This Is Why Laurence Fishburne Really Left CSI

Laurence Fishburne is a man of many talents. Unlike many other Hollywood stars, Fishburne doesn't stay in the film lane or the television lane exclusively. Instead, he toggles between them both. During the 2021 SCAD aTVFest, he told audiences why he chooses to use multiple performance avenues. "​​It's just a different medium," he said, per Next TV. "I'm an artist, and like any artist, they work in pencil, and they work in watercolor, or they can work in oil." He continued, "It's all acting. It's all like painting or drawing or sketching."

Fans of "The Matrix" franchise — save for the newest installment, which does not include Fishburne – know him as Morpheus, the mysterious hacker who takes Keanu Reeves' Neo under his wing. Meanwhile, "CSI" audiences know him as Dr. Raymond Langston. Fishburne spent nearly three seasons on the hit show but ultimately chose not to continue his time on the series. What caused his untimely exit?

When it was announced in 2011 that Laurence Fishburne was leaving "CSI" after just a few seasons, audiences may have been surprised. Executives, on the other hand, were less than shocked. "Nobody expected him to be on the show for 7 years," an insider told Deadline at the time, "it's Laurence Fishburne." Because Fishburne left "CSI," he got significantly more time to work on films such as "Ant-Man and the Wasp," the various "John Wick" iterations, and "Contagion," according to IMDb.

Working on both television and film has given Fishburne some serious perspective on what it's like to do both. "Because of the fact that television is in the home, you don't have to go to the television," he said at the 2021 SCAD aTVFest, per Next TV. "You turn the television on and you become a member of the family ..." He added, "There's a closeness that is different than the intimacy of watching a film or the intimacy of being in the theater."

After starring as Morpheus in three "Matrix" films, Laurence Fishburne isn't sure why he wasn't asked back to be in the fourth film. Looking on the bright side, though, he told Vulture in August 2020 he hoped the free time would allow him the space to write another play. He also told the site that the role is probably what he'll be remembered for — although he isn't actually Morpheus, despite what some may think.

"It is probably the role that I'll be best remembered for, which is great; it's not the only thing I'll be remembered for, which is better," he told Vulture. "He's f****** amazing. What I get with him is I've got Darth Vader in this hand, and I've got Obi-Wan in that hand." He continued, "I've got Bruce Lee, I've got Muhammad Ali shuffled in there, and I got kung fu. It's pretty good." Fishburne also said fans often confuse him for his famous character. However, he clarified once and for all, "I am not Morpheus. I'm not even close."

We may not have gotten Fishburne in "CSI" for years and years, but he's given audiences plenty to watch in his nearly 50-year career.