Chicago Fire’s Daniel Kyri Reflects on Reactions to LGBTQ+ Character
Chicago Fire star Daniel Kyri has reflected on the reactions to his LGBTQ+ character Darren Ritter.
The actor has played firefighter Darren since the seventh season of the NBC show and was promoted to series regular in season nine.
Darren is openly gay, and in an interview with Out, Kyri shared the positive viewer reaction to his character.
He said: “The reaction was, ‘This is a breath of fresh air. I’m so happy to see your character on a show like this, a character who is a hero, fully embodied in his humanity.'” Kyri also recalled an interaction with a fan after Darren came out on the show – when the firefighter told Lt. Christopher Herrmann that he had a boyfriend, not a girlfriend.
“This guy came up to me and he said, ‘Hey, I just want you to know that we’re here.’ He meant as a firefighter. And it wasn’t something as big as a ‘thank you’ or anything, but it was a real moment, I felt seen, and I saw you. And whenever I hear anything like that, it lets me know that I’m doing my job.”
Kyri identifies as gay, and he’s reflected on what it means to provide that representation to others as an actor on Chicago Fire – which was recently renewed for a 13th season.
“When I think about the content or media that I was exposed to when I was younger, it leaves a lot to be desired,” he says. “But the moments that I’ve encountered, queer representation, particularly positive representation, have been like oxygen. It’s like little breadcrumbs of joy and affirmation. And that’s my goal – if I can impact the world in that way, or if I can serve that little queer kid that still lives inside of me. I’m happy to take up space and tell the stories that I do on a platform like the one that I have.”
