Exclusive: Nikita's Dearly Departed on That Shocking Death: [Spoiler] 'Had a Really Nice Run'

Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Friday’s Nikita. Avert your eyes now if you’ve yet to watch. Everyone else, read on…

As solemnly promised, a beloved Division vet did not make it out of this week’s unrelenting Nikita alive.

Determined, strong-willed and stalwart-to-a-fault Navy SEAL Sean Pierce died a sudden and tragic death in the final moments of the CW spy thriller’s latest installment. (Let’s pour one out for him, shall we?)

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In an episode composed of explosive fights and fiery battles, Sean’s passing marked one of the hour’s more subtle and poignant moments; the fan fave — who was suffering internal bleeding from a gunshot wound — slipped away during one last kiss with his girlfriend Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca).

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Here, Sean’s portrayer (and number one fan) Dillon Casey discusses exclusively with TVLine his reaction to learning about the hero’s death, his final moments on set and whether we’ll see the character again before Season 3 signs off.

TVLINE | Not many people get to die twice in one season — but you did!
Yeah, I did! [Laughs]

TVLINE | When did you learn about this death, and that it would stick?
I was told about two episodes before, so not a huge amount of notice — but these things are secretive. That’s the nature of the show. So, I wasn’t too shocked… I’ve learned in this business that you shouldn’t plan for much. [Laughs] After you sign a contract, there’s not much that you can rely on. I joined a show about assassins and spies and killers — we all have a [gun] to our head! I wasn’t too shocked by it, because I knew somebody had to go. I just embraced it. Sean had a really nice run and was able to die a hero’s death. It was good for the character and good for the show.

TVLINE | How do you feel about the way Sean went out?
Oh, it’s so sad. It was so sad. Of course, I was personally sad that I was leaving the show because I’ve made so many friends and it was a lot of fun. But when I read that script, I almost cried — I didn’t quite cry, but I almost did. [Laughs] I teared up a little bit because Sean is such a good guy; the best person that I’ve ever played. He’s so honorable and he’s so selfless. Even when he’s [dying], he accepts and knows that it goes with the territory. It’s a shame because he really doesn’t deserve it — if there’s anybody on the show that doesn’t deserve to die, it’s Sean! [Laughs] I don’t know if that’s going to come across the right way. [Laughs] …There’s no moral gray area for him. It was sad because this guy was just the victim of statistics, almost; he puts himself in these dangerous situations, and eventually he’s going to get hit.

TVLINE | Were there any discussions between you and Lyndsy about how you’d play that final scene?
No, I don’t like to make deals on how to play the scene because it can take away the spontaneity. I just like to play it in the moment and see whatever happens. Lyndsy was amazing to work with in the scene. And we were lucky enough to get John Badham — who directed Saturday Night Fever — directing us, so what else can you ask for? It was amazing. It happened very naturally and organically. The whole set was very somber.

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TVLINE | Death aside, it seems like a fun episode to go out on. There were tons of action for Sean with both Alex and the guys in his final hours.
Yeah, it’s nice because Sean has been a bit of an isolated character. A lot of what he does is with Alex… So, it was nice to have this episode when he’s joining up with everybody. He teamed up with Michael and with Birkhoff — it was almost like a goodbye, and it was really nice to get to do that.

TVLINE | Looking back, do you have a favorite Sean moment?
I loved when Nikita shot Sean and then when he ran after her, she was taking off in the helicopter and he shot at her… It was so surreal. It was about five episodes in and I’d never been on a show like this before. You see it on TV and in the movies, and all of a sudden I was doing it. Amazing. [Laughs]

TVLINE | Will we see Sean again before the season ends?
In just the way that I had to let go of Sean, I think the audience has to say goodbye, too. [Laughs]

TVLINE | Did you stick around town for Nikita‘s final few episodes to see how the season wrapped?
Nope, I had to get back to my life. I stuck around town because I have friends and family in Toronto, but I didn’t stick around the set. You’ve got to rip it off like a Band-Aid; it’s part of the job… But you’ve also got to be careful, because these fans are like detectives! They noticed that I hadn’t tweeted about Nikita for awhile, so they figured Sean was dead! [Laughs] I felt bad and wondered how I could fix it and make it more of a surprise for these people… They know more than I do! [Laughs]

TVLINE | Do you have any parting words for fans sad to see Sean go?
I want to tell the fans thank you so much for supporting the character and accepting him so quickly as part of the cast. This character was brought on initially for just a couple episodes, but fans connected with him and really liked him. So, I owe the last two years to them. Thank you very much.

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