"This is the nature of the industry that I’m in" — Stephanie Arcila on show writers removing Gabriela from Fire Country after 3 seasons
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Stephanie Arcila (Photo: Everett Collection)Fire Country star Stephanie Arcila opens up about her controversial exit from the show. In an interview with US Weekly on Monday, April 28, 2025, the actress explained the move came as a "complete shock". She found out her character, Gabriela Parez, would not return in the next season before Season 3 wrapped up.
Talking to the outlet, the actress explained that she had come to "accept" the news, stating:
"I know that this is the nature of the industry that I’m in, and I have accepted the flow of release and acceptance throughout my journey and knowing that when one door closes, another one opens always."
During the two-part finale, Parez, a firefighter and paramedic, confronted her stalker, Finn (Blake Lee), seemingly shooting him in self-defense. It was later revealed that her ex-con Audrey (Leven Rambin) was the one who pulled the trigger to protect her friend.
As season 3 ended on a cliffhanger, Deadline, citing showrunner Tia Napolitano and co-creators Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, reported on Stephanie Arcila's exit.
Talking to US Weekly, the actress explained that she respected "every department in the industry" and understood the effort that went behind "storytelling." Noting that she wanted to leave the show happy, she added:
"We have this beautiful eternal door of revolving desires in what we love in life. I believe that if we put resistance towards that, sometimes it stops us from fulfilling other things that we love."
"I'm getting to do so many things that I haven't been able to do for so long" — Stephanie Arcila on having a positive take on her exit
In her interview with US Weekly, Stephanie Arcila noted that while her time on Fire Country has ended, Gabriela Parez's story did not. She stated:
"I have no idea (where Gabriela’s story) would go from here, but you never know (about a possible return)."
Arcila hoped that the character would "bloom" in the future. The actress was all in when asked about her interest in Gabriela having her own spinoff show. Noting the long and "beautiful" time she spent with the character, she added it was "every artist's dream."
In a separate interview with TV Guide, Stephanie Arcila explained that though the news came as a "shock," she chose to see the positive, stating:
"It is always nice to have these breaks. For myself personally, I'm getting to do so many things that I haven't been able to do for so long because I have the time now. I can take classes. I can audition for different things. I can see my family more."
The actress also expressed feeling pride in being a Latina actress and being able to represent. Reiterating the emotion, in a separate interview with Deadline, Stephanie Arcila noted she was grateful to have played a character that reflected her own Colombian background.
Gabriela Parez is not the only character to be leaving Fire Country next season. The fate of Billy Burke's Vince Leone, the Cal Fire battalion chief and Parez's on-and-off love interest Bode Leone's father, also remains unknown. On Friday, Deadline, citing sources, reported on Burke's exit.
The finale saw Vince, his wife, Cal Fire Division Chief Sharon (Diane Farr), and his father, retired battalion chief Walter Leone (Jeff Fahey), trapped in a burning building with the roof collapsing on them. While Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and Tia Napolitano confirmed Stephanie Arcila's exit with Deadline, they didn't comment on Vince's departure, wanting to keep the fans guessing.
Talking about shaking up the cast, with two potential series regulars leaving the show, Napolitano explained:
"Season 3, (we're) leaning into the authenticity of the real-life heroes that our characters are playing, people die, they leave. That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes."
When questioned whether the decision came from a financial perspective, Rater asserted it came down to what was best "creatively." She explained that as writers and storytellers, they didn't make the decision lightly and wanted to portray the most "compelling" and "authentic" story reflecting the firefighters' everyday lives.
Elsewhere in the interview, Napolitano confirmed the decision to write off Gabriella came up during the discussion about "finding the end of season 3," adding that they told Stephanie Arcila while shooting the finale. Phelan added:
"We are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on. We’re hoping that we can bring that (Gabriela) back, because we think that they have such great chemistry, and the audience is really invested in the two of them."
Later in the interview, Napolitano explained that it wasn't "goodbye" for Stephanie Arcila's character but a "see you later." Rater noted that they would bring Gabriela "back at some point in a really satisfying, beautiful way."
Fire Country Season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.
TOPICS: Stephanie Arcila, Fire Country, Billy Burke, Joan Rater, Tia Napolitano, Tony Phelan