Living a life on your own terms is liberating, but it comes at a cost. Darren McGavin knew that if he wanted the freedom to do as he pleased, it would cost him a few years of servitude.

McGavin is known as Carl Kolchak, reporter and pseudo-detective.

Not only did McGavin star in thrillers like The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973), but he also reprised the character in The Night Stalker, a television series that has since become a cult classic.

But at a certain point in his career, McGavin was tired of living under other people’s rules, whether they be directors, producers, or television executives.

“After all the years I’ve been in the business, I want freedom of choice,” McGavin said during an interview with the Associated Press. “I want to do what I want under the conditions I want. As an actor, director, and producer. I don’t know if we’ll accomplish it, but that’s what I want.”

McGavin felt that a lack of freedom affected the quality of projects in Hollywood. Without the freedom to be creative, content became boring and lackluster.

“What you would have is an upsurge in creativity,” said McGavin. “What you have now is a paucity of creativity. What we have is that people are not doing things because they know it will not be accepted. It’s affected the whole creative output of this country.”

It was a sickness that McGavin believed had infected the entire industry. “The thing that bothers me most about television is that no one really has a free choice,” said the actor.

McGavin became an executive producer on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which allowed him more freedom to be the creative force he always wanted to be.