Movies - TV
Why Zack Addy Really Walked Away From Bones
By JEREMY SMITH
Taking a beloved character in a truly unexpected direction can be great storytelling, which is what Hart Hanson and his team did with Zack Addy during the third season of "Bones."
Even though "Bones" had solid ratings, Hanson opted to shake things up by turning the likable young scientist into the protege of a cannibalistic serial killer called The Gormogon.
The Gormogon is one of the most memorably nasty villains in "Bones" history, and actor Eric Millegan was as stunned as anyone to learn that Addy was wholly in the killer's thrall.
"They [...] told me and I was like, 'What? Zack eats people?' And they told me that I don't eat people, I kill them — I never reached the eating stage," he told TV Guide in 2008.
"I was kind of excited because I knew it was going to be an exciting send-off," Millegan added. Though it meant leaving the show, Hanson left the door open for a return later on.
"[T]hey said, '[...] you're not going to get killed, so we'll still have the option of bringing you back.' It was shocking, and I just had to follow it [...]," the actor shared.
Although Addy was sent to a psychiatric facility, Hanson brought him back for the final two seasons, where his character was even provided with a bit of upbeat closure.