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The Good Wife’s Hunter Parrish Talks Fan Reactions to the Shocking Twist, Hatemail

Josh Charles as Will Gardner and Hunter Parrish as Jeffrey Grant
Will Garnder (Josh Charles) talks to his client Jeffrey Grant (Hunter Parish) before Grant shoots him on The Good Wife.

Warning: Major Good Wife spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen the Sunday, March 23 episode, do not continue reading.

Hunter Parrish has a history of playing a hothead. After landing a major role as Nancy's son Silas Botwin on Showtime's Weeds, the stage and screen actor has once again found himself inhabiting another impulsive character in a guest role on CBS's The Good Wife. In only three episodes, he has managed to become one of the most hated characters on television today. 

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Playing college student and desperate murder suspect Jeffrey Grant, Parrish fatally shot his lawyer Will Gardner (Josh Charles) in court on Sunday's episode, killing off one of the show's most beloved characters. (A move which promoted show creators Michelle and Robert King to write an explanatory letter to fans.)

“#Hatemail has been on my Twitter feed,” Parrish joked in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. “People have been saying, ‘I really love Silas, but now it’s really gonna be difficult for me to look at him the same.’"

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But after more than five seasons on the courtroom drama, it was Charles who wanted off the show, opting to not resign his contract. 

"I thought that I felt however much I enjoyed the experience that I was ready for the next chapter of my life both creatively and personally," Charles said in a video on The Good Wife's YouTube page

Once Charles made the decision to leave, the creative team, along with star Julianna Margulies, convinced him to stay on for half of the season to give his character the proper exit. 

"It was like my husband telling me that he was going to leave. I just didn't want to hear it," costar Christine Baranski said in the same clip. "I'm still sad. I feel like it's a loss of a family member." 

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Parrish revealed that this week's episode, "The Last Call," will explain more of what happened in the courtroom during and directly following his character's crime. At the end of the episode, Jeffrey tries to kill himself but runs out of bullets, allowing him to stay alive and give some answers. 

"This next episode, every single scene centers around what has happened, and there’s a lot of emotions, and there’s a lot of anger, and there’s a lot of confusion," Parrish told EW

And though Charles has known about his departure for some time, he visited The Late Show with David Letterman to assure fans that all was well.

"I just wanted to say to all the fans that I really appreciate all your comments," he said on the show. "Everything's going to be ok!"

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