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[ThisstorycontainsmajorspoilersfromtheSeason9finale[Thisstorycontainsmajorspoilersfromtheseasonninefinaleof9-1-1“Hearts and Flowers.”]
Ryan Guzman has learned how to roll with the punches 9-1-1. Back in 2021, when Eddie Diaz, a firefighter and paramedic, was shot by a sniper, the actor truly feared for his job security. But when he recently learned that Eddie would have another near-death experience, Guzman’s reaction was surprisingly scathing, despite the fact that ABC’s first responder procedural had just killed off its first major character last year.
“We’ve got these production packages [from showrunner Tim Minear]so we never get a truly complete text. “It always keeps us on the edge of our seat,” Guzman says. Hollywood Reporter With a sarcastic smile. “The show always throws us difficulties, and we’ve gotten used to it after nine seasons of adjusting to it.”
In Thursday’s season finale, Eddie was caught in the crosshairs of Anatoly Custer (Alan Starzynski), the scion of a corrupt businessman who was the target of a police raid, led by protagonist Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), facilitating a human trafficking ring involving immigrants in Los Angeles. After becoming dissatisfied with crooked major crimes detective Ben Hawkes (Josh Stamberg), who shot Athena at the end of the penultimate episode in a desperate attempt to cover up his involvement in the scheme, Anatoly decides to avenge his late father by showing up at the hospital where Athena is being treated with a gun.
After overhearing Eddie making a sarcastic comment to Chimney (Kenneth Choi) about the only upside being that “the bastard who did this is already dead,” Anatoly follows Eddie to the hospital chapel. When he learned that Athena came out of surgery alive, he then stabbed Eddie in the stomach and stole his phone. A disoriented Eddie manages to make his way to the elevator, but ends up tripping after a nurse initiates a hospital-wide lockdown. It wouldn’t be until Anatoly was captured that the rest of the 118 would be able to rescue Eddie — and of course, Eddie’s best friend, Buck (Oliver Stark), was the first to notice that he was MIA.
In an extensive chat with THRBelow, Guzman opens up about why he fought for Eddie’s inclusion in the show’s ICE raid storyline, how playing this character helped him come to terms with his own identity — and how he thinks Eddie’s “naivety” factors into his fan-favorite relationship with Buck.
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Eddie has fought his way back from death’s door several times 9-1-1But he would have been bleeding out in that hospital elevator if the police hadn’t gotten there sooner to end the lockdown. How did you handle the role of Eddie in the wake of this stabbing? Was there anything in particular that you think was on his mind in his final moments?
Eddie had seen battle before, so he had been shot countless times now. Appeal is nothing. (He laughs.)So [executive producer Bradley Buecker, who also directed the finale, said] We can make a meal out of it, but at the end of the day, we’re going to play that suspension of disbelief and build that tension into the story of the character getting into the elevator. But when we get into the elevator, it will be very quick before number 118 comes and helps us. So let’s not play it crazy because Eddie will be fine. this [finale] It’s the big “aha” moment for Athens [to become a detective]not Eddie.
I believe [Eddie thought about his son] Christopher [played by Gavin McHugh] – The only true love he’s ever had in his life – and the one he has to stay alive for that child. So, as he’s trying to go from church to get help, and then going to the elevator, and then as the elevator is closing, he says, “Okay, we’re here for a long time. What’s the best case scenario in this worst case scenario? Let me try to find a way that I can bandage this wound, stop the bleeding as much as I can, and give some time frame for others to help.” At the end of the day, it didn’t look good for him. (He laughs.He was very easy on faith.
Eddie looked so pale in that elevator!
Real pale and bloody. (He laughs.)
As Eddie lies in the hospital bed, he tells his son Christopher that he doesn’t want him sitting there all night at his bedside. “Why not? You did it for me,” Chris replies. There’s another flash of realization in Eddie’s eyes that Chris isn’t a little kid anymore. How does Eddie wrestle with the idea of becoming an empty nester sooner rather than later?
