on the series, including Benjamin McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Peter Gallagher and Adam Brody, are said to already have signed contracts that do give them guaranteed airtime.

- OCriffic