TV Fanatic

In the first hour, Buck learns that his parents are divorcing. And his reaction is a bit different from Maddie’s. Why do you think Buck processes that news the way that he does?
I think his relationship with his parents has always been different from that of Maddie’s. More fractured. And I mean, Maddie has obviously also had huge issues with them, but there were some happier years between them, whereas Buck never really got to experience that with them. So, I think there’s almost a numbness to their relationship. I don’t think Buck is lying about how he feels about it or even trying to suppress it. I think he sees them as two people in the world that he has a connection to, but it’s not a particularly loving family connection.

I completely agree. I also found it interesting that, to him, divorce was two people failing rather than two people making the right decision for themselves. But I felt like that was in line with Buck’s relationship with them.
Yeah. And I think he’s right in many senses, where he says that they’re two grown adults and they can do what they want, and that their failure isn’t anything to do with him.

Absolutely. And you just spoke about it, but he has always had that difficult or complicated relationship with his parents, and that made that moment between him and Philip really significant. What do you think it meant for Buck to hear his dad apologize like that? And do you think that that might shift their relationship moving forward, or do you think the relationship is what it is at this point?
I think that’s a great way to put it. It kind of is what it is, and it’s maybe nice to hear, and in the moment feels nice, but I don’t think it’s going to necessarily change the trajectory of their relationship and their path together. I think Buck knows who he is within himself, and he also has a good understanding of who his dad is. And sometimes family is just family, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be best friends with them. You don’t have to like them all the time. And I don’t think that we’re going to suddenly move in a different direction for them. I think there’s an acceptance of who everyone is in relation to one another.

Yes, which I love. I think that’s super relatable and true to life. Bobby is like a big specter over that first episode, which I really loved. And I loved that he was the one who chose Buck and Eddie to represent the 118 in the firefighting games. Anyone from the team would be deserving, but he picked Buck and Eddie. So why do you think he felt they were the right choice?
Because of the size of our biceps. [Laughs] No. I think he knows that there’s a good mix there of competitiveness and friendliness and support, and that Buck Eddie balanced each other out well. So, I think there’s an athletic capability within the characters, and as a duo, they would balance each other out and get the job done in a good, meaningful way.

I agree. Obviously, you guys would do well physically, but they are also best friends, and that kind of bond and ability to work really well together come in handy with competitive sports.
Exactly. The connection is there, the shorthand, the rapport. They’re a good team. We get to see that week in, week out on 9-1-1, so it’s just in a slightly less pressurized setting.

Building on that, we’ve seen Buck be competitive before, but the games seemed to bring out an even more intense side to him. What was it about this particular event that really pushed him in that way?
I think the 118 has been so defining in Buck’s life that any time he feels like he has to represent them, he really wants to do that to the fullest. He wants to show the world that the 118 is, in his mind, the best, and that’s because, to him, they have been the best. They’ve been so influential to him. So, I think it’s just a case of wanting to do them and, obviously, to make Bobby proud.

You’ve gotten to take part in crossovers before with 9-1-1: Lone Star and now with 9-1-1: Nashville. What do you think is the most fun or rewarding part of getting to merge two different 9-1-1 worlds together?
Well, it’s rewarding for me, firstly, because I love watching crossovers of anything. I always love team-ups of characters I know from different places. It’s rewarding to then get to be a part of one. But I just think it’s fun because there are all these characters that we already know within the confines of their own shows and the relationships they have there. We’re not meeting anybody new, and we may have had theories or thoughts about what these interactions might look like, and now we get to see if we were right. It’s a nice balance of familiar and fresh, and I think that makes for good, exciting television.

I think we missed out at the end. We didn’t get to see Buck and Dixie really hang out at the bar.
Let’s leave that to the imagination.

I know, but if we’re using our imagination, what do you think that looks like, Buck and Dixie hanging out?
Are you trying to get me in trouble? [Laughs]

Oh, no! Not like that.
I think they had a very great night together at the bar. [Laughs]

And just hung out at the bar. Yeah, exactly. Just had some drinks.
Just hung out at the bar.

Exactly. But speaking of Dixie and LeAnn Rimes, what was it like filming with the Nashville cast and crew and stepping into the way things operate on their sets?
It was so fun. They’re a really great bunch, their cast and their crew. The crew there — they don’t have a ton of film crews in Nashville, so they all work together a lot. They have such great relationships with each other, and they work so well with each other that they’re a really well-oiled machine, even though it was season one of the show. So, it was great to work with them. Then the cast was so welcoming to us and appreciative of us being there, which felt really nice. They were respectful of our show, and they seemed really happy to have us there. That meant a lot to us, and we were equally as happy to be there with them. They’re obviously super talented and lovely, but yeah, it was just really easy and nice.

Are there any moments from the episode that stand out to you, or even maybe just from behind-the-scenes filming? Is there anything about that time that you remember fondly?
That’s hard because when I finish an episode, it falls out of my mind. [Laughs] I guess the games individually, right? Each event just brought a new experience together. We’d never done these things before, and there was a nice balance between Oliver, Michael, and Ryan. Which part of the competitiveness was the characters, and which part of the competitiveness was us? So, I guess that kind of balance is what I remember the most, the fact that we were all there to make the episode, but also, we were competitive people and trying to compete with each other in a fun, real sense at the same time. And I appreciated that everybody was up for the spirit of that.

Of course. So, if the stars align and another crossover happens down the line, what would you personally love to see from it? Especially if Nashville gets to come to Los Angeles this time.
Obviously, this crossover wasn’t particularly serious in the sense that it wasn’t based around an emergency. Maybe the next one is rooted in something much like a previous crossover we did, where it’s based around a catastrophe. It’s based around an emergency, and it’s less about us butting heads with each other and much more about the fact that we’re all on one team, and we’re teaming up to help somebody or many people out.

Awesome. And then looking ahead to the rest of the season, what are some things fans can expect to see with Buck? Are there any developments or challenges you’re especially excited for viewers to see?
Buck has a really trying end of the season. Kind of starting next week from episode 13, he’s really going to be put through it and have to deal with some new things, and the repercussions are not going to be something he moves past particularly quickly. So, he’s got a tough little road coming up. Then, as we move towards the end of the season, some big changes for him and some big questions to be answered, and some decisions to be made in terms of what his life might look like going forward.

You always give the best teases. I don’t know what to expect, so thank you.
We love that. [Laughs]

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