Walking Dead Star Who Demanded He Was Killed Off Reveals Exit Regret, 7 Years On

Burnout is nothing new, and it seems like actors aren’t immune to the phenomenon. We’ve seen actors like Eliza Dushku (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), the late Gene Hackman (Superman: The Movie), and Rick Moranis (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids) all step away from the spotlight to pursue new and different opportunities, whether that be writing, becoming a therapist, or focusing on life with their families. 

Frank Dillane from Fear the Walking Dead is no stranger to this particular brand of burnout either. For four seasons, he starred as Nick Clark, one of the main characters and a member of the Clark family, alongside Kim Dickens and Alycia Debnam-Carey. In the most recent issue of Empire, Dillane sat down with the publication to discuss how he regrets leaving the show in the way he did. 

Read Next

Oscar Nominee Colman Domingo Nearly Quit Acting Before Fear the Walking Dead: “It Changed My Entire Career”

Why Frank Dillane Left Fear The Walking Dead

In an exit interview for Fear The Walking Dead, the actor said that he’s never felt a real sense of pride in his performances.

“I rebuke past Frank for saying that. I think Nick has had a real effect on people, maybe more than any of my characters. I still get people telling me how much he meant to them.” And that is certainly something to be proud of. So why did Dillane end up leaving the show?

He asked to be written out. “The way [the show] was—addiction, dead people, everyone being killed and guns—kind of exhausted me,” he admits, further elaborating that he was ready to play new characters and explore new stories. There was also an element of disillusionment for the actor that came after four seasons on the show. “At some point when I was disillusioned with [acting], I remember thinking, ‘You know, Frank, you don’t have to do any of this. You can just do something else completely.” 

When speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Dillane went on to say, “Television is hard work, and you have to shoot a lot. I also missed Europe very much. I’m not American, so after a while, I get quite homesick and all of those things. I also felt like we had achieved what needed to be achieved in the first few seasons, so I thought it was time to keep moving.”

When asked about what came next, he said, “I’m not very good at much else, let’s be honest. I play music, I write, but I really am not a very well-rounded human being.”

How do you feel about Nick’s send-off in Fear The Walking Dead? Tell us in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the ComicBook Forum to keep the conversation going.