Raúl Esparza says it was his decision to leave Law & Order: SVU after six seasons

Entertainment Weekly

“I just felt it was time to move on,” says the actor, who played Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba. “I was also feeling like the role has changed over the years in a way that has been an interesting experience for me. Again, I’m a theater guy, so it’s like having a script in front of you that keeps changing every time you go to do it. The learning process of how roles grow over a period of time with a series has been kind of fascinating, and I just felt I had reached the end of what I wanted to explore where they were writing.”