9-1-1 Newcomer Arielle Kebbel Previews Lucy’s Future on 118
There are two things 9-1-1 fans can be sure of about the show’s newest addition: Firefighter Lucy Donato is a force to be reckoned with, and actress Arielle Kebbel loves wordplay.
“She’s explosive. You see what I did? I love her,” Kebbel says of her newest character, a daring first responder who joined 118 at the end of Monday’s episode. Replacing Ryan Guzman’s Eddie, who left his position in the Fox drama’s winter finale, Lucy made her 9-1-1 debut with a tense highway rescue reminiscent of a Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock movie (not The Lake House)—and a kiss with Oliver Stark’s Buck.
So, how will Lucy fit in at her new fire station? How will Buck handle working with her and then kissing her? And how did Kebbel handle her new stunt job? Actress and producer Kristen Reidel answers our burning questions and previews what’s to come for 118. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We know Eddie’s been on his own for a while, but walk us through the decision to bring in a new firefighter in Lucy.
KRISTEN REIDEL: We just felt like we needed someone else in 118 to bring a little bit of the joy that I think we lost in the first half of the season. All of our characters are going through different levels of trauma, and we wanted someone to come in with no baggage, no past, and inject some lightness and joy and fun back into that fire station. And we liked the idea of someone who Buck could relate to—someone who would just go in there and do what needed to be done and maybe not worry too much about following the rules… and maybe have a little spark.
ARIELLE KEBBEL: I know people have said, “She’s like a female Buck.” And it was fun to play that. His character is so athletic and fun and funny. With Lucy, I love doing one-liners—finding the humor in these intense moments. Growing up, when I watched action movies and shows like Alias, those were always the moments where I felt closest to the character. It felt like it just brought the heart to the show or the movie. And I think this show does that really well.
Arielle, what was it like to be immersed in the action scenes?
KEBBEL: Oh my gosh. Look, over the years, I’ve played some very athletic characters, which I love. I’ve played an assassin, I’ve played a cop-turned-detective. At this point, I’m very comfortable doing my own stunts. But nothing could have prepared me for this. I mean, our boots, I think, weighed eight to 10 pounds. My calves were sore by the end of the day, just from wearing the boots. And then you put the actual stunts on top of all that… Lucy is very athletic. And she’s a bit of an extrovert, she’s a bit of an extreme person. I think you’ll see that she likes to push the boundaries. She likes to go all out. So, in order to do that, it was important to show those athletic moments whenever possible.
You definitely had to show that in your first action scene.
KEBBEL: I grew up watching movies like Speed. And so when I read the script, I was like, “Wait a minute. Is this…? Is this a tribute to Speed?” I was so excited that 9-1-1 was doing this storyline and that I could be a part of it. I was so excited. And I was so grateful to work with the director, Shauna Duggans, who was actually the stunt coordinator on 9-1-1. She’s a really cool person—as was Jessie Graff, who was my stunt double. I was absolutely crazy the first night I met her, because she was the first winner of American Ninja Warrior. And I thought that was so cool. And then it was a little embarrassing, just watching her on set.
