Dominic Purcell Clarifies His Status With Legends of Tomorrow and the Studio

On Saturday, DC’s Legend of Tomorrow star Dominic Purcell announced he’d be leaving the series after six seasons. In his initial post, Purcell sounded as if his departure was the result of tensions with the studio and that he wouldn’t be back under any circumstances. Since then, Purcell has deleted the original post and replaced it with another Instagram post using the same photo that clarifies his status with the series and studio. Claiming he was messing with press outlets originally, Purcell now says he’s departed Legends of Tomorrow as a regular but has a “handshake deal” in place to appear as a guest star in the future:

‘WHY SO SERIOUS…….. MY last post I needed a laugh. It was a joke and The press went nuts and yes I will always fuck with the press it’s fun watching them be click-bated— Truth is yes I am leaving @cw_legendsoftomorrow but will come back periodically, it’s a handshake deal with my boss Phil Klemmer. I don’t have a beef with studio @warnerbrostv. I don’t have a beef with anyone except myself haha. …Shit woke up this morning like I’d caused mass #riots …. emails , phone calls. But what a genius negotiation move. I am loved…… ps. My dear friends the press got a great one for ya next week. Ya gonna love it.”

His original, now-deleted post, had a starkly different tone. It read:

“Deal isn’t done. I have no interest. What ever cash they throw on the corporate level. Im walking away from @cw_legendsoftomorrow. It’s been a total pleasure and a humbling experience bringing @dccomics iconic character #heatwave (aka) MICK RORY to life. I smashed this character— not an actor in the world could have done better. FACT…. Such a funny cunt ……..Time to move on and see how shit unfolds. @caitylotz @nickzano look after the kids coming through. They need education. They are a number— teach them to not rely on loyalty from the studio. The studio does not care. The actors work ethic and talent must give them the confidence to question authority. ….Much love to all. It’s not lost on me how very fortunate I am. …..ACTORS HIT ME UP ON DM.”

Purcell plays Heat Wave on the series and appears in the first trailer and photos for Legends‘ upcoming sixth season, which will apparently be his last. The series returns to The CW on May 2nd.