(This story contains spoilers from the sixth episode of the eighth season.) 911)

Buck (Oliver Stark) returned to the market after the episode aired on Thursday night. 911.

Early in the sixth episode of season eight, “Confessions,” Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) He makes a surprising revelation when he casually shares that he is engaged to 9-1-1 dispatcher Abby Clark (Connie Britton). He didn’t know at the time that Abby was also Buck’s ex.

But surprisingly, it’s not their shared past that destroys their relationship. After having a mini spiral session specifically about Tommy confessing to breaking Abby’s heart, leading him to date a “himbo” half his age after they call it quits, Buck asks Tommy to move in with him. end of chapter. What was supposed to be a happy moment quickly turns sour; but when Tommy tells Buck what he believes is his first male relationship He comes out as bisexual in the middle of season seven.but probably not his last.

“Even though Buck kind of became collateral damage, I think it was a completely understandable decision,” Stark said. Hollywood Reporter.

Below, veteran 911 the star is speaking TR It’s about Buck’s breakup and viewers’ reaction to his character’s newfound sexual identity, as well as how he sees the reformed playboy approaching his love life going forward.

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Going back to the end of last season, as viewers, Captain Nash (‎Peter Krause)) He was initially going to remain a firefighter if he could survive the house fire that later hospitalized him. Are you all left in the dark about his fate?

Very early on, when the script first started coming to us, there was some uncertainty because we had just had this big episode, episode eight, based on Pete’s character and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. And sometimes when you make an episode this special, it can be the beginning of farewell for a character. So there was some fear and Pete KrauseThe actor who plays Bobby is a true leader for us off-screen as well; He really is our captain, so it would have been a disaster if things had gone that way. But thankfully we weren’t left in the dark for too long.

Heading into season eight, when did you learn that there would be a surprise twist regarding Tommy also dating Abby?

Typically 911 fashion, very shortly before I read the script. We shot this season out of order, so we shot (the sixth episode) as the fourth episode, and during the third episode Tim (Minear) called and said we had this wonderful coincidence because in season one we had given Abby a fiancé named Tommy. . Lou’s character wasn’t introduced into the series until the second season, and coincidentally they also named him Tommy, and Tim said: It would have been stupid not to use that, so it was kind of a creative accident if you believe in that sort of thing. The coincidences led to, I think, a really fun epiphany between the characters.

While Buck was processing the news, I thought he could call Abby and talk about some things and we could get another cameo from Connie Britton. So has this ever been discussed?

I don’t know. He’s back in season three and I feel like I’ve wasted my time. 911. Of course it will always be a pleasure to see and work with him again. But I don’t think that’s necessarily in the cards this time. We’re working under the constraints of 42-minute episodes on TV, so there were a few other scenes in the beginning where Buck was kind of going around and around this and talking to Bobby about it at one point that didn’t quite end. We turn it into a section. But I think you get everything you need from the stage with Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Josh (Bryan Safi).

Josh’s talk about prelimsjoy The world of gay men and the choices they have to make was a standout moment in this episode. Why was it important for Buck to hear this?

I think it was a pretty smart move on the show’s part because while it was applicable to the story we were watching on screen, I think it had a much broader message. And we say this in a rather subtle way using: joy as this kind of metaphor. I think if you’re too inept at delivering these messages, you can actually lose your audience and then people may ignore you. But by introducing it through joy and with a little bit of humor, I think you’re much more likely to impress people and make people stop and think. We now live in a world that, although still far from perfect, has seen some improvements from what humans would have experienced in times past. It is important to remember that battles are being fought on behalf of those who are now able to enjoy some freedoms.

Tommy and Buck have a very amicable separation. Do you think Tommy’s reasoning for wanting to end things is sound?

Ah! You know, it’s hard because there’s almost such a terrible parting line that’s “it’s not you, it’s me,” right? He’s worried about himself and his situation, which I totally understand. There’s a really great line in the scene: “I’m your first, I’m not your last,” and I believe Buck’s response is “they might be the same thing,” and Tommy says, “They usually are.” T.” So these could be the same thing, but most of the time there’s some exploration and there’s still some necessary understanding to be gained, so I think it’s the right decision. Tommy has every right to be afraid of getting hurt. The way the scene played out for me was like he’d been hurt before It feels like it’s coming from a place of trauma and worrying about being in that situation again, and at the end of the day, we have to make decisions that protect ourselves so we can love freely.

Buck now has two great loves. Abby allowed him to reap the benefits of true intimacy. How do you think her relationship with Tommy will change her?

