11 Actors Who Made Directors Kill Off Their Characters

Advertisements

It’s always sad when your favorite character dies in a movie. But sometimes, surprisingly, actors ask for that to happen themselves.

We at Here know 11 celebrities who did just that — and they had their reasons.

11. Star Wars: Episodes V and VII — Harrison Ford

Advertisements

Even while thinking over the first part of the saga, Ford wanted to have his character killed to make Han Solo a hero in the viewers’ eyes. Lucas, however, only agreed to freeze him in Episode V to revive him later. Still, in Episode VII, Ford’s request was finally granted because he managed to convince the director that Solo’s death would give emotional weight to the movie and let new characters appear in the franchise.

10. The Lord of the Rings — Sean Bean

This was actually Bean’s favorite death. The actor came to regret his decision to shoot in the movie as soon as he learned the set would change, and he’d have to fly a lot (he’s terrified of flying). Sean met his onscreen demise in New Zealand and made the most of it. As he himself puts it, you’ll never see a finer death scene.

9. Welcome to Zombieland — Bill Murray

The role had initially been meant for Patrick Swayze, but illness got the best of him. He couldn’t even read the script, and so Bill Murray was approved. The actor asked to change the script, though, and the role became a cameo with the character’s eventual death.

8. Alien 3 — Sigourney Weaver

The actress confessed she asked to kill off her character in the third installment herself because, as she said in an interview, "I heard that Fox was gonna do Alien vs Predator which really depressed me because I was very proud of the movies." That way, she wanted to end the franchise and do everything so that her character wouldn’t return.

7. Breaking Bad — Dean Norris

Before the shooting started, Dean Norris knew the scriptwriters were already working on the finale. When he decided to act in a new series, he asked to kill off his character sooner. The actor suggested that his onscreen death would occur not in the last episode but in the middle of the last season. They did just that, but Norris still didn’t make it into the new series because of prolonged shooting.

6. House, M.D. — Kal Penn

Advertisements

Penn had been mingling acting and politics for a long time, and when Barack Obama became president, he was offered a place in his administration. Kal made his choice, and the show’s directors ended his character’s life with a suicide.

5. Downton Abbey — Dan Stevens

Stevens wasn’t really passionate about the series and asked to kill his character because he didn’t feel like being in someone else’s place. The producers understood, and after 3 seasons, they made an extremely touching death scene: Matthew managed to see his newborn son shortly before dying.

4. Grey’s Anatomy — Theodore Raymond Knight

By the end of season 5, T.R. Knight felt his character’s progression had stopped and couldn’t see any reason to stay in the series. He tried to negotiate, but that only ended in a conflict, resulting in Knight’s refusal to come back to the series and his own offer to kill off his character.

3. The Walking Dead — Steven Yeun

Steven hadn’t wanted his character to die until he found out what kind of death was in place for him by Robert Kirkman. He was so fascinated that he didn’t even think of any other plot developments — he just wanted to play his part as soon as possible.

2. Game of Thrones — Kit Harington

Kit was happy when the moment came because he couldn’t keep his character’s death secret anymore and wanted it to happen sooner. Still, keeping his mouth shut about the resurrection was even harder (even his closest ones didn’t know). With the new season, Harington confessed Jon Snow had nothing left to lose, and he might not make it into season 8.

1. Game of Thrones — Sophie Turner

Advertisements

Turner is sure that death will come to everyone in the series, and she’s thinking of how hers would occur. "I’d like Sansa to die and the throne be taken by Littlefinger," the actress confessed. Maybe she’s just tired of her role and wants to leave the project in style.

Preview photo credit HBO

Advertisements

Comments