After starring in films such as The Phantom of the Opera and The Day After Tomorrow, actress and singer Emmy Rossum ventured into episodic television with the Emmy-winning drama Shameless. The Showtime series stars Rossum as Fiona, the eldest sister forced to raise five siblings after their mother took off (she later died, and Fiona beat up her corpse) and their father, Frank (William H. Macy) became an unemployed alcoholic. Fiona arguably remained the central character of the show up until her exit.
As expected, fans were heartbroken over Rossum’s departure from the show (although some believe it was time for Fiona to go). Years later, they are also still wondering why Rossum decided to leave the show and whether her husband, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, had convinced her to do so.
Initially, The Show Wouldn’t Even Consider Her For The Role
When she first heard about Shameless, Rossum knew she would be perfect to play Fiona although the producers apparently didn’t feel the same way. “They didn't want to see me; they wouldn't even [let me] audition,” the actress revealed during an interview with Manhattan magazine. It turns out, they didn’t think that Rossum looked the part. “They thought my image was too glamorous, that I couldn't not be pretty.”
In the end, Rossum went out of her way to persuade the producers. “I tirelessly prepped the audition with my coach Terry Knickerbocker,” the actress recalled in a Facebook post. “I walked to the appointment in the rain so I looked disheveled.” That seemed to have done the trick because Rossum got the part.
She Nearly Left The Show Once
Not too long ago, Rossum refused to sign a new contract for the show’s eighth season unless she was paid as much as her co-star William H. Macy (who plays the Gallagher patriarch Frank). Meanwhile, according to a report from Variety, the show had been prepared to offer Rossum rate parity with Macy. However, Rossum’s team was reportedly asking for more to compensate for the fact that she was paid less than her co-star during the previous seasons.
As for Macy, the veteran actor that having the show pay Rossum more is “a no-brainer.” “It’s just sort of obvious,” Macy also told People. “Emmy is in most of the scenes, she works harder than anybody else, she’s a brilliant actress. She’s the glue of the cast.” Rossum eventually reached a new salary agreement with Warner Bros. in December 2016. That said, the actress would only stay on until the show’s ninth season.
So, Why Did She Quit The Show?
For Rossum, she didn't need anyone (not even her hubby) to convince her that it was time to leave to show. The actress had always thought it was best to exit while things were still going great. “I made 110 episodes playing the character of Fiona, and it's been an incredible journey,” the actress told Shape. “I want to leave the show while I still love it, and I know the door is open to come back if that feels right.” At the same time, while speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Rossum also pointed out, “I’m not sure what more story can be told for her.”
As for Shameless creator John Wells, the last thing he wanted was for Rossum to leave. However, he wasn’t exactly surprised when the actress finalized her departure from the show. “She’s been considering it for a while,” Wells revealed during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He also added that Rossum already had “other things that she is excited about doing.”
Less than a year after Rossum announced her departure, it was revealed that the actress had signed a first-look overall deal with Universal Content Productions. As part of the deal, NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock picked up Rossum’s limited series, Angelyne. Rossum stars as the show’s titular character, the mysterious Hollywood billboard icon. Meanwhile, the actress is also executive producing the show alongside Esmail.
Could She Have Returned During The Final Season?
Even as fans were preparing to say goodbye to Fiona on the show, Rossum made it clear that there was always a possibility of her appearing again. “I would never close my door on the family,” she explained. “Like I said in what I wrote and what I said to them repeatedly, they should just think of me being down the block. I’m just in New York. It’s not like I’ll never be in L.A. or Chicago ever again, so I’m not that far away.”
When the pandemic swept the U.S. and travel restrictions were imposed, however, Rossum was suddenly too far to make it to the show's production. This meant the actress couldn’t even make an appearance during the show's final season. “Yeah, and she very much wanted to [come back], and we worked and worked on it,” executive producer John Wells revealed while speaking with TVLine. “She lives in New York with her husband, and we managed to time it just at the wrong time, unfortunately.”
With the quarantine protocols in place, there was no way Rossum can fulfill her current obligations and still make it to the show’s set. “It was disappointing for all of us, and especially for Emmy, but with her other obligations, she couldn’t go back and quarantine for two weeks in New York after being in Los Angeles.” If Rossum had managed to return, Wells revealed that fans would have seen Fiona “deal with Liam’s (Christian Isaiah) guardianship” following Frank’s death (he died of COVID during the finale).
At the moment, it is unclear when Peacock plans to release Rossum’s new series. In the meantime, the actress is enjoying motherhood. She and her husband had welcomed their first child in May.