I don’t know if Eddie is ready for this. He put a lot of time and effort into becoming Christopher’s father. The majority of his identity revolves around that. So, if there’s no child to take care of now, and the child has grown to a certain extent – in fact, Gavin celebrated his 16th birthday yesterday, that’s pretty crazy. But it’s like, “What do I do with my life now? Where is my purpose? My purpose was my child, and now my child is trying to take care of me.” It flips the script. So, in a sense, it actually creates a lot of opportunities for Eddie. I have hopes for [Eddie] Once he begins to understand the new dynamic between him and Christopher. I feel like it invites a lot of gray areas [within himself] To be researched and understood a little better.
while 9-1-1 Never shy about drawing inspiration from real-life emergencies, the writers never focused on topical events, aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, quite as they did in last week’s episode with ICE agents raiding a hospital where immigrants were being treated. Is it true that you had to ask Tim to revise the immigrant story to include Eddie?
Wow who told you that?
I think you said that In another interview.
(He laughs.) I did?
You mentioned that you had a conversation with Tim after reading the season finale, and he ultimately rewrote a “thematic” story to include Eddie.
Yes, we had a conversation – Tim, Brad and I, too. We were all thinking Eddie was central to this. with 9-1-1We rarely pursue topical events of this magnitude, because there are so many people who have different feelings about this matter, but this event needs to be told. the house I’ve done it before, and now it does 9-1-1Version. We have to humanize the experience for the audience, to allow the audience to understand the reality of the immigrant story and that they are people like any of us. It allows people to really feel the whole story. Being taken out of the worst conditions in some basement, and then going through this recovery process, all only to be taken away and deported again and thrown into these camps is a terrible idea to have to swallow. So I’m grateful that Tim wrote that, and Brad and I wanted to do it justice.
When did you guys have that conversation?
That was the same day we got some semblance of the script for the final episode. After reading it, I was curious as to why Eddie was more involved in one story than the other, and so that led to the conversation between Tim and I. Tim made the final decision to bring Eddie into it.
What did you really get from Eddie’s involvement in these final episodes?
From the moment Eddie leads the 118 people to find the room [where the migrants were being held]I felt connected to the story, being objective as it is. And as a representation of Mexican-American culture, I felt like it would be a bad idea not to speak up and allow Eddie to relate himself to this story a little more than what was presented, especially when he picks up the baby and brings him to the ambulance. I’m like, ‘You’re getting two splits [representation] There.” First, you get a representation of, “Hey, that could be Christopher. They are the same age.” Then secondly: “These are my people. This is my heritage.’ It begs the question: ‘What do I do about it?’ So, when the opportunity came up, I felt it was right for Eddie to put his foot forward and show that we should do everything we can to help these people.
What was it like for you watching this kind of aggressive immigration enforcement play out from afar in the news and now in this fictional context? Did it feel very different from other storylines you’ve played on? 9-1-1?
definitely. I have many, many family members who have been affected – that He could You are affected – and this is very real. In a time and age where anything and everything can be used against you and you [considered] Guilty first before proving his innocence I often feel in awe when I watch the news. I cannot believe that a nation founded on immigrants treats immigrants in the worst ways.
So I’m, again, very proud of that 9-1-1 I was able to view So in a way of, “How can we help immigrants? How can we help people? What are we willing to do to overcome these obstacles?” In fact, many of the people I see on the news do not have the resources needed for their daily lives, and it takes money to get people out of some camps. These videos I’ve seen, man, they’re terrible. Watching children being taken from their mothers; People are being taken from the hospital, their jobs. It’s a bad situation.
On the other hand, you had the opportunity to showcase a different – and more festive – side of Mexican culture in the episode “Día de Los Muertos”, in which Eddie loses his heart. Abuela Suddenly, however, he reconnects with his faith. After eight seasons of playing him, what did this episode reveal to you about Eddie’s character, and what does this story mean to you personally?
From a personality perspective, Eddie found that he was more spiritual, and his faith was stronger than he thought. Eddie could understand that everything he had been through over the past 7-8 years had led him to that moment, as he came to terms with his son’s passing. Abuela Much differently than any other death. He was able to basically mature in that episode and show that maturity and vulnerability, but he didn’t lose himself through vulnerability because he did it now. [developed] Emotional intelligence. He was able to draw out all these profound messages that he received from him Abuela And Bobby [the late fire captain played by Peter Krause] – the two most influential characters for him in recent years – and they came full circle in that story that was beautiful to me.
