Sophia Bush is offering even more insight into her decision to quit Chicago P.D. following Season 4. As fans likely remember, the actress left the show, and lots of speculation ensued in the aftermath. Bush is now opening even more about why she decided to leave the NBC drama, saying:
I quit because, what I've learned [...] I've been so programmed to be a good girl and to be a workhorse and to be a tugboat that I have always prioritized tugging the ship for the crew, for the show, for the group ahead of my own health. My body would react to something that I was like that's not a big deal. That's not great, but it's not a big deal. The reality was that my body was like falling apart because I was really, really unhappy.
At the time of her exit from Chicago P.D., Sophia Bush shared that she left because she "wanted to." Flash forward to now, and the actress is opening up about the physical toll her unhappiness was having on her. Bush shared the candid insight during an interview on Dax Shepherd's Armchair Expert.
It sounds as though Sophia Bush had to take action in order to prioritize both her mental and physical health over doing the NBC show. Bush did share that there were aspects about doing Chicago P.D. that she loved. Clearly, the bad ended up outweighing the good.
She also discussed the harsh conditions of filming on-location in Chicago's freezing winters. Something that could make you cold just hearing her describe it. Despite the conditions, coming to the realization that she needed to leave her role as Detective Erin Lindsay did not happen overnight. Sophia Bush continued to open up about the emotional context that led to her decision. Bush said:
I realized that as I was thinking I was like being a tough guy, doing the thing, showing up at work, I programmed myself to tolerate the intolerable. And part of the big break for me in saying, 'No. I don't necessarily know what it is, but I know that what's happening is not good for me and everything has to change.' That was a big cut off point when I quit my job.
Sophia Bush had to draw a line in the snow. She said that at the table read for Chicago P.D.'s Season 4 premiere, she shared her concerns about the working conditions with her two bosses. As she has said previously, she gave them advance notice that things had to change by the end of the season or she was out. Bush said that they had a "23 episode" notice for things to improve.
Of course, we know that those improvements never came, and Sophia Bush made good on her word. She left the drama. Bush was ultimately released from her seven-year contract following the threat of legal action. Bush was in the middle of her contract at the time she left the show.
This interview is not the first time the actress has opened about the behind-the-scenes things that led to her decision. Of course, her reasons have been mired in a lot of mystery and speculation. She previously discussed why it is so complicated to discuss her exit.
In this interview, Sophia Bush got pretty candid without getting into any particulars. Last year, Bush responded to a comment regarding her exit from Chicago P.D., which intimated she was let go from the show. Bush replied by saying that it took her a "long time" and a "lot of hard work to get out" of the show, putting that assertion entirely to rest.
Despite everything that has happened behind-the-scenes, Chicago P.D. has continued. The series is part of the popular Chicago franchise on NBC. It is currently in the midst of its sixth season. It is among many that returned this fall and will return in the midseason.
