“Would I return to Titans?
Do I feel like I found closure and peace?
Absolutely,” says the departing actor.
Ben Mark Holzberg/HBO Max
Warning: The following contains spoilers from Thursday’sTitans,titled “Souls.”
Titansofficially said goodbye to one of its original members.
Nevertheless, this week’s episode brought Hank full circle and gave him a proper goodbye.
Savannah Welch as Barbara Gordon, Anna Diop as Starfire, MInka Kelly as Dove, Brenton Thwaites as Nightwing, and Alan Ritchson as Hawk in ‘Titans’ season 3.Ben Mark Holzberg/HBO Max
Together, they find a bridge that will lead them back to the land of the living.
In other words, Hank was a hero to the endand beyond.
“Would I return toTitans?
Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall/Hawk and Minka Kelly as Dawn on ‘Titans’.Ben Mark Holzberg / Warner Bros. Entertainment
Do I feel like I found closure and peace?
Absolutely,” Ritchson tells EW about his character’s fate.
“So I’m satisfied if I never return and grateful for the time that I had.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was this officially your last episode?
ALAN RITCHSON:Is anything ever really finished on this show or any superhero show, right?
“Would you ever come back if we wanted to have you back?”
And I said, “Absolutely.”
I think it’s really beautiful.
This journey that Hawk was on mirrored my own life in such an eerie way.
It really was the end of an era, and I kind of found myself on the show.
They were very young, and I just saw myself as one of them.
If I ever wanted to get in producing, Mr. Ritchson, do you have any advice?"
And they understand that.
I should understand that about myself, too.
I’ve got to grow up a little bit."
How did your exit come about?
Was this something you approached the producers about, or was this their decision?
I do believe in this connective tissue that we have through the quantum realm.
I think we share a creative energy on some scale.
I was content with the show.
I really enjoyed the character, and I enjoyed the schedule.
No, I’m not complaining.
It just is the reality.
The decision was made for me, and it was for the best.
[In] season 2, the cast was enormous.
They’re over there in Wyoming or wherever, Montana on a ranch.
I forgot about them."
And you don’t really want that.
And I think it’s really for the best.
I think it’s got a bright future on the path that it’s on.
How long did it take for you to come to terms with leaving the show?
I was really surprised.
I’ll just tell you my experience.
But the decision’s been made, they need to let you go."
And I was like, “Wow, okay.”
We have to slim down who we’re talking about."
I was never really meant to be on the show, so I always held very loosely to that.
My initial deal was fortwo episodes, and I had a separate deal for a Hawk and Dove spin-off.
And of course everybody’s like, “No, everybody loves Hawk and Dove.
There’s going to be a spin-off.”
I was like, “All right.
We’ll see.”
But I just was always feeling like I needed to hold loosely to this.
And she was like, “Okay.”
She took my hand, and we enjoyed our meal, and that was it.
If we resist, we suffer, and suffering is a choice.
We choose not to resist all of it.
We just accept what life brings us, and that’s what we did.
And I think he was.
Was it worth it?"
Maybe, I don’t know.
He’s forcing his way out of this reality back to the life he knew.
And by the end, he’s accepted what his brother offers.
That’s a really beautiful thing that he’s willing to move on.
I think we can all learn from that.
I loved that about this episode and being able to leave it there is a real gift.
It’s the best kind of closure.
How did you handle the transition from playing Hawk to playing another pop culture figure, Jack Reacher?
Both of these characters are well-liked and beloved by many fans of the literature that they come from.
So it’s a dream come true because I’m a massive fan of the books.
I could retire after this and be totally content.
NewTitansepisodes arrive every Thursday on Max.
