The 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville stars go head to head in a heated showdown during this week’s epic crossover — but behind the scenes, it was nothing but love.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, 9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman and 9-1-1: Nashville’s Chris O’Donnell opened up about the surprisingly delightful experience of meshing their two casts into one for a special two-part event.
“With 9-1-1: Lone Star, I feel like we were coming into their world. This one felt like we were fully engrossed, and we had a little bit more to play with,” Guzman, 38, who previously made an appearance on 9-1-1’s first spinoff, told Us. “I can’t speak for [my costar] Oliver [Stark], but I didn’t know what to expect going into Nashville. You don’t know what you’re gonna deal with with a new cast. But I was just so pleasantly surprised by how amazing everyone is.”
Guzman noted “how easy” it was to “connect” with the Nashville crew, saying it was a “joy to show up to work every single day.”
“Every actor was just so welcoming on their set,” he gushed. “We had a lot of fun.”
The two-hour crossover, which aired on Thursday, March 5, saw Los Angeles firefighters Evan “Buck” Buckley (Stark) and Eddie Diaz (Guzman) heading to Tennessee to compete in the national firefighter games. There, they come across Captain Don Hart (O’Donnell) and his 113 crew — along with a few other notable fire stations — to participate in a grueling battle to the finish line in hopes of securing $25,000 for their respective firehouses.
“First of all, [Oliver and Ryan] couldn’t be nicer guys and so easy going,” O’Donnell told Us of Stark and Guzman’s pop-in. “No egos, no special accommodations needed. They were really terrific team players.”
Guzman and Stark, of course, are “used to the chaos” that comes along with the 9-1-1 universe, as the flagship series is currently in its ninth season. And although O’Donnell admitted that the craziness of shooting so many bizarre disasters can be tricky, he was impressed at how Guzman and Stark didn’t even flinch during the more high-stakes moments.
“They just were totally mellow and easy going and game for whatever,” he said.
He added that there’s an undeniable value in bringing characters from the “mothership” series over to subsequent spinoffs.
“And sometimes it’s tough to figure out how to cross-pollinate when you’ve got a fire station in Nashville and a fire station in L.A.,” he said. “Why would they come together? But now that they have, they have this bond.”
Keep scrolling for everything else Guzman and O’Donnell had to say about 9-1-1’s latest crossover:
The Bobby Connection
Beyond competing in the same games, it’s revealed during the event’s first hour that Buck and Eddie were nominated to participate by their late captain, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). Once they get to Nashville, however, they realize the connection runs even deeper, as Captain Hart previously worked with Bobby years prior.
“It gives some history there and some backstory, and, I think, an understanding of each culture and a mutual respect for the cultures,” O’Donnell shared. “And I think that fans love that kind of stuff.”
Guzman, meanwhile, said that while Eddie initially shrugs off the idea of entering the games, learning about Bobby submitting him is a game-changer. “Bobby is the driving force towards why Eddie is going to be trying so hard,” he told Us.
Eddie’s Aversion to the GamesWhile Buck is immediately invested in kicking some Nashville butt, Eddie has to be convinced to even agree to a trip to Music City with his BFF. Guzman credits the apprehension to Eddie’s hatred of being “in the spotlight.”
“I don’t think that he wants people to pat him on the back and tell him, ‘Good job,’” he explained. “I think that he just likes to do the job itself and connect with individuals, and any kind of, like, ‘Look at me,’ energy he just stays away from.”
Guzman noted that Eddie felt similarly about the recent firefighter auction, which is why he ultimately asked Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) to place a bid for him.
“It’s like, ‘I don’t want any part of this. Let me just bid on myself,’” Guzman said with a laugh. “I don’t want it feel like a slab of beef! And coming to the games, I don’t think it’s until he gets in the games and he’s challenged where he’s like, ‘OK, now it’s [getting real].’”
But a little more on that auction: When asked why Eddie avoided taking the stage like the plague, Guzman said that Eddie simply “does not want that type of attention” and is “almost too humble” when it comes to having all eyes on him.
“He’s just like, ‘I don’t know if I see myself this way, guys, and I don’t really care how other people are portraying me, but I would much rather just be the actual firefighter, not the sexy calendar firefighter,” Guzman said. (Guzman did, however, admit he has a hard time understanding why no one would bid on Eddie. Just like Us!)
Eddie Brings the Party
Despite avoiding a good time like the plague a few episodes prior while out at a club with Buck and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody), Eddie is all-in on a good time when he arrives in Nashville. It’s a side of the character that doesn’t come out often, but one Guzman loves to portray.
