Sophia Bush Opens Up About Future Plans After Leaving 'Chicago P.D.'

09/27/2017 06:21 pm EDT

As Chicago P.D. preps for its fifth season, former star Sophia Bush has commented on what's next for her career.

Bush starred as Erin Lindsay in the first four seasons of the NBC drama, but departed after season four concluded. At the end of the season, Erin decided to accept an FBI job in New York City, leaving her an opening to exit.

In a new interview with Create & Cultivate, Bush lays out what the past few years of her career have taught her and how they have influenced her next steps.

"The past few years taught me a lot about what I want, and also about what I will not tolerate," she said. "The positive and negative ends of the spectrum of recent experiences have both been great for goal setting. Everything is a lesson. And it all boils down to the truth that I'm ready to take more control of my career and what it looks like."

The actress, who also starred on One Tree Hill, said she will be focusing her efforts on creating "safe" and "creative" work environments on set.

"That (control) will affect projects I want to helm — as an actor, a producer, a director — and the way people working on those projects feel when they come to work," she said. "And that's what I'm looking forward to most. Creating environments that feel safe, freeing, creative, and open. That's perhaps the greatest way I've come to understand my power thus far. And I'm so looking forward to what's next."

As for her upcoming projects, Bush will appear in the Thurgood Marshall biopic Marshall and the action thriller Acts of Violence.

Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on NBC.

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