Things are changing for Jennifer Love Hewitt. Speaking with TV Line, 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear has opened up about her character Maddie’s latest ordeal, and how it will impact Jennifer’s time on set.
As fans will remember, last week’s episode saw Maddie kidnapped by her former colleague and serial killer, Detective Braeburn (Abigail Spencer), who had Dissociative Identity Disorder. Worried that Maddie would uncover the full extent of her crimes, Braeburn had panicked and taken her hostage in a dusty old basement.
With Maddie missing, Athena and Romero quickly became suspicious of Braeburn, especially after learning about her traumatic past as a runaway. In a moment which devastated viewers, Braeburn became volatile and slashed Maddie’s throat, before Athena managed to discover their location, before swooping in and shooting Braeburn.
Maddie may have survived but that doesn’t mean the ordeal is over. According to showrunner Tim, the 9-1-1 dispatcher will contend with the physical and psychological scars of her kidnapping.
“We’re playing like five weeks or something has transpired [since the attack],” he told TV Line. “That’s stated explicitly in the next episode. Her hair is longer, it’s a little bit different.”
Noting that the scar on Maddie’s neck “can’t go away,” the EP added that from now on, Jennifer will have a longer hair-and-makeup routine on set, with the scar being reapplied to her neck each and every time she’s shooting.
“I put a piece of rebar through Chimney’s head [back in Season 1], and he’s got a little scar,” Tim mused, “It was more prominent initially, but yeah, we’ve been applying that [on Kenneth Choi] for eight years.”
Reflecting on Maddie’s journey, the showrunner added that she won’t be talking about her physical scar just yet, but will deal with the emotional and psychic complications first.
For Jennifer, the chance to explore Maddie’s trauma has come as a welcome challenge. Speaking with TV Guide, the actress revealed what’s to come for her character. “I think that every mark of trauma that’s left on Maddie sticks, and I think this one will stay with her for a long time and she will have to deal with it just like she’s had to deal with everything else and the aftermath,” the star explained.
“And honestly, I don’t know how the audience is going to watch these two episodes and not also be left with a mark of trauma. When I said that it was the craziest thing I’ve done on the show, it’s truly the craziest thing I’ve ever done on the show — and I had to shake it off when we were done.”
Jennifer continued: “I just think everyone is going to be different because these kinds of big things change you. I think they will change Chimney, they will change her, but there is a baby on the way — and that’s positive. I think Tim does a really beautiful job of chaos and trauma and drama. There is also still the possibility for beautiful moments of joy, so we’ll have those too.”