“Once he’s fully wrapped his head around [entering the games], I think Eddie is treating this as a vacation,” Guzman told Us. “He has to be performing, but at the same time, like, ‘I’m in a new city, let’s go have fun!’”
He continued, “I love that part of Eddie. I love that I get to showcase that because we’ve seen Eddie so many times as a hardened individual, depressive in certain areas, and now he’s getting to let loose, and let his hair down and have fun.”
So why not have fun at the club in L.A.? “I think it’s kind of that vacation vibe,” Guzman admitted. “When you’re at home and you get asked to go out, it’s, like, a different kind of feel to it. But then if you go out to some other place in the world, you’re like, ‘I’m a new person. I get to do things I never do.’ I think that’s what Eddie was going through.”
He added that going to a club with Buck and Eddie with the “intent to find somebody” feels like “a lot of pressure” for the character, vacation Eddie is a different beast.
‘We all know he doesn’t like [that pressure], but in the pretense that he’s going to Nashville [for this] game, this is just an add on,” he said. “Let’s just see, experience the city a little bit, and what happens, happens.”
Getting Physical
Once the day of the games arrives, all bets are off and every firefighter is ready to take home the gold. While the Harts are fired up to win, things take a turn when Don ends up sustaining an injury.
While Don himself is incredibly disappointed he has to bow out — over a broken pinky — O’Donnell was more than pleased to step aside for the younger cast, and Don’s two sons Ryan (Michael Provost) and Blue (Hunter McVey) team up instead.
“I love that we’re even like, ‘What are we gonna do?’ Of course we’re getting Blue!” O’Donnell said. “I even looked at the writers, I go, ‘Really?’ … Get Blue in here. Have you seen the size of that dude?”
O’Donnell recalled how the cast and crew “kept laughing” because of how tiny Don’s injury actually is — “I had a bandaid on and it became a thing on set, like, ‘Hey guys, never forget,’” O’Donnell said with a laugh — which led him to believe that maybe Don was “secretly happy” his sons were around to “pick up the slack.”
“Because I know watching these two young guys rip around these sets and do this action. Like, I’m not that old, but I’m definitely not their age anymore,” he joked, adding, “Bring on the young guys!”
Guzman, meanwhile, had the opposite experience at the games, revealing that he actually had to physically slow himself down so he didn’t win the relay by accident. (L.A. and Nashville end up in second and third place, respectively, after stopping to help a fallen comrade.)
“It was kind of hard to lose, to be honest, because both Oliver and I are super competitive, and I know Hunter is as well,” Guzman said, laughing. “I was just [telling Oliver], like, ‘Slow down. Slow down. You’re not supposed to win, dude, slow down.’ And at one point, I’m having to put on my uniform, and as I’m putting on my turnout, I look to my left and right, I see that half these people have not put on their turnout yet, and I’m finding, like, new ways to, slow myself down. I even threw my shoe off at one point.”
The Dixie Factor
The two-part episode ends with Buck and Eddie finally having their fun. But after a long search for a Bachelorette party to join in on, Eddie ends up bowing out and going home alone while Buck ends the night with Don’s ex Dixie (LeAnn Rhimes).
“Not in my rewrite,” Guzman quipped, hinting he assumed Eddie would be the one spending some time with Dixie instead. “The writers took me for a loop. But no, I’m happy. I’m happy! Buck is going through [a lot] and Eddie’s just being a good friend at the end of the day. He’s like, ‘All right, you’ve been Debbie Downer this whole time, you are just overly competitive, you need to let off some steam. Go talk to this very beautiful lady and have yourself a great night. I’m gonna go home and play video games.”
When asked if Don might be feeling some type of jealousy about Dixie and Buck if he were to find out about their flirtation, O’Donnell didn’t rule out the idea.
“I mean, it’s tough to say. On the one hand, there’s moments when you think, ‘Well, screw it. She’s crazy. He doesn’t care,’” he said. “But then [in the] flashback episode, you really had an appreciation for Dixie and understanding how strong [her and Don’s] bond and the relationship was.”
He continued, “They got a lot of history, and so he may not want to admit it, but I’m sure he doesn’t feel good about [her with Buck]. I mean, he’s not gonna begrudge Dixie for finding someone and settling down, but that might be a little close to home that setup.”
When it comes to the fans loving the idea of Dixie and Don’s wife, Blythe (Jessica Capshaw), getting together — particularly after watching them bond during the crossover — O’Donnell played coy, but urged people to keep watching.
“It’s such an interesting dynamic, because there’s just so much history and tension and feelings,” he teased. “And I will tell you that the fans will not be let down by the season 1 finale. I mean, they’re driving this thing to a head. It’s going to be interesting.”
9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET, followed by 9-1-1: Nashville at 9 p.m. ET.
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