Colton Haynes reveals the real reason he left Arrow

The actor gets candid about the real reason he departed the CW series

Colton Haynes as Roy Harper in the CW series Arrow

Colton Haynes has opened up about the real reason he left Arrow after season 7.

Why did Colton Haynes leave Arrow?

After recurring as Roy Harper, aka Arsenal, in season 1 of Arrow, Haynes reprised his role in seasons 2 and 3 of the show as a series regular. The actor, however, left the program at the end of season 3 for mental and physical health reasons.

Though he guest-starred in seasons 4 and 6 of the series, it was only in season 7 when he returned as a full-fledged main cast member. Unfortunately for fans, Haynes, for the second time, departed the show as a series regular after season 7, only returning as a recurring cast member for the eighth and final season of the series.

At the time of his second exit, it was reported that his departure from Arrow was due to his contract. But in his new memoir Miss Memory Lane, the actor revealed that he ultimately quit the series for the second time because of depression and issues with one of his fellow cast members.

“I had walked away from my full-time job on Arrow at the beginning of the year, supposedly because my contract had ended,” Haynes wrote. “But it was really because I was too depressed, and I couldn’t stand working with one of my cast mates.”

Colton Haynes in Arrow season 7

Colton Haynes as Roy Harper in Arrow season 7
Colton Haynes as Roy Harper in Arrow season 7

Haynes didn’t specify who that cast member was, but season 7 of Arrow saw most of his role in the future timeline, playing an older version of Roy and dealing with Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) children, Mia Smoak-Queen (Katherine McNamara) and William Clayton (Ben Lewis).

Roy also appeared in the season’s present timeline, helping Team Arrow in their fight against the Ninth Circle and Oliver’s half-sister, Emiko (Sea Shimooka). After Emiko’s defeat, Roy left Star City to atone for killing two people.

Despite exiting the series as a main cast member after season 7, Haynes came back for a few episodes in the show’s final season. Haynes was last seen in the series finale, where his character got engaged with Thea Queen (Willa Holland).

Colton Haynes movies and TV shows

Aside from playing Roy in Arrow, Haynes is also known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series Teen Wolf. His recent TV credits include a recurring role in FX’s American Horror Story: Cult and guest roles in Hulu’s Dollface and FOX’s The Grinder and Scream Queens.

Haynes will be next seen in Paramount+’s Teen Wolf: The Movie. Written and produced by Jeff Davis, the film will bring back most of the cast of the MTV series Teen Wolf, with Haynes reprising his role as Jackson Whittemore.

The actor is also part of the cast of the upcoming film Love… Reconsidered. Premiere dates for both Teen Wolf: The Movie and Love… Reconsidered have yet to be announced.

Source: Screen Rant