Stana Katic, who featured in Castle on ABC, recently spoke up about her unexpected departure, claiming that she is “still not clear on the thought process behind the way that it went down.” Katic played Kate Beckett from 2009 to 2015, when she left the show just as it was entering its ninth season. After Katic left, the program was canceled less than a month later.

In the current edition of Entertainment Weekly, Katic discusses the 2016 incident.

“I’m actually still not clear on the thought process behind the way that it went down,” the actress says to the publication. “It hurt and it was a harsh ending.”

The Canadian actress also expressed her fondness for her eight seasons as the crime-fighting superwoman.

Getty

“Now, nearly two years later… I met so many beautiful people on that project, and we collaborated on something really unique in that it’s not every day that you get a show, or a series, that has eight seasons and that it was a hit for the network,” Katic noted. “It would be a disservice to those people, to the work that we did together, and to my work, which I feel contributed, in part, to the success of the show, to be anything but grateful because, at the end of the day, that was a fantastic platform.”

“It was a formative experience, and we told a love story that I feel moved people, touched people, and I can’t be anything but glad that I was a part of something like that. I hope it remains something special in viewers’ minds forever,” she continues.

“Rather than distract from what was an amazing experience I would just like to say that I’m very grateful to ABC for giving me the opportunity to be a part of a much beloved show. Thank you to the fans,” Katic said in a statement at the time of her surprising exit.

In 2016, reports about Katic’s departure surfaced. During this period, Katic’s co-star Nathan Fillion was courted by Castle executives to sign a new agreement, but she was never approached. Tamala Jones, another original cast member, left the program at the same time as Katic.

In the 10-episode serial killer series Absentia, which launches next Friday on Amazon, the University of Toronto alum executive produces and appears as FBI Agent-turned-fugitive Emily Byrne.