"Shameless" fans are disappointed by the recent news; Emmy Rossum, who plays the center of the Gallagher siblings, Fiona, will not be returning to the next season of the series.
Rossum put out a letter on Facebook to fans reflecting on her time working on the series, and that she will not return to the show. In her letter, she also discusses how she grew up as an only child and really became a family with the cast since she never had siblings of her own.
"We've watched the kids grow up into the strong, talented, independent human beings that they are. I taught Emma to shave her legs. I was there when Ethan learned to drive," said Rossum in her letter. "Shanola and Jeremy and Joan and Bill danced at my wedding in New York last year."
Rossum really became family and watched her costars grow up with her for 8 years, as well as watched the show blossom into something big. "Shameless" has been a popular show for Showtime, and as a fan personally, I look forward to its return on Netflix with each season.
Rossum continues to discuss how she has grown from this role, taking on the "fierceness" of Fiona Gallagher, and how she always wanted to be part of a show that provided her with stability and a character like Fiona. She calls having the role of Fiona as a "gift," and thanked the director of the show John Wells for shaping her into the actress she is today.
She closes the letter by talking about how she put in 10,000 hours to the show, and that it stands by Malcolm Gladwell's saying that it takes 10,000 hours to be good at something. Rossum says that she believes that the show will go on without her for now and that there is more "Shameless" and Gallagher storied that need to be told.
"I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block," said Rossum.
So maybe there is hope that Rossum will return to the show and this is just a small hiatus. But on Twitter and other social media sites, fans are highly disappointed. I am as well, Fiona is a crucial part of the Gallagher family, always proving to be the glue that holds the chaotic family together. I do not know how they would incorporate her leaving into the series, but it would be interesting to see what they try.
Earlier in 2016 Rossum said she was going to leave the show if she did not receive an equal amount of pay as her costar William H. Macy, who plays Frank Gallagher, Fiona's father on the show. However she did return, so hopefully, this case of her leaving is not related to that.
