Kara Killmer Reveals How the Chicago Fire Cast Stays Strong Through Character Exits

“There is such a core principle of humor and friendship that continues to keep [us] going,” Killmer told NBC Insider.

It’s the bittersweet trade-off of really good TV: We fall in love with characters just to say goodbye to them. And as every One Chicago fan knows, a cast member can leave at any time, no matter how much the audience wishes their character would stick around. Now that she’s exited Chicago Fire, Kara Killmer, who played paramedic Sylvie Brett for 10 years, is reflecting on how she and her fellow cast members have handled the departures of cherished friends.

Humor helps the Chicago Fire cast cope with exits

“There’s too many to count. This cast is definitely very familiar with losing people that we love,” Killmer told NBC Insider before enumerating some of the most significant losses. “We said goodbye to Charlie, we said goodbye to Monica and Yuri and Jesse and Annie…we’ve had a lot of people come and go,” she said, name-checking Charlie Barnett, who played Peter Mills; Monica Raymund, who played Gabriela Dawson; Yuri Sardarov, who played Brian Zvonecek; Jesse Spencer, who played Matt Casey; and Annie Ilonzeh, who played Emily Foster.

“There is such a core principle of humor and friendship that continues to keep [us] going; I think that’s what’s really special about our show in particular,” Killmer continued, adding that Law & Order and One Chicago franchise creator Dick Wolf is “very intentional about making sure that the people who work on our show…have a good sense of humor.”

That sense of humor doesn’t only come in handy when saying goodbye. There can be difficult weather days on set in Chicago, too. Said Killmer, “It’s kind of required whenever it’s been cold, you know? Kind of have to have a good sense of humor if you’re gonna stand out and freeze your butt off for 12 hours. It’s like, the only thing that keeps you warm is laughter.” (Laughter, and we’re assuming some very big jackets!)

But could Brett come back?

When a character is killed off, sadly, there’s no hope of a return. But in cases like Brett’s, where they just move away, a cameo is always on the table. When asked if she’d be open to a return, Killmer said, “Oh, absolutely. The door is wide open. Any time they wanna call, I will be there. It is a fantastic show, great people. I will come back any time they want.”