Chuku Modu, the actor who plays Dr. Jared Kalu on The Good Doctor, is leaving the show.
Even though he appeared on last night’s premiere episode of Season 2, his exit was pretty much inevitable because of his character’s behavior during the show’s first season.
Modu played surgical resident Dr. Jared Kalu, who had a troublesome storyline. Not only did he punch a doctor who had sexually harassed his girlfriend, Claire Browne played by Antonia Thomas, but he was also fired and blackmailed his way back to get reinstated.
It’s possible his exit had been a long-term plan by the writers, as he broke up with Claire and got a job in Colorado, leaving the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital behind.
The exit was an emotional once, as Claire started to wonder if breaking things off with Kalu was the right thing to do. She asked him to stay in his final scene.
“It’s hard saying goodbye. It doesn’t mean it’s a mistake,” he told her, adding, “You’ll be OK . . . I’ll be OK. I think one day, we’ll both be very happy.”
He then walked away from the hospital, essentially walking away from the show.
But it sounds like there’s no bad blood between Chuku Modu and The Good Doctor. On Instagram, the actor revealed that he has nothing but love for the series and the work he did with the production team.
He thanked everyone involved, praising their “good vibes and energy” and said he had learned a lot.
There has not been any official statement about why Chuku Modu is leaving The Good Doctor — however, the two most likely explanations are that it was planned all along by the writers to keep things interesting, or that Modu wanted to pursue other ventures.
It’s possible that Chuku Modu knew for a while that his character would be leaving the show after the first season, as he has had several other screen roles in the works.
Modu has already filmed a role in Captain Marvel, which is currently in post-production with an expected release date in 2019.
His IMDb profile also revealed he has completed filming another film called Freedom’s Name Is Mighty Sweet, where he plays the lead character Charles Hunter, who along with his wife Lucille took part in the Klondike gold rush. That movie is also expected to be released in 2019.