9-1-1’s Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kenneth Choi on Buck’s Reveal, Surprise Return, and Maddie-Chimney’s Future
Chimney and Maddie’s wedding has been a long-awaited one for 9-1-1 fans.
“I think they’re the best couple on TV right now,” Kenneth Choi, who plays Chimney on the ABC drama, told Entertainment Weekly of his character’s relationship with Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt). “I think that’s why audiences relate to them: Not every couple has an ex-husband who stabs them, kidnaps them, and beats them up. But it’s a metaphor for other trials and tribulations that couples go through. And the thing is, you have to get through it. You have to get back to the thing that keeps them coming back, which is true love for each other.”
And this week’s episode of 9-1-1 is sure to put the couple through some heartache. After wandering around Los Angeles in a delirious state and missing her wedding, Chimney is diagnosed with viral encephalitis and hospitalized. Once she’s well enough — and no longer hallucinating about her “foster brother” Kevin (James Chen) and Maddie’s ex-husband, Doug (Hewitt’s real-life husband, Brian Hallisay) — Chimney insists on getting married in the hospital, complete with a soundtrack provided by Hewitt himself.
After the emotional episode, Hewitt and Choi spoke with EW about the unconventional ceremony, the return from the dead, Buck’s (Oliver Stark) soot-filled kiss with Tommy (Lou Ferigno Jr.), and how long they think this “happy ending” for Maddie and Chimney will last.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: That was a big episode for Chimney.
KENNETH CHOI: It was physically, emotionally, mentally, and sometimes spiritually exhausting. Chimney has been to some of the darkest places a person can go. There was a moment where he decided, Maybe this is it. I just fell asleep and gave up and that was it. So, to play roles like that, you have to prepare a lot as an actor. There’s the physical manifestation of having viral encephalitis — and then, throughout that, he’s trying to find his way back into his life, with Maddie, with the wedding. Even physically, they have this thing called the dog cam, which gives a shaky perspective and things like that. All of these things were kind of obstacles for Chimney, and for me as an actor, it was great because if you have to play a physical obstacle in real life, it translates to the character. It took a lot of work, but it was so satisfying when I finally saw the episode.
JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT: Kenny was really incredible in the episode. And for Maddie and Chimney, if you really look at their entire relationship, they’re constantly reminded that no matter what, they have to be together, and they’ll always find their way back. And this story is no different. I looked at this episode like, “Oh, this is just another reminder that everything’s going to be okay.”
Jennifer, you have a pretty cool scene where you get to go into the 9-1-1 dispatcher in your wedding dress…
JLH: It’s wild. My dispatcher friends, when I got off the elevator, I don’t think some of them knew exactly what was going on. You could see them being like, “What’s going on?” I was like, “Oh, yeah, yeah. This is the new look of dispatch.” [laughs] No, it was so funny. I mean, I told [9-1-1 co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear], I was like, “Hey, if Maddie gets married, we have to wear a dress. I can’t wear it in a scene.” And he was like, “Oh, no, no, no, don’t worry. I’m wearing a dress.” And I didn’t know what he meant, but it was like I was the immortal bride. I mean, I just wore that dress the whole time. It was so funny. But I loved being in the call center in that dress. I loved how proactive Maddie was. I loved that she had this undying faith in him and that she would eventually get lost with him if that’s what it took to find him…. It was also really fun: I was waddling around in these giant shoes, and my friends were just holding the dress and following me around all day. I had to learn how to pee in a wedding dress. So much information, but it was so hard. I had no idea.
