The truth is out there — 9-1-1 Season 9 is back, and it’s headed to space. An exciting, albeit wild, destination for this network procedural show about firefighters, but one that’s certainly generating a lot of buzz, generating astronomically high view counts.
But while Hen and Athena take to the stars, everyone, including Evan “Buck” Buckley, will be handling things on Earth. Ahead of Thursday’s 9-1-1 Season 9 premiere, we chatted with Oliver Stark, who plays Buck, about Buck’s new house, his journey since coming out as bisexual in 9-1-1 Season 7, and the new dynamics at the 118 now that Captain Bobby Nash is no longer around.
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This interview with Oliver Stark ahead of 9-1-1 Season 9 has been edited for clarity.
BUT WHO THO: I’m very excited for Season 9, especially with Buck, because one of my favorite things about Buck is how he’s always searching for something for himself. I’m wondering if there is anything in Season 9 that he’s searching for so far?
OLIVER STARK: As we come back into the season, I think he’s searching for familiarity. I think it’s something that he’s struggling with at the top of the season. Obviously, the 118 is in a new place and finding its feet again, which means a restructuring. We have Chimney in as the interim captain, we have Hen and Eddie partnered up, and then Buck and Ravi. I think Buck is just trying to find something that feels familiar and feels like he recognizes it, because there’s so much change around him.
BUT WHY THO: Speaking of a change that is occurring, the last time we saw him, he was between homes. What is that particular search like, and what do you think he’s looking for in terms of a home or house?
OLIVER STARK: So, we actually don’t see the process of him looking within the show, but he will have a new house, and it is that, it is a house, it’s no longer an apartment, so he’s moved on up in the world. And I like it because the apartment that he was in for so long was kind of cold and very minimalist-feeling, and now we find him in a house that has a lot more character, it’s decorated. To me, it feels a lot more Buck, and I think that’s a nice progression.
BUT WHY THO: That’s really exciting too, because I feel like his previous places always were found by someone else or he had to… The situation with Eddie’s house was more like, “Oh, I have to do this to help out my friend.”
OLIVER STARK: Yeah, no, that’s true. I never really thought about that. Because yeah, the original apartment, he was looking for with Ali? Ali at the time, yes. So no, this is the first one, you’re right, he has stepped into purely on his own, and I think there’s something to be said for that, because as I say, this one feels a lot more conducive to who he is.
BUT WHY THO: We’re now heading into the third season of Buck being an out bisexual man, though he has not said the word bisexual yet, and he seems to have, in Season 8, seemed to not be sure of his dating pool now that he’s single. Is that an exploration that he’s still trying to figure out in terms of what being bisexual means to him?
OLIVER STARK: I think he, and this is obviously just me putting this onto the character, because as you say, he hasn’t… I think he considers himself bisexual. I know it hasn’t explicitly been stated in those words. As we’ve gone through this season, we’ll get more of an opportunity to see it. He speaks about it in terms of being bisexual, and I don’t think there’s any aversion to using the word, and I’m sure he will at some point, but yeah, he certainly knows now that that is who he is and that is a part of who he is, and he’s not shy about it, he’s still just maybe trying to figure a few things out.
But I actually love that aspect of the story, that he has never been shy about it. There wasn’t this big, “oh no, what does this mean for who I am? Has my life been a lie?” Or anything like that. He was just pretty okay with it, and I think it’s nice to see that story being told.
BUT WHY THO: It was very refreshing, the way especially 7×04 through 7×06 played out in terms of that journey for him.
OLIVER STARK: And the others around him as well, nobody was like, “Wait, what?” Everyone was just like, “Okay, cool, great. Good for you.”
BUT WHY THO: In 8×15, the second part of the Contagion episode, Buck and Tommy left things a little open-ended. Where might we find them heading into Season 9?
OLIVER STARK: Yeah, that was the last interaction we saw them, because I don’t think they actually interacted in the funeral episode. I think Tommy’s going to have always been a huge part of Buck’s life and a hugely important character. What an incredible step that he was a part of for Buck, in terms of coming out.
But then also, obviously Bobby… The point when Tommy was involved in that story was to save Chimney, and he was obviously instrumental in the saving of Chimney. So, I think there’s always going to be a debt of gratitude that Buck holds for Tommy, and there’s always going to be a love there, because he showed up for him even when they weren’t in a great place.
BUT WHY THO: I love the helicopter chase. I loved how it mixed a big action sequence with emotional stakes, too, between Buck and Tommy. Can you talk a little bit about what it was like filming such a big set piece like that, along with the emotional stakes that were included?
OLIVER STARK: I think that’s something that 9-1-1 has always done very well, which is mix the big and the small, or the big and the intimate. For me, the big spectacle aspect of the show doesn’t mean anything without the character relationships and the dynamics within it. You have to care about the people, that’s where the stakes come from.
So yeah, it was pretty amazing to film that stuff and be around it, and they were flying these helicopters around… I’m going to forget the name of the stadium or the arena where they were flying them around, but they were flying helicopters. We weren’t in them; we obviously filmed that portion in a much more contained environment. But yeah, that, as I say, is the magic of the show, is being able to mix the big and the small, and find the little moments that are meaningful between the characters amongst the big spectacle.
BUT WHY THO: I think you touched on this a little bit, but with Bobby gone, what does the new dynamics in the 118 look like, especially, I’m mostly wondering about Chimney as the interim captain now?
OLIVER STARK: [Chimney] is somebody who’s still coming to grips with that. Obviously, Bobby was close to all of us, and I think there’s some inner turmoil for Chimney of, “am I right to step into this role, am I deserving to step into this role?” But from the rest of the 118, it’s, “Yes, of course you are, you can lead us, you’re every bit as deserving, you’re a leader already in many senses.” So yeah, there’s only encouragement coming from the rest of the 118.
BUT WHY THO: I have one more question, and it’s about space, because I’m very excited about space. As Hen and Athena, as we saw in the trailer earlier today, take to the stars, what will Buck’s role be in this, and what are you excited about for these episodes of the opening emergency?
OLIVER STARK: So while they are up in space, we have this geomagnetic storm going on, which is also causing a lot of issues down on Earth. So there are two story lines going on; they’re dealing with what they’re dealing with up in space, but we are running around and dealing with the fallout on Earth, and there are some really great emergencies.
As we just discussed, there are some big ones and some smaller ones, there are some deeper ones and some wackier ones that we get to deal with. So, we’re in a very classic 9-1-1 episode down on Earth, while they’re doing their very different space episode at the same time.
BUT WHY THO: Did you ever think that 9-1-1 would eventually go to space?
OLIVER STARK: So no, but years ago, probably Season 3 or 4, me and Pete [Krause] used to joke about we’re going to run out of big emergencies to start the season at one point, and the thing we always used to say was,”By the time we get to Season 8, we’re going to be stood on top of the fire trucks fighting aliens with our hoses.” So we weren’t that far off.
BUT WHY THO: You weren’t, no, and I guess if that pattern holds, then at some point, there will be aliens.
OLIVER STARK: We shall see, we shall see.
BUT WHY THO: I hope so.
OLIVER STARK: We’ll see, if we come back for one more; maybe that will be the move.
9-1-1 Season 9 premieres at 7 p.m. Central on ABC
