In May 2022, Emmy Rossum is set to premiere her first leading role since Shameless as Angelyne in a Peacock original series of the same name.
For fans of the American version of the popular family drama series, Shameless, the departure of Emmy Rossum from the series in 2018 was quite disappointing.
Rossum left, stating that she was looking to spread her creative wings by seeking new projects to work on, specifically behind the scenes.
However, the star has not worked much on-screen in the years since her departure from the series. In March 2022, Rossum took to her social media to share her first leading project since Shameless as the title character of the upcoming series, Angelyne.
What is Shameless?
Shameless (US) is an adaptation of the 2004 original English family drama series of the same name created by Paul Abbott.
The American version of the series premiered in 2010; the acclaimed film writer Johns Wells is credited with developing the spin-off.
The spin-off did not steer far from the original premise, “The lives and relationships of a group of siblings and their estranged father Frank Gallagher on a rough Manchester estate.”
The premise of Shameless (US) is, “A scrappy, feisty, fiercely loyal Chicago family makes no apologies.” The spin-off concluded in 2021 after eleven seasons.
After Shameless: What is Emmy Rossum doing now?
Shameless was a popular series throughout its 11-season run, but the end of the show was arguably foreshadowed by the departure of female lead, Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher, at the end of season nine in 2018.
Her exit from the show was amicable, as she simply desired to pursue other creative endeavours since she had been playing the role for eight years at the time, with other film and television projects in between.
Moreover, in 2017 she got married to her second husband, Sam Esmail. Therefore, in the time following her exit from the show, she did not work much in front of the camera on film and television projects.
Instead, she had her first child with her husband in September 2021, Samantha Esmail.
Not long after that, in March 2021, she shared the trailer of her first leading role since Shameless, as billboard star of the 1980s Angelyne, in a limited series which will be released under the same name in May 2022.
She is also believed to be part of another television series titled The Crowded Room, which is currently in post-production.
Emmy Rossum on leaving Shameless
Emmy Rossum was the one to confirm the news that she was leaving Shameless in 2018, with a lengthy Facebook post.
She stated that her departure was amicable as she wrote, “The way John Wells has shepherded me as an actress, and more recently how he’s encouraged me wholeheartedly as a director and a writer, has been an honor and a privilege.”
Therefore, the belief was that she would venture into these other creative aspects. Moreover, she ended the post suggesting that she would return to the show, hence the excitement that came with the series finale, as the fans expected to see her featured for one last time.
Did Emmy Rossum return to Shameless?
Considering that Emmy Rossum continued to support the cast and crew of Shameless even after her exit, fans looked forward to her return when the series was set to end in 2021 after 11 seasons. However, she did not return to the show.
This was for logistical reasons rather than animosity between Rossum and the series. John Wells also confirmed that the pandemic is what prevented her guest appearance, explaining:
“She’s been in New York with Sam, where they live, and right about the time where we were talking about putting it all together was when the additional lockdowns kind of hit again, and it just didn’t feel safe or practical for her to come back. So I think it’s with a great deal of regret that we couldn’t do it but it’s just more minor casualty of our year of COVID.”
What is Emmy Rossum doing now politically?
Outside of her creative outlets, Emmy Rossum has always used her platform to advocate for the bias within the socio-political world.
This time, in March 2022, Rossum lent her voice to support the push for Pay Equity Now for costume designers by highlighting in the caption of a post that:
“The fight for equal pay is something I know and care about. Without costume designers, actors could not create all the characters we all love to watch. You may be surprised to find out that they are historically underpaid and predominantly women. Join me as I support them in their fight for equal pay.”
Final thoughts
Shameless could arguably be the series that made female lead actress Emmy Rossum a household name. Therefore, fans were surprised when she announced that she was leaving the role in 2018, in order to pursue her other creative interests.
While in 2019 she directed a series, she did not produce notable work in the time between when she worked as the title character and the executive producer of the upcoming Peacock original series, based on the life of L.A’s original billboard cover girl, Angelyne, set for release in May 2022.