How 9-1-1’s Oliver Stark Handles the ‘Stress’ of Buck’s Sexual Awakening
9-1-1 star Oliver Stark you know the responsibility that comes with representing the LGBTQIA+ community on screen; his character, Evan “Buck” Buckley, came out as bisexual on the firefighting show last year. Yet despite the newfound popularity – and many new eyes on the show – Stark refused any “pressure” to play the arc well.
“There is pride and there are those who want to do good, obviously, and for the sake of it [Buck] to advocate in a positive way. But I don’t put too much pressure on myself,” said Stark, 33, speaking to himself Us Weekly while discussing the evolution of his character. “Someone called me a ‘bisexual bi-con’ in an interview last year, which I loved. But when I’m at my daily work, I don’t think about that. I just thought like, ‘Let me play Buck, and this is what he’s going through and this is what he’s going through right now.’ And that in itself, I think, is a better representation – a bisexual character living her own life. “
Stark, who has played Buck on the ABC series since 2018, “really wanted” Buck’s sexier storyline, he said. Us that he was “a big fan of admitting it” when it was first brought his way. And while most of Buck’s journey is in the hands of other people – like 9-1-1 the show Tim Minear — Stark’s “strength” lies in “playing each scene in that moment” and relying on the “truth” of who the character really is.
“That in itself is advocacy,” he explained. “So I’m no longer thinking, ‘Okay, what foot do I have to put forward here to present this well in a broad sense?’ I just try to play him as a real person living in these times, because that’s the real life of this bisexual character. So I don’t feel a lot of pressure on that, as I have played him. I’m just playing with the truth.”
Being a fan favorite character is nothing new for Stark; known for entering the heart first in any situation, Buck has been loved since the beginning of the show and has always been an important part of the Station 118 family. His bisexuality simply adds another layer to the character, a story point introduced in season 7 and shortly after the show. Page 9-1-1 network switch from Fox to ABC.
Season 8 continued to delve deeper into Buck’s romantic journey, with episode 5, titled “Masks,” showing her continued romance with boyfriend Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.). Thursday, October 24, the Halloween-inspired episode saw the two navigate Buck’s multiple injuries that he believed were due to a curse placed on him by his mother.
The storyline may be played for laughs, but also used as a “re-introduction” to the new couple in their daily lives.
“It’s great, I think Buck is taken care of after hurting his shoulder. It’s nice to see that look and that feature [of their relationship],” he said Us.
“I don’t know many people who are in a relationship who would just walk in and say, ‘You’re right.’ You are cursed. How do we fight this?’ So I can’t blame him for that,” Stark said with a laugh, pointing to Tommy’s reluctance to support Buck’s views. “And then, you know, he shows up at the end. … Which I think is good. It was a nice little reminder for the audience, because, obviously, it’s been a while since we’ve seen him.”
Tommy, however, isn’t the only character who shows Buck throughout the episode. His BFF Eddie (Ryan Guzman) and is present alongside his friend in most of the game. Stark said that working with both Ferrigno Jr. and Guzman in scenes is always a “great” experience – especially when it requires him to sit back and watch the duo work.
“It’s funny to say this, though [Ryan and Lou] mostly, I think,” he explained. “They get along very well, so it’s good. I just love to witness that. But we have a good time and I like the dynamic there, and the changing scenes where it’s usually Eddie and Tommy vs. Buck.”
There are several scenes with the three together throughout “Masquerade,” from Buck’s apartment to the hospital, where both men serve as a constant support system for Buck as he navigates his “curse.” When asked what the recurring Eddie could mean on a deeper level — some fans have questioned whether there’s anything deeper than the friendship between Buck and Eddie over the seasons — Stark stopped short of offering a meaningful explanation.
“You know, Buck and Eddie obviously have an incredibly close relationship, and Buck and Tommy are at the beginning of their relationship,” he said. Us. “So in these times when Buck needs someone to show up, it’s obvious that Tommy is there, but there is also stability that he knows, that pillar of stability, that has been, and will continue to be, [Eddie]. He’s not going to cast Eddie aside.”
He continued by pointing out that it’s good for Buck to have important people in his life “get along well,” noting that Eddie was a part of Tommy’s life before Buck arrived.
