Deaths on TV shows and movies are no less painful than real-life deaths for some fans. While many actors themselves too loathe the prospect of bidding farewell to their characters, some exceptions eagerly anticipate their characters’ exits from hit TV shows or movie series.
In fact, the desire to see their characters die is such a strong desire for some actors that they have not shied away from saying it out loud or even going a step ahead and begging for them to be killed. So brace yourself to be shocked with what we are about to reveal, because many of these characters are absolute fan-favorites. Here’s a look at 8 actors who actively sought to have their characters killed off.
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Paul Walker in ‘Fast & Furious’
Before the fourth part of the fan-favorite ‘Fast & Furious’ film franchise, Paul Walker voiced his wish to exit the movie series. His character, Brian O’Conner, however remained a fixture in the films even after his request. “I wanted to go out this time. I thought we were done the second one and the third one kind of came around and this time it was Vin calling up going, hey, let’s make one more. I think Vin wants to make a fifth,” Paul was quoted as saying at the time. He also mentioned how Justin Lin had refused to kill his character in the films. “I actually told Justin [Lin] at one point that I wanted to die. He says it’s not going to happen,” he said.
Johnny Depp in ’21 Jump Street’
Johnny Depp wanted to get rid of his character Tom Hanson on ‘21 Jump Street‘ as the series progressed because of what he deemed a creatively restraining environment. He wanted an out so bad that he even resorted to drastic measures, including trashing his trailer, in hopes of being ousted. “It started to get a little showboat-y, you know what I mean? It just started to become false. It started to become this action-packed can of soup, you know? ” he had said about the show. Ultimately, he returned for the film adaptation but under one condition — his character dies in the film.
Daniel Craig in ‘James Bond’
Daniel Craig won some critical acclaim with his role as James Bond, but he did not cherish it as much as his audiences might have. He desperately wanted to see the iconic spy meet his end. “I had genuinely thought I would do one Bond movie, then it would be over. But by then we knew we had a hit on our hands. I realised the enormity of it, so I said to Barbara [Broccoli, the producer], ‘How many more? Three? Four?’ She said, ‘Four!’ I said, ‘OK. Then can I kill him off?’ She said, ‘Yes,’” he said.Craig’s wish was eventually fulfilled in ‘No Time To Die‘ and his Bond journey ended there.
Sophie Turner in ‘Game of Thrones’
Sophie Turner played the iconic character Sansa Stark in the well-acclaimed show ‘Game of Thrones’. Sophie wanted her character to be killed off dramatically, complete with revenge and a grand death scene. I want her to avenge her family’s death and everything. “But then I kind of want her to die at the end because I want a big death scene,” Turner had said of her character. Sansa’s fate, however, was written differently to her fans’ luck. However, it was not exactly a bad deal for Turner either, as Sansa Stark’s character arc was one of the most impressive ones on the show despite several interesting characters.
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Dean Norris in ‘Breaking Bad’
Dean Norris, who played the cop Hank Schrader on ‘Breaking Bad‘, also proposed that his character be killed off early on the show. His reasons, however, had to do with his commitments involving a pilot he wanted to film. However, creator Vince Gilligan denied his request and decided to keep Hank alive until the right moment in the series. Hank didn’t die until Episode 14 of the season when he was shot even though the show’s main character Walter White begged for his life on the show.
Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder in ‘The Vampire Diaries’
Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder play the lead roles on ‘The Vampire Diaries‘ and both of them together demanded for their characters, Stefan and Damon, to die in a heroic finale. While Wesley’s wish was granted, Somerhalder’s character endured. “We wanted the brothers to go out with a bang together. And we were fighting over who would die,” Wesley had said at the time. Somerhalder, on the other hand, said he thought it would be “poetic for these two brothers to go away and then to let these humans sort of resettle back into their town.” However, the show creators decided to kill off Wesley and make Somerhalder’s character survive as a human.
Jeremy Renner in ‘Avengers’
Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in ‘Avengers‘, was disappointed with his portrayal of the character which led him to contemplate his character’s death. Besides, he was also reportedly not quite comfortable with the direction of his character, as for most of the film, he played a mind-controlled servant to Loki. Some also suggested that he even tried to go around pretending his character was having a heart attack to suggest to producers that he should be killed off.
Milo Ventimiglia in ‘Gilmore Girls’
Milo Ventimiglia became rather famous with his role as Jess Mariano on ‘Gilmore Girls‘. However, he did entertain the idea of a violent death for his character. “I was the one who actually tried to get [the character] Jess killed, and they didn’t go for it. [I wanted to] get him hit by a bus, a knife in the side of the neck, something bad,” he told E! News at the time. “I don’t know — guess I thought it would be kind of cool,” he added. However, his attempts to engineer Jess’s death were in vain, as his character survived.
It might sound a bit disappointing that your favorite characters were not so loved by their actors, but for these artists, saying goodbye to their characters was more than just an exit. Most of them looked at it as an opportunity to shape the narrative around the character and leave a lasting impression on their audience.
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