What's it like to be in Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1 universe, working alongside these amazing people around you?
It was quite intimidating at the start of the show, to be honest with you. You know, I was coming in, and I knew that everybody around me was fantastically talented and brilliant at what they do. And I knew that the bar would be set very high. So, it was something that I found quite intimidating at the start of the show, but very quickly, that vanished because I realized how lovely everyone was and how down-to-earth, cooperative and openly generous everybody was. So, it's really been such a pleasure over the past six years to get to apply the craft with these people, because they're just such open characters, not just in the show, but off camera as well. And, you know, we've become such a tight-knit group of people and really became friends and family. And it's been such a joyous experience. And, you know, we spent a lot of time together by this point, we often make the point that high school is considered such a formative time in our years, and that's five years, and we've been together longer than that period now. So yes, we're ingrained in each other's lives and that's not a thing that, you know, when the show does eventually come to an end, that's not a thing that will die between us. We have been bonded by this experience and I think we're all very aware of that.

Do you think that openness created this bond amongst you that you can actually see transcend beyond the screen?
Absolutely. I think when you watch the show, one of the things that really draws you in is you want to be friends with these people. You want to sit in the back of the fire truck with them. You want to sit around the table, you want to run into the fire with them because you care about them, and you trust them and those relationships between them. So yes, it's definitely a thing that has been influenced by how well we get on as a cast, you know, to each other all the time during hiatus. We've been on holidays together. As I say, if the show was to go away tomorrow, those things wouldn't change. We are true friends, and I think that can only help the work that we get to create and it absolutely does influence it.

A lot of things have happened throughout the seasons of the show, there's always some crazy things happening. Now let's talk about the challenges and the highs that you've experienced, that you can easily remember. And how were you able to rise above those challenges as well?
Sure, the most immediate thing that comes to mind - this is some years ago now, is when we were shooting the beginning of season three. We did this tsunami episode. So, to make it, we went down to Mexico, where they had these water tanks built. And we had basically recreated Santa Monica, within these water tanks so that it could then be flooded. And, you know, my character is there, along with Gavin McHugh's character, Christopher. And the first day there was so physically exhausting. I consider myself fit and athletic but I was so wiped out by the end of the day. I went back to my hotel room and by this point, myself and Gavin were the only cast members down there, everybody else was coming out three or four days later. And I went back to my hotel room after the first day, and I got in this hot shower and genuinely, I cried, not because of how tired I was at this point, but because of how proud I was to be here getting to make this and it felt like I was living my dream. It was a huge-scale production, so many people's hard work had gone into it. And I just stood in the shower, and I just had this overwhelming sense of accomplishment, that I don't think I'll ever forget how I felt in that moment. So I think that’s probably going to be a high. And then I would say there's, you know, smaller moments between us. I remember Aisha turned to me once, and it had been a scene of myself, her and Kenny Choi and she said, you know, who knows how long we can make this show together for. But I do know that I could work with this cast for the rest of my life. And it was just such a lovely feeling of knowing that we're all on the same wavelength. And we're all aware of what a joy and pleasure it is to get to share this thing together.

And it's really tricky, especially if you have this big cast ensemble, with so many different storylines going on. But you guys are still able to manage to make us feel like you're a family.
There's no ego in the show. We're all aware that the spotlight moves around characters, and we're all there to support each other. And, you know, it's about making as good of a TV show as we're able to make this. There's no ego, which, I think, is in itself quite a rare thing.

You see the passion in there, and it's really incredible to watch everybody grow. And speaking of that instance that you mentioned earlier, when you felt so proud like it's a dream come true. Was acting a dream for you since you were young?
No, it was not a thing - not consciously anyway. It wasn't a job I grew up thinking about as part of my future. Looking back now, I do see that as a child and as an early teenager, it was brewing in the background. I liked to be performative and put myself out there. And I liked to have it feel like I was putting on a show for people. But I didn't think that acting was a viable career path. In fact, early on, I didn’t think it was consciously a possible career path for anybody. It wasn't until I was maybe 16, 17, 18 that I started thinking, wow, this is a thing that I really, actually love to do. And I wonder if there is a way that I can make this my living. I think prior to that, I had much more interest in sports and trying to make a career out of that. And then I had these random thoughts, like - I'm going to be an entrepreneur, I'm going to be a hotel owner, I'm going to be a construction worker, just odd careers.

You sound like Buck.
Basically, yes, yes, yes. Well, yes, and I guess, most of us. You know, I think some people from a very early age know what their calling is. But I think for the vast majority, you have to try a few things out before you find your way.

And now you're here doing it.
Yes, and now I'm here doing it. And you know, I’m forever grateful for that, because I do think it's important to remind yourself. You know, I speak about how lovely shooting the show is but obviously, there are tough days, and there are difficult times, and it's important to take a step back and remember, hey, I'm so lucky to be here. And that, I think, presents a great perspective to it all.

And speaking of that, fans love 9-1-1 and especially Buck. I see it online, why do you think that's the case? Where do you think this love is coming from? How are you able to create this impact on the audience, either consciously or subconsciously?
I think in a big part, it's down to how open and vulnerable he is. He really wears his heart on his sleeve. And I think the only thing that we can really connect to, is his vulnerability. And he is a character that in so many ways, due to what we're used to seeing in years gone by on television, you wouldn't think of being particularly vulnerable. You know, he's in some sense, he's very, like old school, macho, macho, and likes to run into danger and be the hero, but then at the same time, he's sensitive. And he really cares about those around him, and he breaks down sometimes. And I think that yes, the only thing that, as people, not only can connect to but want to connect to is being let inside of another person's vulnerability.

What is your dream project?
I really want to play as an athlete. There's something about sports movies, you know, and there have been really prudent sports movies and then more cheesy ones. I don't care, I love them all. There's something about competition that I really, really love and I think one of the things being that it seems like a more linear path of progression, you work harder, you train harder and you get better at something very simple that I've always loved. Like an underdog story, but yes, I've really wanted to play an athlete for a very, very long time. So, I don't know about “dream project” forever but that would be something that I'm certainly interested in doing at some point soon.

From the get-go, we kind of saw that in Buck. Going back to the pilot episode, where he was brash, and bordering on unlikable, and then we saw him get put in a situation where he was fired from a job in that episode and he had to tap into his vulnerability and kind of earn his way back. And so yes, I think from very early on, he was a character whose heart was put out there. And, you know, he was not afraid of it being a gaping wound for everybody to peer into. So yes, I think that's, if I was to put my finger on one thing, the main draw, and the main way that an audience has found to connect with him.

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?
Interesting. I'm torn whether I'd just list of like a real, or favorite book or, I think I would be a book about - this is a made-up book or maybe it's not a made-up book and I need to go and read it or, if it's a made-up book maybe I need to go and write it. It's about a young man who I refer to myself as a young man.