‘9-1-1’s Gavin Stenhouse on the Return of Hot Priest, Eddie’s Emotional Confession, and More
As soon as I woke up, before I put on my makeup, I said a little prayer for the return of 9-1-1’s resident Hot Priest. And today, my prayers were finally answered.
Six years after Gavin Stenhouse appeared as a priest in four episodes of 9-1-1, he got a surprise call to return to the hit first responder drama for its eighth season.
Although his phone didn’t ring with Katy Perry’s “Firework” as it did his character in the 2018 premiere, he was still happy to get the call and excited to be back in such a “lovely” setting.
“I was so excited to get the call, and I was really excited to be back. I didn’t expect to be back. Not at all. But it’s always an exciting time when I get a 9-1-1 readiness check, because the setting is so unique,” Stenhouse told Decider over Zoom. “They have so much to do and so little time. Everyone’s morale is always so high and there’s a sense of camaraderie on set… It really feels like the heart of that show, which is 118.”
Although Stenhouse was introduced as a priest who helped Bobby (Peter Krause) through his grief and addiction in Season 1, as Decider teased in an exclusive clip, Stenhouse’s “Hot Priest” returns to guide Eddie (Ryan Guzman) through tough times in Season 8, Episode 6, “Confessions.”
To celebrate his return to the confessional, Stenhouse graced Decider with a chat about everything from his friendship with 9-1-1’s Kenneth Choi and his favorite one-on-one scenes to his thoughts on the Fleabag “Hot Priest” comparisons, his hopes for the future of Father Brian (yes, he has a name!), and more.
Wow. It’s 2018? I don’t remember much about the audition process, but Kenny Choi, who plays Chimney, is actually one of my best friends. We did a CBC show together in 2014 called Allegiance, which lasted one season. And he was like my sparring partner on that show. I remember getting the first episode and going to shoot it, and The Wolf of Wall Street had just come out and I was just so amazed and overwhelmed by Kenny’s performance. When I got to the hotel where we were shooting in New York and met him, I was so excited and really nervous to meet him. And he was like, “Hey man. Come on, let’s get a beer.” He was so friendly. And I was like, “Okay.” So when I got this 9-1-1 role, I like to get to know the people I’m working with, and so I called him up and said, “Hey, man! I just got this role. Do you know any of these actors?” And he was like, “Oh, wait! You got 9-1-1? I just got a series regular role!” And I was like, “Oh! We’re going to work together!”
