Louis HunterThe secret is out, and the circle is broken. On tonight's shocking episode of "The Secret Circle," we said goodbye to Nick Armstrong, the oft-shirtless ne'er-do-well boy next door. The twist was particularly startling given the fact that Nick is a fan favorite character from the L.J. Smith novels from which the series is adapted... not to mention the fact that actor Louis Hunter has appeared in all of the show's promotional materials up to this point.

Unfortunately for Nick fans, this isn't one of those deaths that's easily remedied by a potion or a clap-if-you-believe-in-witches spell. Zap2it spoke exclusively with Hunter last week and he confirmed that after shooting the episode, "Slither," he packed his bags.

Zap2it: How permanent is Nick's death? Were you on set again after filming this episode?

Hunter: No, I pretty much left Vancouver straight away after filming this episode. I had some work stuff to do in L.A., and I took a little time to see some friends.

Zap2it: Was it tough to keep Nick's death a secret from the fans?

Hunter: Not really! We haven't hinted at a death at all, so nobody's really asked me about it. We really wanted to keep it a surprise. I haven't talked much about the show with my friends. No one really knows.

Zap2it: What about when you found out? Did Andrew Miller or Kevin Williamson just call you and say, 'Listen...'

Hunter: Actually, no. I knew from the start, from the get-go, that Nick would be written off. I didn't know exactly which episode, but I did know that it was part of the master plan that at some point in the first season, someone was going to go, and that someone would be me. So that wasn't a shock, getting that script. Read More >>>  OR Discuss this in Forum >>

Written by By Carina Adly MacKenzie for Zap2it | October 14, 2011 12:59 AM ET