Tuco Salamance, played by Raymond Cruz, is one of the most memorable characters from AMC’s acclaimed series Breaking Bad. Tuco is a meth-taking drug dealer with crazy energy, but the actor who plays him is a low-key kind of guy who surprisingly asked to be killed off the show. Cruz expressed apprehension about returning to the series and said the role was extremely difficult to play due to Tuco’s violent and explosive energy.
The producers asked him to do just eight more episodes, but the actor declined. They then mentioned that no one had ever asked to be killed off before, the actor explained that they didn’t understand what the role demanded from him.
John Rhys-Davies, Sliders
Sci-fi fans everywhere know Professor Maximillian Arturo from 'Sliders' and the actor who played him, John Rhys-Davies. He was on the show from 1995 to 1997, but was ultimately shot dead when the show’s writers and creators couldn’t take it anymore. Apparently, Rhys-Davies called the show’s scripts “incomprehensible gibberish” and would fight with the writers all the time, calling them unintelligent and useless.
His response to being killed off in season three was claiming the writers “screwed up because they didn’t have the vision.” We’re pretty sure they were envisioning getting rid of him since the very beginning.
Mischa Barton, The O.C.
Mischa Barton starred as Marissa Copper in teen soap opera, The O.C. This was Barton’s breakout role and fans of the show loved her character, which is why they were heartbroken when she died in a car accident on the third season. While the fans were still reeling, the showrunners revealed that they just couldn’t stand working with Barton any longer.
Apparently, the actress believed she was too good for TV and her bad attitude drove everyone crazy. Other cast members also felt that she was hard to work with but weren’t sure she should have been killed off, because of the impact on the fans.
Maggie Roswell, The Simpsons
Maggie Roswell did the voice for Maude Flanders’ character on the long-running animated series, The Simpsons, but the actress threatened to quit the show because she didn’t want to pay for her own tickets from Denver to Los Angeles anymore. Apparently, she made untrue claims about her salary and said she couldn’t afford the flights.
Fox was unwilling to pay for her travel and eventually she left the show. Several other actresses voiced the part for a while until in the end Maude was killed off. Fox was willing to get rid of the character rather than pay the bill for Roswell’s commute.
Jon Polito, Homicide: Life on the Street
John Polito played the character of Detective Steve Crosetti on 'Homicide: Life on the Street'. When a producer let the actor know he was going to be written off the show temporarily, the actor overacted and went public with negative remarks about the show and its creators.
Unsurprisingly, on the next season, his character tragically commits suicide, with his body being found floating in the bay days later. Polito later admitted that he acted poorly and patched things up with the producer. They even ended up working together again on a different project.