Why is Amir Arison leaving The Blacklist, and his role of Aram Mojtabai? If you are asking this question after the season 9 finale, we more than understand.

The news on the show came as somewhat of a stunner, given that it was out of the blue and as the entire Task Force said goodbye to Liz. It turns out that Laura Sohn’s character of Park is also departing, and that makes the news all the more sad.

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In the end, we can tell you that it was entirely Amir’s decision to exit, and it is tied to him doing something super-personal: The Kite Runner on Broadway. There was a cheeky reference to Aram seeing a show in the finale tonight, and we’re sure that was the writers giving him a little nod.

As a part of a new statement via Deadline, the actor explained his choice in greater depth:

“I have been so honored to play Aram Mojtabai for 9 years on The Blacklist … It is not lost on me how lucky I am to have been able to work and evolve with a role for 9 years with this extraordinary cast, crew, writers and producers. I could not pass up the opportunity, however, to fulfill a childhood dream of being on Broadway playing ‘Amir’ in The Kite Runner with a stage adaptation that is both breathtaking and timely. The producers, studio and network have been so supportive of my decision, and Aram remains ‘alive’ with the potential for a possible return at some point. Story-wise, it feels so organic with the events of this past season to take this step, and I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”

Meanwhile, executive producer / showrunner John Eisendrath added the following:

“Amir has been a huge part of The Blacklist family … He’s a great actor and an even better person. We wish him well and hope he can return to reprise the role for some very special episodes next year.”

We’ll admit that we’re going to miss Aram greatly. He is such the heart of the show for us in so many ways, and Amir has been as great an ambassador to this world as anyone.

Related – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to The Blacklist and the big finale

Are you sad that Amir Arison is leaving The Blacklist and Aram following the events of season 9?

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