Absolutely still—a whirring, screeching “beenado” overtook the greater Los Angeles area in the first episode of 9-1-1 Season 8. The new season of the hit ABC fire procedural kicks off with a disaster of epic proportions, similar to the massive earthquakes, tsunamis, and capsized cruise ships of previous seasons. It’s emblematic of the show—one of the top primetime series among key demographics—that Buck’s Oliver Stark is absolutely there.
“I like that the show isn’t worried about being too static in this beenado emergency,” he told Parade in a recent interview. “I like that it leans into the ridiculous and larger-than-life side. I don’t want the show to feel like a documentary. I like that saying, ‘Go big, go fun, go silly, goofy.’” Related: Everything You Need to Know About 9-1-1 Season 8 With a new emergency comes new personal and professional challenges for 118, now ruled by the iron fist of the obstinate and tyrannical Gerrard (Brian Thompson). It’s at least an adjustment from the warm embrace of Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), and Buck is at a disadvantage, forced into constant janitorial duty for seemingly insubordinate behavior. But while he struggles to find his footing at work, Buck’s honeymoon romance with Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) has helped him get by—at least for now.
Read on for our full interview with Stark, who explains everything from the thrilling opening scene to the “humble” fan reaction he received for his character’s journey last season.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 First, I want to start with the big picture, which of course has already been done. 118 has dealt with countless disasters, but as an actor, how do you prepare to act when something doesn’t exist?
Well, I think you just have to embrace the fantasy aspect of it. We all get into these jobs in this industry because we like to pretend. It seems silly and fun, and it should seem silly. We should laugh while we’re doing these things.
There are some logistical aspects to work out, we’re all trying to figure out if we’re looking in the same direction. And then we realize, “Oh, there are so many bees. We can assume they’re actually everywhere. So it doesn’t matter if you look that way, and I look this way.” It was a fun time and sometimes it was a little bit ridiculous when we were filming, but then we made fun of each other and moved on. Those are aspects of the job that I really love and enjoy.
No one is a fan of Gerrard, but Buck in particular has a hard time adjusting to this new reality. Why do you think that particularly affects him and how do you approach that new dynamic?
I think going back to Season 1, Buck was a character who had a problem with having to follow orders and having people in authority over him. And then the maturity that we see him have over the years as he settles into his role in 118, I think that’s just a testament to how important Bobby is to that. And so now take Bobby out of 118. You see how Bobby Nash is such a big rock for Buck. Without him, he’s back to his previous version. And then when you add in the fact that Gerrard is the character that he is, and as much of an asshole as he is, I think that just pushes Buck further in the direction that he wants to push back. This is not his 118; this is not his home. And I think the only way he really knows how to handle that and deal with that is to push back.
At the end of last season, Buck had a new relationship and a new understanding of his identity. What can you tease about his arc and how that might affect the dynamics that have been established before, like with Eddie or his sister?
Buck and Tommy are obviously still in the early days of their relationship. You could almost call it the honeymoon phase. They’re still a little bit excited and getting to know each other. But I’m excited for that to move into the next phase, which is as you get to know each other, you sometimes learn uncomfortable truths about each other. And then, how do you handle that? And do you decide to deal with it? Do you decide to let it go? So there are definitely challenges ahead, and it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out and how Buck then leans in on the other people that you mentioned—Eddie, Maddie, and Bobby—and shares those concerns with them and tries to figure out what that means for the potential future of that relationship.
Online, there was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Buck’s development last season. Have you experienced it?
