One of the series regulars of "The Vampire Diaries" is leaving the show.
Steven McQueen, the actor who portrays the role of Jeremy Gilbert, the younger brother of Nina Dobrev's character Elena Gilbert, will reportedly leave the series after episode 14 of the show's sixth season. The news was confirmed by executive producer Julie Plec in an interview with E! News during the 2015 Winter TCA Press Tour held in Pasadena, California last weekend.
She said, "We're saying goodbye to Steven McQueen."
But does this mean that Jeremy will die this season?
"I wouldn't dare kill Jeremy. I think that would be all forms of cruelty. But I do think that he's a man now, he's not a little kid anymore and he's got to live his life. It's time for him to get started doing that," Plec clarified.
The show's executive producer stated that McQueen will make a final appearance in "The Vampire Diaries" season 6 episode 14. She also teased that during his second to the last episode, his character will struggle to make a decision if he would stay in Mystic Falls or leave the place completely.
In an article posted by The Hollywood Reporter, Plec shared that the production team constantly evaluates each character every year to find out if that character already served their purpose in the show. They could either move on to a different phase in life, or pass over to the great beyond. This season, the whole team decided that Jeremy had been through a lot already in the hands of several supernatural beings in Mystic Falls, and it is time for him to have a brand new start.
The 26-year-old actor was a part of the series since it began in 2009.
"The Vampire Diaries" season 6 will return to the small screen on Jan. 22 on The CW.
