It’s been a tumultuous few episodes for the cast of 9-1-1.
The long-running network TV series, which follows first responders in Los Angeles, is always action-packed and over the top. They’ve saved civilians from a tsunami, a sinking cruise ship and a “bee-nado.” In its eighth season, things are just as dramatic and emotionally intense as ever. One of 9-1-1’s original main characters just died, and another moved to Texas.
That death is permanent, but Eddie Diaz’s move might not be — he isn’t leaving the show just yet. Ryan Guzman, who plays Diaz, told Yahoo Entertainment that his firefighter character might be out of state, but he’s not gone for good. The same rocky episode arc showed Diaz’s best friend, Buck (Oliver Stark), facing the possibility that he might have feelings for him for the first time in more than 100 episodes.
Guzman addressed fan theories — particularly those rooting for romance between Diaz and Buck — which character is the “epicenter” of the series and what it’s like to be a part of an ensemble in such an unpredictable show.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you know that this was the right job for you?
I’ve taken a bunch of risks to get into this industry, and never did I feel that there was a sure thing in front of me. I wanted to try something I’ve never tried before. At the time, I didn’t even have the money to download scripts. I would take my notebook and write down scripts and certain scenes, then at my apartment — I guess you could call it that, I was staying in a one-bedroom with five men and living on a couch that was duct-taped together — I would write down these scripts and have those guys rehearse with me. Three months [after getting a manager], I booked Step Up Revolution, and I never looked back.
You pulled off the difficult task of joining the 9-1-1 ensemble after its first season and becoming a fan favorite. What was it like for you to adjust to being part of the cast?
It was a bit daunting, just because it had been a hit already and the characters are established. At the time, I was a soon-to-be dad, and a lot of things were happening at the same time. I credit Kenneth Choi [who plays a firefighter-paramedic named Chimney]. He saw something in me. He pulled me to the side and said, “Man, you’ve got something. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you in this industry if you just devote your time and your effort to it.”
He made me realize I need to go back to studying. I started reading books and understanding acting a little bit more — the psychology of getting a really textured and nuanced character. I started feeling a little bit more comfortable and trying new things with the character, and lo and behold, the audience started liking it.
9-1-1 has such a committed online fan base. How do you interact with that? Do you read what people post about you?
I go back and forth. Sometimes I’ll read it to see where the audience is and what they’re talking about, because it’s kind of fun to throw in certain things while you’re filming that they might like. Then, plenty of times — I would say 80% or 90% of the time — I’m staying away from it because a bad comment is just as effective as a good comment. Nowadays, I just hang out with my kids when I’m not working. I’m a family man at heart. It’s not that hard to stay away from the comments.
Ryan Guzman, left, and Oliver Stark in 9-1-1. (Disney/Christopher Willard)
People on my side of the internet love your character’s relationship with Buck, both on a friendship level and — as I’m sure you know — some are rooting for you to get together romantically as well. This season, for the first time on-screen, there was a scene that hinted that Buck might have feelings for Eddie. How do you see their relationship evolving over the years?
I’ve been saying this more recently, but Buck has always been the brother that he wanted. The environment that Buck gave Eddie — a comfortable environment to share his feelings, which is new to Eddie — is everything. He cherishes that. So of course, he holds that dear to his heart. He’s involved him in his own family — taking care of his son and making him the guardian of Christopher if he ever were to pass. These are huge events, so there’s a lot of trust there and a lot of love there.
As far as their relationship goes — it’s one of the stronger relationships in the [Station] 118. You have Hen [Aisha Hinds] and Chimney, then you have Athena [Angela Bassett] and Bobby [Peter Krause]. I mean, Bobby has always been there for everybody. He’s kind of like an epicenter. He’s like a therapist for all of us. But the Buck and Eddie thing has been there from Season 2. As far as the relationship stuff goes, people look into and feed off of that. I love that they have their own version of it. But sometimes I do feel it takes away from both performances, because it feels like every performance is meant to inch toward a “Buddie” relationship. There’s so much more to all the characters than just a [romantic] relationship. So, not to disregard all the people who are putting that forward, but there are so many textures that you might be missing if you’re ondly looking for one thing.
What was your reaction when you found out that Eddie was moving to Texas?
My first reaction was, “OK, I’m out of a job!”
No! They can’t get rid of Eddie!
These scripts come at the last second — [showrunner] Tim Minear owns up to that — and I remember not knowing then, going into work at the firehouse and being like, “Wait, I’m going to Texas?” Not even a couple of seconds later, Tim calls me and says, “Don’t worry, we’re not killing you off.” And I was like, “Oh, OK. Thanks!” High anxiety moment for a good second! Now that I’ve understood where he’s going, I think it was the right move to do. You’ll understand that there are some things going on — part of growing up is going backwards and mending the things that held you back. Eddie has been gifted some really good opportunities by going back to Texas.
What’s it like being on a show that’s so action-packed and unpredictable?
It’s so fun! We’ve had so many moments with other cast members being like, “This is our job, guys! This is incredible!” You have these Tom Cruise moments of flying on a fire engine trying to chase down an airplane while a dummy is hanging outside of it. Then you have these really dramatic moments where you and the captain are having conversations about your dead ex-wife. There’s so much to this show, and I feel like that’s why it’s lasted for so long.
We’ve talked about Eddie, so let’s talk about Ryan. What’s on your vision board for the future? What do you want to do and who do you want to work with?
Oh man! I did Everybody Wants Some!! with Richard Linklater and I’d love to work with him again. I’ve always had a few roles on my mind — one is Zorro, the other is Batman. Come to find out, both of those roles were brought on by a real-life character! His name is Joaquin Murrieta. It’s intriguing to know that two of my favorite characters were brought about by a Mexican American. I would love to do that justice! If we’re talking about name-brand movies, let me be Tarzan! Hopefully, in the next five to 10 years, I can accomplish some of them. I would be open to doing another movie that involves dancing.
We got to see you dance for a few seconds on 9-1-1!
Oh yeah. That was more of a funny kind of dancing. But I would love to get into another Step Up type of role. I’m of the same mind that I was maybe 15 years ago — I want to try something new.
9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.
