In a December 2020 interview with Kulture Popped, Steve Howey discussed the final season of "Shameless," including what it was like to say goodbye to a role that he'd been playing for over a decade.
Howey said, "It's bittersweet, you know? Eleven seasons is a rarity. The cast and crew — specifically the cast — we all grew up together. Shinola [Hampton] and I are partners in this [show]. We grew to develop a really tight friendship and she's turned into one of my best friends." The actor then went on to mention that he is also close with the rest of the "Shameless" cast and noted how he got to see all of the Gallagher kids literally grow up during the show's run. Howey continued, "A lot of life has been lived and a lot of journeys have happened. There's a lot of ups and downs."
The actor then gave credit to the show's creator, John Wells, who adapted "Shameless" from a British series of the same name, for the show's longevity. Howey said, "We thought it was definitely going to go a couple of seasons and it just kept going and going. Now that it's coming to an end, it's hard to describe."
