‘Chicago Fire’ Star Kara Killmer on Being Written Off With the ‘Perfect’ Ending After Nearly 200 Episodes: ‘It’s Bittersweet’
Brettsey has officially left Chicago. Kara Killmer, who has portrayed Sylvie Brett for 199 episodes on “Chicago Fire” (and dozens of “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D” episodes), makes her final appearance on the Feb. 28 episode, marrying Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) and moving to Portland with him.
“It’s bittersweet, but it’s definitely more sweet than bitter,” she tells Variety of the end of Brett’s journey on the NBC procedural. “I’m so happy that Sylvie gets her happy ending, and it’s a great closure for her tenure.”
For Killmer, Brett marrying Casey is the “natural” end for her storyline — especially because Sylvie came to 51 after being left at the altar: “She came to Chicago trying to start fresh and then ends up across the aisle from the love of her life, finally getting everything that she always wanted and have this patchwork family together. It’s such a perfect ending for her. I can’t think of anything better.”
After Spencer exited the show in Season 10 when Casey moved to Oregon, the pair’s characters briefly had a long-distance relationship before calling it quits after it became too difficult. He returned last season and proposed; at the start of Season 12, Brett told the firehouse she was moving to be with him after they tied the knot.
“It wouldn’t have been the same and wouldn’t have felt right if somehow they exited Sylvie without Matt Casey. Every time Jesse comes back into town, everybody’s ecstatic,” Killmer says. “Everyone wants their captain back, so it was a lot of fun and sort of a family reunion, which is kind of what weddings can be sometimes.”
After Spencer left the show, Killmer wasn’t immediately written off — but it made sense at this point, she says.
“Last season, the writing was kind of on the wall a little bit. It’s not like Brett didn’t try to let go of Matt. She tried to get serious with Dylan and things weren’t working. I think the audience felt the same way, so I think the writers saw kind of a natural progression there and took the opportunity. Then we had the whole strike that everybody was out for and there was plenty of time to formulate a plan for the perfect exit,” she says. “I’m so grateful that they brought me back for six episodes because you know how easy it would have been for them to just start the season with Violet in the locker room saying, ‘I just got off the phone with Sylvie and she’s settled in Portland.’ So, I’m so grateful that they gave myself and the fans to really say goodbye to Sylvie.”
Overall, she feels privileged that she was able to portray a first responder and work alongside real paramedics and firefighters, who “continually deal with loss and trauma and they still go back for more,” she explains. “They still decide to get up in the morning and rush into danger and serve strangers.”
As for what’s next, “the door is wide open” for upcoming roles — in TV, film or theater. “It’s a miracle and a privilege to have been on a Dick Wolf show specifically for 10 years. Nothing else is going to be able to compete with that,” she says. “But I am really excited about new projects and kind of bringing the magic that I’ve learned on ‘Fire’ to new sets.”
“Chicago Fire” is produced by Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment.
