‘Shameless’ Star Emma Kenney Teases That Emmy Rossum’s Exit Is ‘Beautiful’
As die-hard Shameless fans everywhere know too well, the second half of Season 9 kicked off last weekend. Moreover, viewers will be forced to say goodbye to a second Gallagher as the series is gearing up for the exit of Emmy Rossum in the role of the eldest sibling in the family, Fiona.
During the first half of Season 9, fans were forced to say goodbye to Cameron Monaghan, who played the role of Ian Gallagher. Fortunately, viewers everywhere felt the series did the character justice with an exit that featured a guest appearance by Noel Fisher as Mickey Milkovich.
Naturally, the biggest questions fans of the series have at this point is simple: will the writers do the same justice to Emmy’s character as the show features Fiona’s final episodes?
Emmy Kenney, who plays the role of Debbie Gallagher, revealed during an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight that fans have absolutely nothing to worry about in regard to Rossum’s exit from the series.
“Honest to God— her departure is so… I can’t! It’s so beautiful. It’s so beautifully written, I got the chills reading it in the script, I remember. Just beautiful,” Kenney dished as she opened up about what fans can expect from Emmy’s final episode.
Emma – who is now 19-years-old – was just 11 when the series kicked off back in 2011. Like Cameron, Kenney grew up during the production of Shameless with Rossum by her side.
Emma Kenney Teases What 'Shameless' Fans Can Expect From Emmy Rossum's Final Episode (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight https://t.co/ZGpSHq8jxZ
— Tommy C. (@QuestInTheSkies) January 24, 2019
Despite working with Rossum for so many years, Emma insists she fosters no ill-will toward Emmy for her decision to walk away from the Showtime series.
“I mean, I love Emmy. I’ve grown up with her as a big sister figure. But no, it’s not going to be the end of my relationship with her or any of the cast.”
As those who have followed the story since news broke that Rossum would be leaving the series know, the 32-year-old actress admitted to having mixed feelings about her decision to retire her role as Fiona Gallagher.
More recently, however, she opened up about wanting to exit the role while she still had a love for Shameless. What she didn’t want was for the series and the role of Fiona to turn into something she loathed, which isn’t uncommon for actresses and actors who maintain a character in a long-standing series.
Back in October, Entertainment Tonight also caught up with William H. Macy, who plays Emmy’s father figure in the show, who revealed that he broke into tears during the table read of the final episode.
#Shameless showrunner John Wells releases a statement on Emmy Rossum's exit from the series: “I look forward to continuing the stories of this wildly unpredictable family and all of us on 'Shameless' will miss Emmy and her wonderful Fiona." Read in full: https://t.co/8lgFAsrPMP
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 30, 2018
As the life of Emmy’s character is currently spiraling out of control in the series, fans can only hope things turn around before her final episode.
New episodes of Shameless air on Sunday nights only on Showtime.