SEAL Team star David Boreanaz got candid about his reason for leaving the immensely popular show at the end of its upcoming seventh season.
“My body just can’t do it anymore!” the 55-year-old actor admitted to People. He added that “there were no shortcuts” taken by him or his co-stars, who felt that the entire point of signing on for the show was to depict an elite unit of soldiers with the utmost authenticity.
During production on season six, Boreanaz injured himself shooting an action sequence in which he had to carry a 250 pound actor on his back.
"Ten feet in, I hit a rock, and my ankle twists, and I fall flat down. My ankle is ballooning, but I had to keep going,” he recalled of the shoot. “You learn from the SEALs how to push through pain—I’m talking guys who have had their arm blown off and are cracking jokes because that’s how they deal with it. It’s very intense.”
Boreanaz told the outlet he wants to leave the show while he’s still at the top of his game, rather than waiting until it’s too late. “I take good care of myself, but it gets to a point where your body’s not moving like it used to,” he reflected. “I think I’ve had four MRIs in the past four months, for my knees, hips, shoulders. It’s been quite a journey.”
But the actor feels his sacrifice is worth it for the feedback he receives from real soldiers. “They thank me for the real representation,” Boreanaz noted.