That particular episode made me very proud of my culture. I was looking around at a lot of the Latino people who work with us. Many of them happened to be Mexican, and I would ask them, “Have you ever experienced anything like this?” They said: No. Many times, we would stop and watch everyone come down this street dressed up and celebrate the death of their loved ones, and we would become emotional. It is an out of body experience. I was just thanking God, and so grateful that I was born Mexican American. This is the culture I draw from.
As a mixed-race person, how has your relationship with your cultural identity changed over time? Do you feel that your increased visibility came with any additional pressure or responsibility?
definitely. Earlier in my career, people didn’t really know what nationality I was, so I would gossip about Mexican because a lot of people thought I was completely white, and then they started saying certain things about Mexicans in front of me. So I wanted it to be known, “No, no, no, you can’t say that. You’re not getting a statement around me. If you’re going to say that around me, be aware.” Since the show though, I’ve seen more representation thrust upon me and my participation means a lot.
I’ve struggled with identity for a long time, but what I understand now is that I represent a specific group of Mexican Americans. I’m biracial, first and foremost. I can get past the white color several times. I grew up a “no sapo” kid. So there are a lot of Mexican Americans who look like me, look like me, and walk like me. I think everyone is familiar with the Mexican stereotype. This has been ingrained in their minds from years and years of pushing this narrative. Now I saw an opportunity once again to show, not just the United States, but the world, that we come in different flavors, sizes, and shapes – and here I am.
You’ve drawn a number of uncanny parallels between you and Eddie over the years – so much so that you’ve even managed to act out some moments on TV before they happen to you in real life. Do you ever feel like Tim draws inspiration directly from your own life? How would you describe your working relationship with him?
(He laughs.) Oh yeah, that’s crazy. You know that whole plot The Simpsons Writing the future? Tim made little use of that, so I don’t know what he does with his personal time. (He laughs.) But honestly, it’s weird when that happens. Maybe it’s synchronicity, or maybe it’s divination, but I’m glad I got a chance with the character to work on all these different things, so that when it happens in real life, I feel like I’ve actually done the work.
As far as my relationship with Tim, I’m very grateful to him. He helped me a lot throughout this entire show. Our communication has never been better, and our relationship has never been better. He’s one of those rare directors who’s very open to collaboration if you have something worth adding to the character, or if something doesn’t feel right with the character. I’ve worked with other producers, and it’s hard to communicate with them, or they’re not willing to hear anything from you. Tim is quite the opposite. His whole approach is that he will get the script to you within 10 days lateBut apart from that, it’s because it reworks everything it can to make your personality shine.
Have you guys discussed Eddie having a love interest this season? I said months ago that something was “cooking” in Eddie’s romantic life, but it ultimately never materialized.
Yes, we did that. There was a chance something would happen in Eddie’s story. It didn’t happen the way we saw it. We had hopes, but at the end of the day, if something doesn’t work, you have to adapt and do something [new] To fill that space. So it becomes less about Eddie’s love story — which has been so prevalent in the last two seasons — and more about Eddie’s involvement in his 118-person family and his overall growth as a human being.
Buck and Eddie’s wild ride from hell straight after 9-1-1: Nashville The crossover has been one of the highlights of this season. After being separated in a car accident, Eddie leaves the hospital to find Buck, and Buck even tries to sacrifice himself to protect Eddie, and they eventually save each other. It seemed like a testament to how close these two men have become over the years.
I feel like we’ve found the secret sauce to that relationship – the back and forth [between] Buck and Eddie – and the fans spoke for themselves in that episode. I think it was really good [ratings-wise]. So I love the fact that we’re delving into more of the humorous bits between these two characters, because there’s a lot of humor to play with. Gosh, when you really look at it, they oppose each other so much on different traits. It’s a perfect balance of positive/negative, negative/positive. One is very optimistic about returning home; The other tries to be realistic/pessimistic about everything. This relationship continues to evolve, and what it has actually evolved into is more than Oliver and I ever intended to achieve, let alone understand, at the beginning.
