‘9-1-1’s Oliver Stark Says Season 7 Fan Response Is “A Beautiful Reminder” Of The Show’s Cultural Impact

After Oliver Stark’s first day of filming 9-1-1In the most ambitious, large-scale disaster episodes — Season 3’s “Sink or Swim,” which showed a tsunami hitting the Santa Monica Pier — he returned to his hotel room, jumped in a hot shower and cried when he realized he was living his dream. Four seasons later, he still feels those immense feelings of accomplishment and pride for his role on the hit first responder drama series.

“Are you asking me if I still cry in the shower?” Stark said with a chuckle during a Zoom call with Decider. “Occasionally, but for different reasons.”

The 32-year-old actor who plays firefighter Evan “Buck” Buckley in 9-1-1now in its seventh season, no longer sobs while shampooing these days, but he “absolutely” has moments of immense gratitude for the show and its success.

“Especially in recent weeks, much attention has been paid to 9-1-1 — and I’ve been at the center of a lot of things,” Stark said. “It’s incredible to remember the cultural impact a show like this can have. We have such a good time making it that it almost feels like this little project I’m going to do with my friends. You forget how many eyes are on him at the end of the day…it’s been a really nice reminder of the work we do.”

Since Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear’s procedural found a new home on ABC after Fox canceled it in 2023, 9-1-1It’s been a record year. Season 7 kicked off with an epic three-episode tribute to The Poseidon Adventure, sent out 118 on a call to the Bachelor mansion for a crossover, celebrated a historic 100th episode milestone, and dominated the ratings as the highest-rated Nielsen primetime drama of the season among adults in 18 to 49 years old. At the top of the list of season 7 triumphs is the bisexual awakening of Stark’s character Buck, who shared a same-sex kiss with returning character Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) and later came out to from his sister and his best friend in the mid-season finale.

Although Stark only learned about the arc a few episodes before the monumental kiss, the actor, along with a significant portion of fans, felt the storyline was long overdue. When viewers first met Buck in Season 1, he was a self-diagnosed, womanizing sex addict with a wild side. Over the years it has seen incredible growth, but still emerged many romances with women feeling unfulfilled. As Buck’s formative relationships unfolded, the show continually hinted that he was not heterosexual in moments as small as Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) saying he had a “boy crush” on Eddie (Ryan Guzman) in such in-your-face scenes like this crossover episode conversation between Buck and 9-1-1: Lone StarIt’s TK. As the crumbs piled up and the seasons passed, fans worried that the show was leading them with no real intention of making Buck canonically queer. Then Tommy came, and everything fell into place.

“I have a lot of trust in Tim Minear, our showrunner, so there weren’t really any stipulations or anything like that on my part. As soon as he said it, I was so excited. We had this phone call and he asked me questions about the script, and I answered. “Absolutely, I’m on board.” And then I think it probably only took about 10 minutes before I sent him a follow-up text like, “I’m so happy.” I’m so excited,'” Stark said of Buck’s new romance. Although he didn’t consciously explore Buck’s sexuality in previous seasons, the actor admits he’s more aware of it. aspect of his character since season 4. “Certainly, in season 7, I had decided to let myself become more interested in that. So when Tim introduced me to this story, it was a great coincidence. Everything lined up correctly.

Tommy was introduced in Season 2, left 118 for a job with LAFD Air Operations, and recently returned to help save Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena (Angela Bassett) from their capsized cruise ship. With only three episodes filmed together in Season 7, Stark and Ferrigno Jr. haven’t had much time to get to know each other, although they did call the day before their characters kissed to discuss how the scene could unfold.

“That (scene) didn’t really turn out the way I thought it would, which is what’s nice about this job is you get to discover things in the moment,” Stark said. “I really like (Lou). I really enjoy working with him. I think he’s been a great addition to the show and I look forward to – assuming Tommy sticks around for a while – continuing to develop that relationship with him on and off screen.

After Buck and Tommy’s first date ended prematurely, Buck came out to his sister and best friend in two emotional scenes, creating a tonal juxtaposition that Stark loved. “It was a lot lighter and healthier with Maddie. She almost made fun of him a little bit in a very sisterly way, and I liked that it was fun and didn’t feel like this big, brave, heavy, deep coming out moment,” he said. he declares. “With Eddie it was a little heavier, which I think was a really interesting choice… I really liked that we were able to show that coming out can look like different things, depending on who you talk to, and that, Fortunately, in this case for Buck, both conversations ended.