“Obviously those two characters were best friends before Buck and Tommy were a thing. So the fact that we were able to continue that, I think is a good thing,” he said. “I think they both come from him.” (Regarding Buck showing up to Eddie after his son, Christopher, moved to Texas, Stark said viewers will “see Buck gain more insight into what Eddie’s going through” as the season progresses.)
Buck believing he’s cursed by his mother is arguably one of the character’s most harrowing, if unsettling, storylines, but it fits with what Buck has always been as a character. For Stark, it’s all a balance between simple and logical moments of doing 9-1-1 that what.
“This character, I like things like this [the writers] throw him,” he said Us. “From a theme point of view, I like fun things. I like things that are crazy [Buck] you mentioned, like, in episode 5, for example. … I think episode 5 is a very good combination of all things 9-1-1 you are doing really well. It’s funny at times and it’s silly at times, and there’s stuff that hits hard, and it’s all packed into a 42-minute episode.”
Although Stark says he prefers to lean on the “funny and silly” side of that 9-1-1 line, appreciates the “deep” moments, too – and warns that there will be more to come for Buck at the start of episode 6. One of those images will feature a co-star Stark who hasn’t shared much screen time with his season: Jennifer Love Hewittwho plays Buck’s sister, Maddie.
“The next episode, there’s a lovely scene with Buck and Maddie,” he said. “Or, I hope it’s really lovely. I think it makes sense in many ways. Buck, as he often is, goes through something and wanders off a bit, and tends to lean on those around him when that starts to happen. Maddie is clearly one of those people.”
Spiraling, Stark said, is something that Buck will continue to do throughout season 8, and the character symbolizes big changes that he’s excited to watch play out.
“Episode 6, I think maybe we’re going to change a little bit the path Buck is in, change his path. I’m really excited about that and I’m looking forward to seeing what that means for him,” Stark teased. “I don’t know what it means to him yet, but I can tell you this: it’s fun.”
Stark also alluded to Buck’s lighter seasons, hinting at “a lot of cooking” and “baking” in the character’s future. “I’m excited to do those scenes with a lot of, ‘Okay, put this together and close this,'” she laughed, offering a little spoiler she thinks fans will love: “She’ll be baking with her niece,” she said. With a sly smile, he added, “There, you can get that one for free.”
While Stark has been shining in front of the camera for eight seasons, he has also become a reliable source for others Page 9-1-1 the most important moments behind the scene, capturing the light of the actors on the set with his photo. Stark lights up at the very mention of a creative place, it does Us photography helped him “slow down” and “focus on the small moments,” both at the opening and closing of the set.
“It makes me kind of appreciate the things around me little by little,” he said. “Also at work, when I take pictures from the background, it just helps me to focus on the small moments between us. We still have photographers on set, but they’re there for a different reason and they don’t have the personal connection or inner song that I have. The little moments between us that no one really notices where, is where the true nature of the beauty of our relationship lies. “
Stark is most interested in photographing when it’s him and his clients “sitting in our chairs, playing silly games and laughing with each other,” saying he feels “lucky” to be able to “honor” his relationship over them. years on film.
“When I take those negatives back and put them in, I look at them and I just feel so much joy watching these little moments that we share with each other,” he said. Us. “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s taken forever now.’ And getting to share them, even if they post Aisha [Hinds] photo, we send Ryan [Guzman] photo, posting Kenny [Choi] picture. It’s important for me to remember those moments we get to spend together.”
So will those camera skills translate to a future as a director? “I don’t know, maybe one day,” he said. “It’s not something that’s near me in the future, but it’s something that I could see myself being open to, or definitely, like, even if it’s not directing, being part of a role that helps paint the story.”
While directing may have to wait, Stark is still teasing Buck — and emphasized how important it is to him that people “stick with” the character for eight seasons now.
9-1-1’s Jennifer Love Hewitt was excited to hear that Oliver Stark’s character, Buck, would come out as bisexual in the show’s seventh season — and she wanted to make sure her character, Maddie, took the news in a way that respected the storyline. “I was really excited about it,” Hewitt, 41, told us privately […]
“I know people don’t always think this, but I have a lot myself [Buck],” he said. “I think we put ourselves into whatever we do, whatever character we play. So to see him so loved, and obviously relatable, means a lot to me.”
Before parting ways, Stark conveyed a message he hoped to convey to fans: “Thank you for loving the show,” he said. “Thank you for loving Buck. It makes me feel very welcome.”
New episodes of 9-1-1 secondsSeason 8 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 pm ET.
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