From Grey’s Anatomy to South Park: 5 Сult Characters Killed By Their Actors

When our favorite character dies, we usually blame the director or the screenwriters. And in most cases this is true, but sometimes it is the actors who become the killers of their characters.

1. Grey’s Anatomy – George O’Malley

Surgeon George O’Malley, played by T.R. Knight, had a long run on the show and was a fan favorite, so his unexpected (but heroic) demise under the wheels of a bus took everyone by surprise.

Few know that it was Knight who initiated his character's murder, and that the reason was creative differences with the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes. No one listened to Knight’s comments about his character, and after a hundred episodes, the actor noticed that his screen time began to decrease. So Knight contacted Rhimes and asked to remove Dr. O’Malley from the show.

2. Alien 3 – Ellen Ripley

All fans know that the legendary Ellen Ripley died in the third part of the Alien franchise, leaving it without a calling card, but many do not know that the actress who played the role, Sigourney Weaver, insisted on this plot decision. The reason is simple and respectful: Weaver did not want the already iconic franchise to drag on forever, which, as we know, almost always ends badly.

Sigourney found out that an Alien vs. Predator crossover was planned and was extremely upset about it. However, the crossover spent so much time in production hell that the creators managed to film the fourth installment of the main franchise during that time, in which Weaver once again starred – she played a clone of Ellen Ripley.

3. South Park – Chef

Chef, played by Isaac Hayes, a famous musician, might have lasted longer on the show if not for the episode Trapped in the Closet, which satirized the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes himself was a member.

He recommended that the show's creators not air the episode, but as we know, they did. Then Isaac announced that he no longer wanted to be a part of South Park. The Chef was killed in the episode The Return of Chef, and this death was very long and colorful, as if the writers were taking revenge on the actor for his decision.

4. House, M. D. – Lawrence Kutner

The death of Lawrence Kutner, played by Kal Penn, remains the most mysterious in the series. The fact is that the actor was offered a position as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. The salary was much lower than on the show, but Penn wanted to go into politics and asked showrunner David Shore to kill off his character.

Shore decided to take advantage of the situation – even though Kutner showed no signs that his arc might end in suicide, the showrunner killed Lawrence that way because he wanted to show that even if we have known someone for many years, it does not mean that we really know them, and even House, who usually finds answers to all questions, can reach a dead end.

5. Bones – Lance Sweets

Lance Sweets died in the tenth season of Bones, not by the writers' decision, but by the decision of actor John Francis Daley himself. John was offered to direct a comedy Vacation, and Daley, who had always dreamed of becoming a director, realized that Sweets no longer fit into his plans. An expensive studio movie was on the line, and the choice was obvious.

After consulting with showrunner Stephen Nathan, Daley decided it would be easier to kill off the psychiatrist – which happened at the very beginning of the 10th season.