I’m really excited to see what comes next because Buck is a character who refuses to go down over and over again. So I don’t think she will stop believing in love or wanting love, but when she is ready to jump back into a dating pool for the first time, she will do so as a person who understands her bisexuality. . And we’re actually going to start exploring some of the uncertainties that come with that for him. Like how do I do this? What do I look for? I don’t think he’s going to break down for very long, and I think it’s actually going to present some fun and interesting questions for him to ask about himself.

Co-creator and executive producer Tim Minear told TR Earlier this year, this aspect of Buck’s identity was woven into his character starting in season two. When did he first talk to you about this aspect, and why did it take until season seven to emerge?

Early last season, I think the episode where the story really came to a head was the fourth episode. first kiss It was a story between Buck and Tommy, and it wasn’t until the second or third episode that he told me the story. I think that’s always been in the back of our minds and a little influenced by what fans see and interpret. It’s always a fine line; You don’t want to do something just because it’s fan service. You want the story to be true to form, but it’s also hard not to be impressed. So I think there’s a balance that you have to strike as a creator to make sure that the story is authentic, and I think that’s why it took so long because it had to come at the right time and not feel like it was us. He was doing it because some people on Twitter or wherever wanted things to go that way. Buck had some ups and downs to go through before he got to this point, and it was clear that Tommy was a huge instrumental in moving the story in that direction. Everything had to line up.

Fans were incredibly passionate about the friendship between Buck and Eddie, what kind of reaction did you get to the true love between Tommy and Buck?

It was truly beautiful and truly surprising. I am very aware that the show has two audiences. There’s an audience that reacts and engages on social media, and then there’s a large portion of the audience that doesn’t live in Central America and has a completely different relationship with the show. And I was cautious and a little skeptical about seeing what the response to this story would be on a more macro level. And honestly, it’s been overwhelmingly positive, and I think that’s partly because of what we said about waiting for the right time and for things to work out. It didn’t feel like we jumped the shark and pushed it there. It was deserved and earned, and we had years where Buck felt like something was missing, and that’s obvious. So when we finally took that step, I think it made sense to the audience as a whole. It was really nice to see people feel reflected and represented in the character because people can explore their sexuality at any age, and we see fewer people discovering that about themselves in their 30s or 40s than younger people discovering that about themselves on television. . So it was nice for people to see themselves; that’s a really big part of why we do that.

Your character has probably had the biggest story arc in the last eight years. What was it like growing up with this character for so long?

This was a journey we took together. When I entered this part, I was 26 years old and the least experienced of the other actors, just like Buck was the least experienced of the fire crew. So we really grew up together, and the relationships we see in the show are getting stronger and stronger, reflecting the fact that my relationships with my castmates have gotten stronger over the years. As an actor, that was such a blessing because, as you said, there was a big arc in the pilot for Buck, who is a self-diagnosed sex addict and has a real authority issue with where he is now. It’s such a big journey and having the opportunity to play it in so many different genres. We have so many funny parts and so many dark and serious parts, but they are all part of the bigger journey. It was so much fun and an opportunity to have a safe space to test myself, try different things, and do it in a safe environment. A joy from beginning to end.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how many demonstrations there are. Ryan Murphy on air. What’s it like to be on this side of the Murphy universe?

It’s really surreal to be honest with you because he has so many shows, even going back way before. 911What I’m a fan of. This name – Ryan Murphy – almost didn’t sound like a real person to me because he was such a big deal in Hollywood. So now working under this banner and being on these shows is pretty surreal and you feel Ryan Murphy’s touch in every one of his shows. There’s always something that makes you think “oh yeah, this is a Ryan Murphy show” and it’s so cool to be a part of that. He and Tim and all the people around him understand what they’re doing, and as an actor that’s really nice because you can trust the creators and know there’s an end goal. ‘At the end of the day, I’ll at least deliver something extremely entertaining.

Murphy often recasts actors from his series in other series, at least on the horror side. If there was another TV series you could star in, what would it be?

Oh, of course, American Horror Story. When is the audition email? 911 It came out of nowhere, I was sitting on my bed in my studio apartment in Hollywood watching The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Storyand I remember saying: “This is a sign, I’m watching a Ryan Murphy show and my first audition for a Ryan Murphy show just arrived in my inbox.” So one of these crime stories would be great too. However American Horror Story I’ve always been a big fan, from way back. I would love to do something in this style.

we are coming back 911What else could the rest of season eight shape up for Buck?

Definitely more uncle duties coming. And Buck deals with this separation in a perhaps unexpected but delicious way. I’ll leave you with this.

That’s a great word.

It will make sense, I promise.

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911 New episodes air on Thursdays at 20:00 on ABC.