Actor Charlie Barnett is no stranger to Chicago Fire fans as he appeared in the first three seasons of the show.
Barnett played Peter Mills, who started out as a firefighter. After suffering a bad injury, he returned as a paramedic and was the first real partner for Sylvie Brett (played by Kara Killmer).
When the show began, Mills dated Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund). Still, that relationship didn’t last too long when Dawson moved on to Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer).
As Chicago Fire Season 3 was coming to a close, the showrunners decided to move in a different direction, leading to the character of Peter Mills getting written out of the show. Within the context of the show, he went back to help his family run a restaurant that had been rebuilt after a devastating fire.
Charlie Barnett speaks about leaving Chicago Fire cast
“I really was sad to be let go. It broke me for quite a long time,” Charlie Barnett said to Digital Spy in a new interview.
“[The show] was a behemoth that I never really saw coming. I was thankful to be a part of it,” Barnett also stated.
Though he expressed a lot of disappointment when looking back at being removed from the Chicago Fire cast, Barnett also spoke glowingly about remaining close with a lot of people from the show.
“Yuri [Sardarov] and David Eigenberg and I just had lunch maybe two weeks ago. I talk to Joe every time in Chicago – Joe Minoso is my f**king brother. I will see him forever,” Barnett elaborated.
Sardarov played Otis (Brian Zvonecek) on the show, while Eigenberg still plays the role of Christopher Herrmann. And if his closeness to those actors isn’t enough, Barnett also grew up near Raymund and they then went to college together.
What is Charlie Barnett up to after leaving Chicago Fire cast?
After appearing on 66 episodes of Chicago Fire and four episodes of Chicago P.D., Barnett has kept busy with many jobs over the years.
Barnett played Patrick Warner on Secrets and Lies, Ian Porter on Valor, Gabe on You, John Diggle Jr. on Arrow, Eric Payne on Ordinary Joe, and he now stars as Alan Zaveri on Russian Doll.
More news from One Chicago
As Season 10 of the One Chicago drama starts to wind down, an extended Chicago Fire hiatus is taking place. As fans wait for new episodes, it is the perfect time to go back and stream content from earlier in the season.
While speaking about the upcoming season finale, one Chicago Fire actor expressed the fears of the cast. It’s understandable, especially with how many people have come and gone from the drama over the years.
Recently, the showrunners teased an epic crossover idea. Though it won’t happen this season, it’s certainly something worth revisiting when Chicago Fire Season 11 begins airing episodes in Fall 2022.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.