Mandy Patinkin Brainwashed Himself to Do ‘Criminal Minds’

Criminal Minds star Mandy Patinkin was seen as a risky hire when another popular series, Homeland, recruited him. Especially when his experience in Criminal Minds proved to be a disaster for everyone involved. But Patinkin had a much better time in Homeland than on Criminal Minds, a series he always regretted starring in.

Mandy Patinkin’s first impression of the ‘Criminal Minds’ scriptShemar Moore and Mandy Patinkin | Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty ImagesPatinkin already had a reputation for unceremoniously abandoning his television projects early. But his departure from Criminal Minds created a huge buzz because of his motives behind the exit. He played Jason Gideon, an experienced criminal profiler, for two seasons before he simply decided to stop showing up for work.

But even before he left, there were clues that the dark nature of his character and the show were beginning to take their toll.In a 2005 interview with Variety, Patinkin opened up about how difficult it was to prepare for the role. It was noted that Patinkin, who performed in theater often, was used to rehearsing for his projects.

But television required Patinkin to work at a different speed. So the Dead Like Me Star had to find more creative, and torturous, ways to get into Jason Gideon’s headspace.“The main challenge was developing a mental vocabulary for horror, sadness and pain,” Patinkin said.

“I did it by spending mental time in the most horrible space of my life for hours a day. Even.