Louis Ferrigno Jr and Oliver Stark in “9-1-1”.
Chris Willard/Disney
(This story contains spoilers from season seven, episode five of 9-1-1“You do not know me.”)
Few months ago, 9-1-1 co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear contacted actor Lou Ferrigno Jr. – who starred in three flashback episodes in the second season – about reprising his role as firefighter Tommy Kinard in the seventh season of the hit Fox series became ABC. first responder drama.
Ferrigno Jr., who says he has nothing but fond memories of working with the writer and producer years ago, was immediately intrigued to learn that Minear was in the early stages of writing an arc multi-episode that would allow viewers to return with Tommy to the present. It turns out that storyline would involve Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), the ostensibly straight character who would navigate his newfound attraction to Tommy in the landmark 100th episode, which aired last Thursday.
“It was a discussion about whether I was ready to have this romantic moment (with Buck), which would be very different from what I’ve actually done so far,” Ferrigno Jr. said. The Hollywood Reporter in his first official interview about his return to 9-1-1. Although he has been offered the opportunity to play queer characters in the past, the actor says this was the first time he felt both creative and suited enough to take on a role of this nature, and he knew very well that it would. disrupting one of the most integral parts of the show. “(Minear) drew the arc, and it was a really, really cool situation, and I agreed to it.”
Tommy was reintroduced in the third episode of this season as an LAFD air operations pilot who flies into a hurricane to help Buck, Eddie (Ryan Guzman), Hen (Aisha Hinds), and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) save Athena ( Angela Bassett) and Bobby. (Peter Krause) from their capsized cruise ship. After discovering that his best friend Eddie has developed an immediate rapport with Tommy, a baffled Buck can’t help but envy their relationship. But it’s not until the final minutes of the fourth episode that Buck realizes he’s developed feelings for Tommy.
The storyline between Buck and Tommy “evolved over time, but I knew it was going to be with Oliver, and I’ve always been a fan of Oliver and his work,” says Ferrigno Jr. “I think it was okay be an experience that would be very beautiful and tender. It goes beyond labels. It goes beyond names, groups, orientations. They are two connected souls, and that’s what I wanted to achieve.
This week’s midseason finale continues that storyline, with Buck and Tommy’s first date not going quite as planned, but not deterring them from exploring their mutual attraction. Below, Ferrigno Jr. – who is best known for his roles in CRUSH (of which he is filming the seventh season at the same time as 9-1-1), Outer Banks, star girl And how I Met Your Mother – explains how he worked with Minear and Stark to bring this unexpected kiss to life, the hidden history he personally established for Tommy, and why he thinks fans who want Buck and Eddie to become romantically involved should always kiss Tommy.
(Come back to THR Friday for an interview with Minear, who explained his decision to bring back Tommy and explore Buck’s bisexuality, while also giving insight into what to expect from the second half of the season.)
When do you think Tommy became aware of his own attraction to Buck, and when did he realize that Buck also felt attracted to him?
I’ll explain who I built Tommy to be: Tommy had a difficult life. He was always alone. He flies helicopters. Machines are his thing. It’s very cathartic for him to work on machines, to be alone. He had a very difficult childhood, and he doesn’t take people for granted, and he never wants to put anyone else in the position he was in (himself). So he will delay his sexual desires if something is not real and right.
I mean, who isn’t attracted to Buck? He is adorable. He’s a hot guy. He’s a hero. Tommy just vibrates (at first), and then all of a sudden, when he just got that signal (in episode four) – when Buck said, “I was trying to get your attention,” and Tommy said, “My attention?” — Tommy has been through enough in life to know how to seize the moment. I mean, Tommy is the coolest guy! He seized the moment, and it seemed like it was a successful moment.
Did Tim Minear tell you Tommy’s coming out story? How do you think Tommy got to this point in his life where he’s so comfortable with who he is?
