Christopher Abbott Left ‘Girls’ Because He Couldn’t ‘Relate’

Back in April Christopher Abbott released a statement announcing that he was leaving the hit HBO series Girls. No one could figure out why, a seemingly unknown actor, would leave a show that had hit its stride and made him a name. Back in April a source told The New York Post that Abbott, “didn’t like the direction things are going in.”

Months later and we finally have an answer on why Abbott decided to leave Girls after his two season run with the show. Abbott, who played Charlie, the on-again-off-again boyfriend of Marnie, finally opened up to The New York Times about why he decided to leave Lena Dunham’s hit show Girls.

In a candid interview with The New York Times, Abbott elaborated, having said:

“The world that Lena wrote was very real, especially in New York. But it wasn’t as relatable for me on a personal level. It’s not that I only like to play roles I know to a T, but there’s something satisfying about playing parts where you really relate to the characters.”

Christopher Abbott isn’t the only one who can’t relate to the characters on Lena Dunham’s hit show. Actor and HuffPost blogger James Franco wrote a piece called “A Dude’s Take on Girls” all about how the characters on the show weren’t relatable. In the essay Franco wrote:

“There’s no obligation to be kaleidoscopic, but there is a difference between writing a short story or essay about a bunch of white people that only a handful of people will read and creating another show about white people that millions of people will watch, especially when you’ve chosen to set that show in one of the most culturally mixed cities in the world.”

Going back to Abbott’s statement, it seems like he agrees with James Franco just from what he has told The New York Times. However, there also seems to be an ulterior motive in leaving Girls. According to Abbott’s co-star Betty Gilpin, Abbott doesn’t see himself as Charlie “the nice guy” and there’s more to him than that as an actor.

Perhaps Christopher Abbott saw the role as too limiting? Either way, it seems to be a loss for both Abbott and Girls.