‘Arrow’ Star Breaks Silence on SPOILER’s Exit

Tonight’s episode of Arrow had no shortage of major bombshells — including the departure of one series veteran.

Spoilers for tonight’s episode of Arrow, “Star City Slayer”, below!

The episode saw Team Arrow using their work with the SCPD to try to hunt down an ominous serial killer. In the middle of that ordeal, Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum) revealed to John Diggle (David Ramsey) that he’d been offered a job in Washington DC, which would take him away from his work at ARGUS.

By the end of the episode, Curtis came to the decision that he would be taking the job, and proceeded to part ways with Diggle and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards).

Seeing as Curtis has factored into the show since Season 4, it’s pretty safe to say that fans were shocked by his sudden exit. But in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kellum dove into the reasoning behind it.

“I had a conversation with [then-showrunner] Marc Guggenheim in season 6.” Kellum revealed. “It was my idea. I have kids — I have a 12-year-old — and it was just starting to feel like I should be back home more. First of all, I love working on this show. I love the cast, the producers. It’s the best cast I’ve ever worked with, the best studio. They’ve taken such great care of me and made me feel like I’ve been there since season 1. So all of this has been very bittersweet because I actually feel very crestfallen, because it’s so tough to leave such an amazing show. But I think for me, it just boiled down to family, and also I just wanted to try a couple of creative ventures in my life. I’m working on music, directing, and writing now. I still love acting, but it’s something I’m not looking at as the top thing of my career anymore. I’m looking at my career in a different light.”

As Kellum went on to explain, the nature of Curtis’ exit certainly leaves things open for a potential return down the line.

“So, I approached Marc.” Kellum continued. “We had a long conversation about family and fatherhood and all those things, and he totally got where I was coming from. You know, Warner Bros. and the network were so generous to be able to let me exit gracefully. What I will say, this isn’t the end of Curtis. I’ll definitely come back as much as they want me back, and visit and guest-star and whatnot. So, it’s not the end of him. I guess it’s really a family decision overall, just to be a little closer to my kids. I’ve been around my kids more during the school parts of the year the most that I have been in the last four years, even in the past month. It was definitely not an easy decision.”

“We’ve had some discussions.” Kellum said of Curtis returning to Arrow. “Nothing’s been finalized at this point, but we’ve definitely discussed that aspect and they definitely made sure and clear that they want Curtis to come back. I can’t give you any definitive episodes or storylines, but it’s definitely something I’m 100-percent open to doing, and I believe they’re open to doing it too, so it should definitely work out at some point in the future.”

So, would Kellum be interested in returning as Curtis for next season’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover?

“Of course, 100 percent!” Kellum teased. “That’s going to be so epic and amazing! I would love to be a part of those crossovers.”

What do you think of Curtis leaving Arrow? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Arrow will return with new episodes on Monday, March 4th, at 8/7c on The CW.