"That's Not My Path": Scott Eastwood Breaks His Silence About Leaving 'Chicago P.D.' After One Episode

There have been twelve seasons so far of the beloved police procedural drama, Chicago P.D., bringing action-packed police work accompanied by personal and professional drama within the Intelligence Unit of the 21st District of the Chicago Police Department. Several brilliant actors have transited through the show, and there is one that was present for its very first episode and never returned: Scott Eastwood. Eastwood first appeared in a guest role in Chicago Fire for the backdoor pilot of Chicago P.D, and then actor would return as Officer Jim Barnes in the first episode of the latter. However, after those two appearances, he vanished from the One Chicago universe. Why was that?

Currently promoting his new movie, Alarum, Eastwood, while speaking to CBR, reflected on his short spell in the franchise created by Dick Wolf. Having appeared early on in the show, the actor had the opportunity to establish himself as one of the stars of today's most popular TV shows. However, Eastwood reveals to the outlet that a reluctance on his part to relocate to Chicago and commit several years to just one show, resulted in him stepping back. He explained:

"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. So 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."

As it happens, the role of Officer Jim Barnes remains the only role Eastwood, the son of actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, has ever taken. With roles in Pacific Rim Uprising, Wrath of Man, and David Ayer's Suicide Squad, it is clear that this Eastwood has an attraction for feature films. He goes on to add, "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."

'Chicago P.D.' Has Lost Its Fair Share of Beloved Stars

Looking back over the many seasons of Chicago P.D., there are a number of fan-favorite characters that have departed the series. Some of them include Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda), Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), and Sean Roman (Brian Geraghty). Gwen Sigan serves as showrunner for Chicago P.D., and the writer revealed recently that there were several of those stars she'd love to bring back, saying "I'm always curious [about] what happened to Antonio. Where is he now?"

Tune in to NBC on Wednesdays for new episodes of Chicago P.D. Stream past episodes on Peacock to catch up before new episodes air.