Tim tells me where we are now (in the story) and I justify how I got here for Tommy. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but from what I understand, Tommy has a car lift, he flies helicopters, he’s a firefighter, he does Muay Thai – a lot of very hyper activities. masculine. I don’t know if it’s just a way of dealing with trauma from a lifetime ago. Is this something he implemented through the advice of positive male figures in his life? Was he fat and abused (as a child)? I was a big kid myself. My inner childhood obesity got the better of me and I was heavy, so I folded a lot of my own stuff in there (for Tommy).
But Tim specifically said, “Tommy is the kind of guy who would be the star football player in high school, and he would always stick up for the nerdy kid.” Just like you, Lou. And I was like, “What?” (Laughs.) Tim is amazing. I was so excited to do this and I can’t wait to see the response. This is unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Let’s talk about fan response. It’s no secret that some fans have been asking for this kind of story on 9-1-1 for a long time, and even from the small interactions you’ve had with fans on social media, it’s clear that many of them have accepted that Tommy will become an important part of Buck’s journey of discovery. Do you feel a certain weight or responsibility when it comes to describing a story that means so much to so many people?
I respect everyone’s opinion and disposition in any way. It’s my job to tell this Tommy story, and I think it’s fascinating. I’m very wary of social media platforms, especially Twitter, because it’s just nameless, faceless words being spewed out, and it takes a thousand “Attaboys!” to erase a “You’re shit.” So I don’t want to dwell too much on what fans are facing. I can just do my part.
I briefly touched (Buck’s) chin to bring him in (for the first kiss) – and those are very real situations. I put myself in the situation: if he’s my friend and I’m there, and I’m going to go in for this kiss, this would just happen. But when I did the chin thing, (fans) were on Twitter (asking me), ‘Was that scripted or not?’ And then I answered randomly because I was like, “No, it was my choice. Do you agree?” And then they all said, “Oh, my God! Oh my God!” And then they basically say, “Thank you for being so nice to Buck. »
They really know these characters, and it’s so amazing for a fandom to feel like they have personal relationships (with the characters). It’s a testament to Oliver and the entire cast, and it’s really a testament to Tim. I’ve said it so many times: when I leave, I’m gone 9-1-1, I feel good about myself. It’s difficult to feel good about yourself as an actor, because you’re always in question, you’re always in the dark. But the team is great, the decor is great. I think this moment is so deserving of this show because they’ve made so many strides to be progressive and inclusive, and I think it’s just another way, and I’m so excited to be a part of it.
Buck and Tommy’s kiss was the talk of television last week. What kinds of conversations did you have with Oliver or Tim about this moment?
Oliver and I talked (the day before filming). We met briefly when I was filming the three episodes of season two, and I think about 50 to 70 percent of the feelings I have about someone happen in the first five minutes. (I can usually tell) if they are genuine. I really liked Olivier. Originally it might have been with Eddie and Tommy, but that fell through. But Oliver was willing, and I think Oliver is such a brave and generous actor.
I did so much action, so many fights and so many intense scenes. My aunt has to watch me die in every other movie, which she hates. But this has been a challenge for me because there is a real social stigma against people of the same sex…whatever that is. It’s like, Do you watch one of your friends have sex? No. So, what is it (what do homosexuals do)?
I don’t necessarily like couples – heterosexual, homosexual, whatever – who kiss for a long time in front of a movie. This doesn’t help the story. But the tension (in the scene) was going to last until the kiss happened, and then the little chin thing is what happened, and we had a great time. So we kind of figured it out as we went along. We are strong in our craft, so a lot of things were going to happen on the day. There was no real (planning). We were just very sensitive actors, knowing when that crescendo was going to happen to make that decision.
Why do you think it was important that Tommy was the one to make the first move? And what goes through his mind when he makes the decision to lean in and kiss Buck?
What I was told is that because Tommy is a little older, he has a little more experience and he knows who he is. The funny thing about fandom…
Gn entert
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