We’ve heard a lot about Enzo, T.K.’s (Ronen Rubinstein) stepfather, over the years, and in the final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star, we’ll finally get to meet him!
TV Insider can exclusively reveal that Lost’s Henry Ian Cusick will return as Enzo, making his first appearance in the November 11 episode. Enzo is described as “unbelievably handsome, sociable, educated, wealthy and suave.” He shows up on T.K.’s birthday, “to the utter amazement of Owen (Rob Lowe).” Check out exclusive photos of Cusick as Enzo with T.K. and Owen, as well as meeting his stepson’s husband, Carlos (Rafael Silva), below.
In his first appearance, the November 11 episode titled “Kiddos,” T.K. gets a big surprise on his 30th birthday when Enzo arrives in Austin with his half-brother Jonah. Owen’s resentment towards Enzo boils over. Also in the episode, Tommy (Gina Torres) is determined to overcome her latest crisis, Wyatt (Jackson Pace) tries to convince a suicidal caller, and a man is impaled on a tree.
“Henry Ian Cusick’s turn as Enzo is easily one of the biggest ‘successes’ in Lone Star history,” said showrunner Rashad Raisani. “His charm and soul make him the perfect stepfather for T.K. And his star power and wicked comedic chops make him the perfect counterpoint to Owen Strand. My only regret is that we didn’t have more seasons to see this incredible actor explore this game-changing character.”
When TV Insider spoke with Rubinstein for our aftershow, First Response, for Episode 5, “Thunderstruck,” he was effusive in his praise for Enzo’s casting. “The guy who plays Enzo is absolutely perfect, Ian Cusick from Lost, I can’t believe we got him,” he shared. “I actually watched Lost religiously as a kid. And the fact that he plays my stepfather is the coolest thing ever.”
Rubinstein, like fans, has been waiting to see Enzo on screen. “I learned very quickly going into Season 1 that Enzo was really T.K.’s father figure for most of his young life, and that dynamic is very different between him and Owen. And I think that makes for an incredible love-hate triangle that we’ll see between Enzo, Owen, and T.K.”, he explained.
9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 didn’t really have much of Owen and T.K., and according to Rubinstein, the fact that father and son were going through things themselves “came into conflict because of Enzo and Jonah coming to town. I think it was the perfect way to unite us. It definitely added a little bit of a rift for Owen and T.K., but for the right reasons. I think the combination of those two was one of the most special things we did this season and it was all for a good cause, and it brought up some very difficult conversations that needed to be had between T.K. and Owen that we’ve been putting off since T.K. was a kid. So it definitely brought up some of the things that I feel like T.K. finally being able to unburden himself and really tell Owen how he feels about things, and I’m excited about that.”
Raisani pointed out to us that Enzo “has taken Owen’s place in T.K.’s life after Owen stepped away from the role of father because of 9/11. Enzo really had a big hand in raising T.K. and he’s been a father to Jonah, T.K.’s younger brother. So as we were looking at the end of the series and talking about family, we wanted to go back to the story of who T.K. is going to be as a son, brother, and father in the future when the series ends. Jonah, that boy, and Enzo, his stepfather, seemed like the perfect characters that we could tell that story through.”
He continued, “Also, it would force Owen to acknowledge, to go back to his past as T.K.’s father. and the years he was away, that some of the trauma that happened to T.K. and Enzo spoke a lot about who T.K. would become. So there’s a lot of reckoning with the past that’s going to come into play with his character. Other than that, he’s really interesting.”
What do you think of Henry Ian Cusick playing Enzo? What do you hope to see from him, T.K., and Owen? Let us know in the comments below.
