Producer Mark Olsen revealed that actor Bill Paxton initially opposed the decision to kill off his character in the series finale of Big Love.
Mark Olsen told The Hollywood Reporter that Paxton had trouble accepting the script for the final episode. The actor felt the ending did not match how he envisioned his character's journey after six years in the role.
Olsen noted in an interview that Paxton spent several weeks reconciling with the plot point. The decision to have Bill Henrickson shot by a neighbor stemmed from a desire to emphasize the enduring family he created.
In a 2012 HuffPost interview, Paxton expressed lingering disappointment. He said he wanted to imagine the Henrickson family continuing their life and that the character deserved a quiet resolution after his struggles.
Olsen and co-creator Will Scheffer described the series as ultimately focused on the women in the story. Paxton later viewed the death as a meaningful hero's journey.