A majority of 9-1-1The Buck fandom embraced and celebrated Buck’s bisexuality after the kiss, but Stark took to Instagram to call out “the smallest group” of haters who weren’t happy with the arc due to sheer homophobia or the belief that the script was written purely as fan service.

“Tim, as a writer, is not one to write anything on anyone else’s terms. He’s only going to tell the story he thinks is right to tell. If we were just doing it for fun, I don’t think it would be a positive representation at all. I think it would seem excessive and, in fact, it would be counterproductive to sending a good message,” Stark told Decider. “I think it’s a natural progression for Buck’s storytelling. He’s not suddenly bi just so we can have a bi character. He discovered this bisexual side of himself because it fit the character and the narrative, and I think it’s a credit to him to be a fully fleshed out character in his own right. He’s not suddenly a bisexual character. He’s the same character as before, but he also understands his bisexuality.

When discussing Buck’s sexuality, we’d be remiss not to recognize the “Buddie” of it all – the fandom couple name for Buck and fellow firefighter 118 Eddie Diaz. Since Guzman joined the cast of season 2, a large group of 9-1-1 fans began telling a friends-to-lovers story between the best friends, who Stark said “built a specific bond” between him and Guzman over the years.

“In previous seasons, we talked about it a lot, because we had all these fan edits and photos flooding in and it was really fun to share them with each other. And then we kind of moved away from that, because that we didn’t know whether, by watching these things and interacting with them, whether we were feeding into a narrative that was perhaps never going to happen, (and) whether it was perhaps somewhat unfair to the audience.” , Stark explained, over the past two years, the co-stars decided it wasn’t their responsibility to manage those expectations and decided to create the most authentic show possible. your property. It’s up to the public to consume and get what they want from it. So we’ve relaxed that a bit, but I think it’s strengthened our bond.

When asked if he had ever watched a fan montage that had him behind the ship, Stark flashed a wide smile, laughed a little and replied, “Oh, 100 percent.” 100%. I look at some of the edits and I’m like, “Am I Team Buddie?” » because there are some really talented editors. And you know how it is. You put the right song on it and you add the right moments, and I’m like, ‘Wait, I’m crying in the shower.’

As Season 7 stands, Stark is excited to explore a budding romance with Tommy, but there’s no denying that some of the moments that have hinted at Buck’s bisexuality over the years have taken place between him and Eddie. “I even told (Tim Minear), there’s a scene in the first episode (of season 7) where Eddie reveals that he’s going — or he mentions a first date, and it ends up being Christopher’s first date. And Buck has this moment of “Oh. I thought things were going well with Marisol…’ So many little moments where I was like, ‘Is there a possibility of playing with Buck?'” Stark said.

The actor may have been hesitant to declare himself Team Buddie in the past, but if the show naturally brings the character together, he’ll happily join fans in celebrating.

“If they end up taking Ryan’s character in that direction and it fits the story, I’m always open to that. I’m always open to whatever I think is the right path for these characters,” he said. Stark said. If the script ever gets written, he’s convinced it will be the result of more than just fan service. “I don’t think you could ever do it for those reasons. , it must be because the story dictates that it should go in that direction. If that ends up being the case, then sure.

With only five episodes left in the season and Maddie and Chimney’s wedding on the horizon, 9-1-1 He may not have much time left to explore Buck’s new relationship this spring, but Stark is happy to share the spotlight.

“I try not to center myself — or I don’t want to center myself too much,” he told Decider. “Because there are fantastic actors and writers involved in the show at every level. Just being a part of this is still a very surreal experience for me in general. I always go to work and look at my comrades, and I ask myself: how am I doing here with all of you?

The start of Season 8 shows that there is still plenty of story left for Stark and the 9-1-1 team to say so, and with the positive response to season 7, the actor feels reinvigorated.

“The fact that the audience is only growing shows that we’re doing good things and we’re making really good choices that are getting people more and more invested,” Stark said. “It’s such a charming show…And I’m very inspired by who these characters are.”

New episodes of 9-1-1 premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC with streaming the next day on Hulu.