- - Josh Charles Admits He 'Wasn’t Fully Braced' for the Reaction to His Abrupt Exit from “The Good Wife”

Meredith WilshereJanuary 19, 2026 at 2:30 AM

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Josh Charles -

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Josh Charles shared that he wasn't prepared for fans' reaction to his character's departure in The Good Wife

Charles portrayed Will Gardner on the series from 2009 to 2014

“At the end of the day, you are trying to build characters that people care about, that they connect to. And I think people did with him,” he shared

Like most fans, Josh Charles wasn't fully prepared for his shocking departure from The Good Wife.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Jan. 15, Charles reflected on his decision to exit the series, which resulted in the death of his character, Will Gardner. While Charles was in on the decision, he admitted that he didn't expect it to have such an impact on fans.

"I knew it would be a surprise, but the impact and response to it was one that honestly, I wasn’t fully braced for myself," the 54-year-old shared. "You live in these bubbles and forget that, oh my God, there are a lot of people watching this who are invested in the show. You forget sometimes."

He continued, "And it was powerful to realize the power of that, the power of characters, of storytelling, of the investment, part of why we do that. We want to be entertained, but we want to also watch these people live and react. It’s fascinating to me."

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Josh Charles in 'The Good Wife.'

Charles said goodbye to The Good Wife in 2014, after starring in the series since its premiere in September 2009. Despite his departure in season 5, he noted that people still approach him about the show.

“I have people, every day, DMing me or coming up to me. ‘I just saw this for the first time.’ ‘I just rewatched this and I started sobbing again.’ ‘It was like watching a friend die.’ That’s an odd thing to experience, but I’m just really proud of it,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you are trying to build characters that people care about, that they connect to. And I think people did with him,” he added.

In addition to Charles, The Good Wife, which ran until 2016, featured Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth and Alan Cumming.

Looking back on the experience, the Dead Poets Society actor said he “had no idea what to expect going into that show," but left with a lot of "love" for it.

David M. Russell/CBS via Getty Images Josh Charles and Christine Baranski on 'The Good Wife.'

“I was so lucky to be a part of it and work with Robert and Michelle King. We did some incredible work," he said.

Charles has previously cited the show's grueling production schedule as one of the main reasons he left, as they filmed around 22 episodes a season.

In hindsight, he admitted that if the show was more like its spinoff, The Good Fight, where they only shot 10 episodes a year, he “probably would’ve done that until the wheels came off.”

“It was the 22 of it at all that I just couldn’t. I didn’t have the stamina for that anymore — in the courtroom, 22 episodes a year. It was a bit of a grind in a way that, at that time in my life, I felt like I had done it," he said.

"But whatever that decision was, for me creatively, it lit a spark. I don’t know if Robert and Michelle would agree, but it did for me. Finishing the arc of that character was some of the best writing I’ve ever had for anything. I just feel so indebted to them,” he added.

The Good Wife is available to stream on Paramount+.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”