FOX’s hit procedural drama 9-1-1 is the show you will not want to miss this fall. The show has everything you could possibly look for in a heart-stopping drama. With non-stop action-packed 9-1-1 calls, its found family trope, and kicks of comedic relief, 9-1-1 is a sure favorite with everyone at POPTIZED.
I got the chance to chat with one of the show’s leading actors, Oliver Stark, who plays Buck (Evan Buckley), where we discussed what he hopes to see in this highly anticipated upcoming season, understanding his character’s trauma, and the impact of 9-1-1’s focus on mental health.
It’s easy to see that Stark has fallen into a solid rhythm of embodying his character after playing Buck since the 2018 pilot. From his experience of playing the role of Ryder in the AMC drama Into the Badlands, Stark found the two characters’ internal struggles to be similar, particularly the trauma both characters endured.
“Ryder had a lot of internalized pain and trauma—and Buck does have a lot of that as well—but I don’t think he was necessarily aware of it when we started the show. It was much more of a subconscious thing,” he says. “Buck is a much more outgoing character, so it was really actually quite fun for me to transition [to playing Buck] because, as far as I’m concerned, it’s just me exploring different parts of myself and getting to bring different parts of myself to those characters.” Despite their shared level of trauma, Stark explains the importance of starting each character with a clean slate, even with the shared concepts of trauma and internalized pain.
Now entering its fifth season, 9-1-1 ranks as one of FOX’s highest viewed shows on prime-time television for the channel. The entire cast has effortless chemistry, and it’s amazing to see them all blend so well together. Throughout its five seasons, 9-1-1 has managed to retain all of its leading cast members. I ask how it feels to return to a familiar cast and get together for another season of creating something you love. “I think it speaks to the message of the show,” Stark says. “We are here not to create something just for the sake of shock value. We’re trying to create a show that brings a message of hopefulness and shines a light on first responders and how they put themselves in danger. At the end of the day, we want to show a family who kind of sticks together and is able to make it through to the upside. I think hopefulness is such a big part of the show.”
We are here not to create something just for the sake of shock value. We’re trying to create a show that brings a message of hopefulness and shines a light on first responders and how they put themselves in danger.
Considering the high caliber talent of his co-stars, Stark expresses his gratitude for working with talents such as Angela Bassett and Peter Krause. “The fact that they are still so invested in the show speaks to the kind of pride in what we’re doing and the fun that we have. At the end of every season, I’m always thankful for the break and the hiatus. Then within two or three weeks, I’m itching to get back to work and get to do it all over with my friends.”
Curious, I ask if there’s any area of production aside from acting that he would be interested in being involved with if presented with the opportunity. “One of the big [areas] that comes to mind is the special effects department, which takes into consideration every explosion and car crash [that] you see. It’s actually happening around us; it’s not just CGI. It’s almost a character in itself with the show, because it is such a part of the world that we’re creating. We were just talking about it on set the other day, because they were blowing something up. We’re like, ‘Wow, you guys have the coolest job.’ They are able to pull off on this show, and sometimes [on] a pretty short notice.”
The upcoming season, which has teased a city-wide blackout in Los Angeles, has already sparked many questions and theories from viewers. Stark is confident that his character won’t break a sweat when asked about how Buck and his fellow teammates would handle this blackout. “By this point in his career, he’s pretty well equipped to deal with most things; he’s been through a lot of these past few years. He is able to flick that switch when it comes to his work and his job and be the hero that he needs to be in those moments.” When asked about his castmates’ characters… things might go in a bit of a different direction. While Buck might be ready to jump into action, some characters are dealing with some previous season’s events.
Guessing who will lose their composure first, Stark suggested Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman). “We’ve kind of seen that he’s already a little bit at odds with technology and coming off the back of a traumatic event— his own,” he explains. “So to kind of tie those two together, [especially] with how there are lots of things up in the air in his life—he’ll probably be the one that is needing a little bit of coaching through things.”
When it comes to his other teammates handling different situations, like who’d be most prone to get stuck in an elevator while helping someone get out of an elevator, Stark was quick to throw Chimney (Kenneth Choi) in the ring for that title. Not for any reason in particular, but simply because it’d be funny to witness. Amidst all this chaos, he is confident that the only calm and collected member of The 118 will be Hen (Aisha Hinds). He compliments Hen’s character and comments on her ability to have control in the toughest of situations, keeping the rest of the team in check. The blackout will give The 118 a run for their money and will rely on some teamwork from the looks of it.
Shifting from the darkness in a blackout, we move towards the dark themes left off in Season 4. The show has planted some roots for storylines: specifically involving mental health.
Given the context that there’s such a stigma on men not getting the mental health support they need, as it’s been stigmatized to mean seeking help is showing a sign of weakness and conflicts with masculine gender role expectations— it’s a tale as old as time. Stark, however, was very glad to see his character was getting help towards the end of the season. “Yeah, I think it’s a really excellent thing. When you think of a firefighter, there’s a certain kind of macho attitude that may come with that.” He further elaborates on his own experiences with mental health support and mentions how it dips into his personal life. “I think it’s important to show that everybody needs help,” he emphasizes, “There’s no shame in asking for help, and one thing [about] seeking out help [is] therapy is something that is hugely beneficial to everyone.”
