Years after it happened, Animal Kingdom’s lead actress, Ellen Barkin, and executive producer John Wells have finally revealed why Scott Speedman left the famed series after three seasons. But the claims of Barkin and Wells do not seem to align with each other. So what really happened with Scott Speedman?
Here’s why Scott Speedman had to leave Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom concluded its sixth and final season over two years ago. But fans have continued to wonder why Scott Speedman left the show in the third season. In an interview with HuffPost, Animal Kingdom’s lead actress, Ellen Barkin, revealed that the writers removed Scott’s character because he asked to leave the show.
She also revealed that she had asked to leave the show, but her request was denied. Barkin used this example to highlight the gender divide that still exists in the industry. She further claimed that the production team treated her male co-stars with much more respect during filming.
However, executive producer John Wells offered a different explanation for Speedman’s exit. He said that Speedman’s character, Baz, was killed off as a narrative choice and that it had nothing to do with the actor’s personal decision.
Wells said to Entertainment Weekly, “It was actually a year later than we thought we were going to do it. The series is based on the Australian film by David Michod, and the Baz character dies in the first 15 minutes of the movie. So that’s where we thought we were going, and then we realized we had more material for Baz, more stories we wanted to tell, so we put it off a little bit.”
He further added that Speedman knew about it, saying, “I’d always talked to Scott [Speedman] about the fact that I didn’t think it would be a five- or six-year deal, so he was prepared for it when it happened.” He elaborated, “It came kind of organically out of the storytelling that we were doing.”
Now, it is difficult to say with certainty what happened with Scott Speedman’s departure. However, Barkin’s version may hold more weight, as Speedman might have requested to leave the show. That could be why the Animal Kingdom team decided to write his death into the third season.
Unless Scott Speedman speaks out himself, the real reason behind his exit will remain a mystery.
