Fans of the One Chicago franchise — encompassing “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago P.D.,” all of which air on NBC — are used to seeing characters come and go, with both “Fire” and “Med” experiencing a few shocking exits this past season alone.
Those exits make room for new characters and storylines, like the addition of buddy-buddy firefighters Darren Ritter and Blake Gallo (Daniel Kyri and Alberto Rosende, respectively) on “Chicago Fire” — but that doesn’t take the sting out of losing a major star. Take, for example, the recent loss of Jesse Spencer as Captain Matt Casey at the fictional Firehouse 51 during Season 10, which Kyri said has been “difficult.”
“I miss having him around and I miss his antics,” Kyri recently told Looper during an exclusive interview. “But it’s understandable. He’s got stuff he’s got to do, and you can’t help but say, ‘I respect you and I wish you well and all the best and we’re really going to miss you.’ That’s what’s true. It’s been an adjustment for everybody, cast and crew alike. He’s got big, big shoes.”
Despite that sentiment, when asked which former “Chicago Fire” star he’d like to see return to the show, Kyri chose another actor — one he’s never even worked with before.
Daniel Kyri is a big fan of Charlie Barnett
Even though Daniel Kyri said it would be “great” if Jesse Spencer returned to “Chicago Fire” in the future, the actor said he’d also love to see the return of Charlie Barnett, who played rookie firefighter Peter Mills during the first three seasons of the show. “I would really enjoy having someone like Charlie back … or have him pop in and do a thing and say ‘hi,'” said Kyri.
While the two actors have never worked together, Kyri is an admitted fan and has met Barnett before. “I’ve met him a few times in real life, but I’ve never gotten the chance to work with him, and I am really a fan of his work,” shared Kyri. “I’ve been following his career, ‘Chicago Fire’ and beyond, and I think that he’s an incredible artist. All the times that I’ve met him, he’s a really warm, sweet guy. Having the opportunity to work with him would be pretty badass.”
Since leaving “Chicago Fire” in 2015, Barnett has appeared on “Arrow” and “You,” among other roles. And while there’s no indication he’ll ever be back on “Fire” again, his character is still alive and well — having moved down to North Carolina to help with his family’s restaurant — which means the door is always open, even if it’s just a crack.