It’s a really important message to them that you can be the hero, super confident, cocky, athletic, and all theses things—but you can also cry about your day. You can also be open to feeling all the things that you want to feel.
Further elaborating on 9-1-1’s portrayal and approach to mental health, Stark says, “It’s something that I think the show has always done very well, in the sense that we’ve never tried to portray these characters as not wanting to show their emotions. They’ve always been vulnerable, they’ve always been sensitive, they’ve always been open. It’s a really important message to them that you can be the hero, super confident, cocky, athletic, and all these things— but you can also cry about your day. You can also be open to feeling all the things that you want to feel. This is one of my favorite parts of the show.”
Being the home of storytelling, Hollywood has the power to talk about these things and interweave these conversations with the picture. I asked if Hollywood has an obligation to talk about these topics, and Stark had an answer I didn’t quite expect but was ultimately relieved to hear. He explains that he wasn’t sure if it’s so much of an obligation per se, but more so that “…people can tell the stories that they want to tell, but I think they absolutely should. Entertainment is such a huge part of our lives and defines who we are, we grow up watching things, and they help format things for the characters that we become.”
Returning to the topic of mental health and masculinity, he mentions how “[TV shows] should be wanting to show a positive side to masculinity, and that it is okay to say [men] have all these emotions. Because for me, growing up as a young boy, I think it would have been hugely beneficial to say, ‘Oh, wow, look, I can be the hero, and I can invest in my own self-care, [in] my own mental health.’ So it’s necessary, and the representation of showing that it’s okay to not always be okay, I think, is a really important part of our culture. Our hope [is] that film and TV continue to spread that message.” It’s admirable to see mental health take such a precedent in the show’s writing and production.
In addition to bringing serious topics like mental health into focus, 9-1-1 does a wonderful job at painting characters as survivors and warriors rather than mere victims. Compared to other dramas, most writers would have a traumatic event occur and never talk about it again, then it’s brushed under the table without consequences to the characters, whether internally or externally. 9-1-1 does a fantastic job showing the multitude of ways that trauma manifests itself depending on the person.
I shifted gears to ask about his on-screen sister Maddie (Jennifer Love-Hewitt). Based on where we left things off, it looks like she’s going to endure postpartum depression. When asked if he will be hesitant to be there for Maddie in the upcoming season, Stark noted, “Buck is not one to hold a grudge, certainly not when it comes to [his] sister.” Stark was confident that despite how somewhat strained their sibling relationship was in Season 4, “…I do feel strongly that if he was aware of the situation, then the past is the past—he would absolutely want to be there.”
Speaking more on family, he did confirm that we will get to see “Uncle Buck” in the upcoming season, and if his guess is correct, Episode 4 is the episode to watch out for Buck & Jee-Yun time.
9-1-1 covers many intense storylines, and when asked which storyline has been the one he’s most proud to be a part of, he did not miss a beat: the tsunami-themed episodes. From the small glimpse that I got into the behind-the-scenes action, it was evident that he is truly proud of this part of the show.
I don’t think there’s ever been a piece of work I’ve done [that] I felt proud of not just because of myself, but because of everybody’s hard work that went into making that. The feeling of pride and achievement was overwhelming.
I feel like Stark could have easily spoken about his love for these episodes for an hour— and for a good reason. “It was such an experience for me. We went down—we actually shot the tsunami in Mexico—and they recreated Santa Monica Pier in these water tanks. It just felt like we were making something incredible.” He admitted to getting emotional thinking about the work the entire team created: “…when I sat down to watch it for the first time, it looked exactly how I thought it was going to look. I don’t think there’s ever been a piece of work I’ve done [that] I felt proud of not just because of myself, but because of everybody’s hard work that went into making that exactly what it was. The feeling of pride and achievement was overwhelming. It’s something that I almost get emotional thinking back on because it was just such a humongous effort from so many people, and it really paid off. That will always be my favorite memory from the show.”
Taking a more bird’s eye view, we reflect on how the show is almost four years old, with the pilot airing in 2018. Stark has definitely picked up on the mannerisms and actions of his character and knows Buck inside and out. So when asked what advice Season 5 Buck could give to Season 1 Buck, it seemed to be an easy answer. It would be something along the lines of: “Hey, you are really good at your job. But you still have a lot to learn. You don’t know it all yet. So let’s just calm down a little bit and listen to the more experienced people around you.” Which is relatively true. As Stark puts it, Season 1 Buck was a very “Gung Ho” in his view of saving the day— sometimes to his detriment. “I think I would just tell him to ease up, calm down a little bit, and assess before running headfirst into some bad situations.”
We both agreed Season 1 Buck wouldn’t listen to this advice, but Stark was confident in his ability to at least give it a try.
9-1-1 airs this coming Monday, September 20th, 2021 at 8/7c on FOX, and streams the next day on Hulu and the FOX NOW app.
The link to the transcript of this interview can be found here.
