Arrow’s Echo Kellum, who plays Curtis Holt in the show, bids goodbye as a series regular in the The CW project’s latest episode. A veteran member of Team Arrow known as Mr. Terrific, the actor has been part of the show since season 4. Now that he’s officially exited the show, he left a void in Starling City’s elite team of crime-busting vigilantes.
This week’s episode of Arrow, titled “Star City Slayer” saw Team Arrow using their partnership with Starling City Police Department in hunting a mysterious serial killer. But while Oliver (Stephen Amell) and company were busy with the mission-at-hand, Holt gets a job offer that would forever change how things work within their small crew. As it turns out, Holt was offered to work in Washington DC which means that he’ll have to give up his gig at Advanced Research Group United Support (ARGUS) - something that he told Diggle (John Ramsey). After mulling about the offer most of the episode, Holt came to the decision of leaving Starling City to take the brand new opportunity presented at him. This effectively closes Kellum’s time as an Arrow series regular.
On the heels of his departure in the show, Kellum sat down with EW to discuss his departure from Arrow and the process that resulted in his decision. According to him, it all boiled down to wanting more family time. His family is currently based in Los Angeles, while the show mainly films in Vancouver, Canada. This forced him to travel back-and-forth in the hopes of having a proper work-life balance, but the commute is not only time-consuming, it’s also tiresome.
While Kellum is leaving the show as series regular, that doesn’t mean that fans won’t be able to see him again as Holt moving forward. “This isn’t the end of Curtis. I’ll definitely come back as much as they want me back, and visit and guest-star and whatnot. So, it’s not the end of him,” he said. As fans of the Arrowverse know, the franchise has an open door policy with regard to their stars allowing actors to return for a guest appearance or even a recurring part. That said, nothing’s set in stone yet with regard to Holt’s return to Starling City.
“I think for me, it just boiled down to family, and also I just wanted to try a couple of creative ventures in my life. I’m working on music, directing, and writing now. I still love acting, but it’s something I’m not looking at as the top thing of my career anymore. I’m looking at my career in a different light.”
Considering how Holt was written out of the series, it’s not going to be difficult bringing him back. Over the last couple of years, fans have seen Arroweverse stars come and go in the franchise - some even appearing in other shows aside from their own. One major problem that calls for the tech genius of the character and he can be immediately brought back. And since Kellum sounds open to the prospect of returning after his brilliant experience with the Arrow cast and crew, it wouldn’t take long for him to come back and help Oliver and the team.
“Nothing’s been finalized at this point, but we’ve definitely discussed that aspect and they definitely made sure and clear that they want Curtis to come back. I can’t give you any definitive episodes or storylines, but it’s definitely something I’m 100-percent open to doing, and I believe they’re open to doing it too, so it should definitely work out at some point in the future.”
More: Theory: Arrow’s Future Is Remaking Legends of Tomorrow’s Star City 2046
Source: EW