Eddie and Buck had this great verbal argument at a restaurant in New Mexico, and one of the homophobic customers remarked that he’d never seen “their type” before. Do you think Eddie was aware of how he and Buck appeared to be a bickering couple to these locals?
No, I think Eddie lives in such naivety, and he’s so oblivious to so much that it’s kind of the fabric of the character. I think if he knew what that looked like or played a role in that, he wouldn’t read it very well, to be honest. So him having a fight with Buck, and not knowing that he looks like the couple you see on TV, amplifies this scene. When the man starts talking, “I’ve never seen your kind around here,” Eddie has no idea where he’s coming from, and he’s so angry at this point that he’s looking forward to taking his anger out on someone. So he goes after this guy, leans into him, and still doesn’t tap him like, “What the hell is going on?” He just wants to hurt someone. But yes, I think again it was his naivety that allowed the tension to rise.
Eddie doesn’t know that Maddie is Buck’s sister (Jennifer Love Hewitt(and former Tommy)Lou Ferrigno Jr) They both asked Buck if he loved Eddie last season. But I guess you think Eddie never asked himself if Buck was interested in him.
Yes. (He laughs.) You don’t know what you don’t know, at the end of the day.
The fans have very Strong opinions on whether Buck and Eddie’s relationship is platonic or romantic. Is there a reason you think the writers were reluctant to commit to one way or another defining their dynamic?
To be honest, this would be a question for Tim, and I wouldn’t want to speculate on his answers. But, again, the true nature of the cause It makes me feel like we’ve lasted a long time [why] We’re going into our 10th season because everyone who plays each character gets along with the other person in a nice way, and we get off each other well. So when the camera call goes off and we go back to our normal lives, we have a lot of fun and dive deep into each other’s lives, and help each other with certain things. He builds this ornate life that reads well on camera. I don’t know how to commit to any aspect of the characters themselves. I think from a writing standpoint, maybe that limits the tension, or the opportunities for possibilities. There’s a lot to say and I won’t be able to give you a complete answer.
This is a fair answer. Tim He said recently That, ultimately, is a possibility [Buddie]is what makes that dynamic “sexy.”
exactly.
Have you ever skewed one way or another when it comes to how you view or choose to play out this dynamic?
No, if anything, I’d be more inclined to represent the truth of Eddie’s whereabouts. This is his best friend, and he cares for him in a very deep way. I draw from my own experiences [and] My best friend. I will do anything and everything I can for them, especially their families. So I think Eddie’s reality at this time leads to that naivety. And if Buck had anything else to offer [to him other than friendship]I didn’t even think about how Eddie would figure out how to go about it — other than to be caught off guard, I guess. It’s as if there is something so close that you can’t see it [the bigger picture]. It’s right under your nose, but you can’t see it. I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be played. So, yeah, I have no idea what the future holds. Once again, Tim is almighty, we’ll see what happens.
Puck has always acted as a co-parent for Christopher, but Puck now has a child of his own because he became the custodial parent of Theo — the son who Puck’s late friends conceived as a sperm donor — at the end of the finale. Do you think Eddie and Buck will start having more conversations about parenting in the future? How would adding another child change their dynamic?
It can change things a lot. We just talked about how Christopher doesn’t need Eddie as much, and maybe now he’s found another kid who needs him. But again, the dynamic between Theo and Puck is perfect because, as we mentioned in a previous episode, [Theo’s] Almost the embodiment of Buck. This crazy, chaotic kid will probably break every bone in his body as he goes through life – almost avenging what Buck was like when he grew up. (He laughs.)
So, there’s a lot of learning experiences that are crucial to Buck’s character that just happen to Buck, but there’s going to be a lot of leaning on Eddie trying to understand how it all works — being a single father and time management, and even understanding a child’s psychology and sleep schedules, and all the things that come with a child. But this also provides a lot of humour. So we can play the funny moments to that – not just the crazy and sad moments. There’s so much we can play. And let me just say that the two kids who play Theo are adorable, because [when they’re] At such a young age, it is very difficult to keep someone on track. Every time they asked for an action, they knew exactly what they were doing, when they were doing it, and how to say certain words or lines. So I’m excited to see what develops with those characters.
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All nine seasons 9-1-1 It’s now streaming on Hulu.
