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The “One Chicago” franchise is sprawling, and every once in a while, a character on one of its shows leaves for some reason or another. It might be to make room for fresh faces, create drama and tension, or simply because the actor in question wants to test their wings elsewhere. In some cases, this is monumental. Jesse Lee Soffer’s Jay Halstead leaving “Chicago P.D.” in 2022 was a huge moment that stripped the show of one of its favorite characters. Likewise, Yuri Sardanov’s Otis exiting “Chicago Fire” in season 8 ranks among the franchise’s most dramatic moments.
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However, sometimes the departure isn’t defined by the character’s popularity but by the premature nature of the occasion. One of the best examples involves Clint Eastwood’s son Scott Eastwood, who played Officer Jim Barnes in two “Chicago Fire” season 1 episodes (“Leaders Lead” and “Let Her Go”). As it happens, these were setting him up for a considerably larger role in the property, what with the episodes acting as a backdoor pilot to the law enforcement spinoff “Chicago P.D.” Despite this opportunity to get a truly solid television gig, though, Eastwood didn’t cash in. Instead, he opted to walk away from the role after the backdoor pilot appearances.
In an interview with CBR, the actor opened up on this decision (which, to some, might seemed like a baffling career move at the time that it happened):
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“I was offered one of those lead roles and it shot in Chicago … and at the time I was like, I can’t do that. I don’t want to move to Chicago. I’m not going to sign up for something [for] six and a half years. That’s just too long. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing in six months from now, let alone six and a half years.“
Scott Eastwood decided to trust his instincts
The revelation that Scott Eastwood simply didn’t want to commit to the Windy City for the sort of time the show would have required makes for an understandable reason for his quick departure. Still, since his career was hardly at the place it is now back in 2013, it’s equally understandable that some people found his career move very strange. In the CBR interview, Eastwood described the reactions his decision elicited, and revealed that walking away from a cushy “Chicago P.D.” gig was just one part of his career-long philosophy:
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“I said no — and they were all like, you’re crazy. It’s Dick Wolf. And I was like, well, that’s not my path. That’s great, but that’s not my journey. It’s just like anything in this industry: follow your gut, always. Your gut will never lead you wrong. Any time I’ve not followed my gut, I’ve regretted it. When I’ve said yes to a movie that I didn’t think was as good or doesn’t turn out to be as good as I thought it would be… Just follow your gut. I think it’s true for anything in life.”
As career paths go, following his instincts seems to have served Eastwood well. After saying no to “One Chicago,” the actor hasn’t exactly suffered from a work shortage, as he’s appeared in numerous movies that range from the 2014 Brad Pitt WWII tank thriller “Fury” to a starring role in the 2025 Sylvester Stallone crime thriller “Alarum.” He’s even become a part of the “Fast & Furious” franchise as Mr. Nobody’s (Kurt Russell) right hand man, “Little Nobody.”
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