Nico Murray is leaving Essex University. Gavin Leatherwood will not reprise his role as the campus heartthrob in the second season HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls.
“There is a season 2, but I’m not going to go back,” the actor, 27, exclusively told Us Weekly on Sunday, March 27, when he attended the Mercedes-Benz Oscar 2022 Viewing Party in Los Angeles.
A source close to the streaming platform confirmed to Us that Leatherwood is not expected to return to the series.
The Hawaii native explained that, while he was “happy to do the first season” of The Sex Lives of College Girls, he’ll be “branching off and going in a different direction” after leaving the dramedy, which was created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble.
“It was such an incredible experience. I think Mindy is brilliant and the cast, everyone’s lovely,” Leatherwood told Us. “But with so many amazing opportunities out there, we want to keep spreading our wings and leading ourselves to other projects so that’s the move.”
On Monday, March 28, the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina alum expanded on his upcoming plans, revealing via his Instagram Story that new music is on the way. “I have a new song coming out on April 8. It’s called ‘Be My Lover,'” he said in the clip.
Leatherwood was in nine of the 10 episodes in the first season of The Sex Lives of College Girls, which debuted in November 2021, as Nico, Kimberly’s (Pauline Chalamet) love interest. The upperclassman was Kimberly’s French tutor and quickly developed a secret relationship with her. Kimberly kept their romance secret because her roommate Leighton (Renée Rapp) is Nico’s sister, but the December 2021 season finale revealed that Nico was hiding their affair because he had a serious girlfriend.
In the final episode, Nico gave Kimberly the copies of exams that his fraternity used to cheat on tests. He encouraged her to hand them over if that would keep her from getting expelled. Essex took away Kimberly’s scholarship but allowed her to stay. However, consequences for Nico and his fraternity have not yet been revealed.
With season 2 on the horizon, Leatherwood exclusively told Us that he was “excited” to explore roles outside of the hit show. “I think life is short and I think one of the best things about this craft and this industry is that you get to keep stretching into your uncomfortable zone,” he said on Sunday. “That’s when we grow and learn and become stronger artists. So that’s kind of what I am looking to do is just to continue to get uncomfortable and learn and grow and hone my craft.”
However, the Bad Therapy star will miss the cast, which also includes Amrit Kaur and Alyah Chanelle Scott. “The people, of course, [are] the best part. People make the job, you know what I mean? Always, always, always,” he gushed. “It’s such a lovely community because there’s so many talented people so … yeah, I’ll miss that and I’ll miss them.”
The Sex Lives of College Girls was renewed for season 2 in December. A release date has not yet been announced.
With reporting by Diana Cooper
