Oliver Stark from 9-1-1 Reveals Buck Will Face Challenges with Eddie’s New Role
Oliver Stark is sharing insights about the future of his character, Evan “Buck” Buckley, in this season of 9-1-1. This includes navigating new collaborations at work and exploring his identity as a bisexual man.
The season 9 premiere, aired on ABC Thursday, October 9, depicted Buck grappling with Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) transition to a paramedic role alongside Hen (Aisha Hinds). This change followed the loss of Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) at the end of season 8, prompting paramedic Chimney (Kenneth Choi) to assume the duties of interim captain. With these adjustments at the 118, Buck struggled to cope with the shift in his long-established working relationship with Eddie and watched as his best friend quickly bonded with a new colleague.
“He’s not exactly overjoyed about it, but I wouldn’t classify it as sadness either,” Stark, 34, told Us Weekly regarding the latest changes at the 118. “He desires some semblance of normalcy. They are already processing a significant loss, and now he feels more changes piling on top of that.”
Stark emphasized that Buck cares for Hen and feels no “anger” towards Eddie working with her as a paramedic; rather, he is overwhelmed by the pace of transformations occurring at the station.
“There’s a considerable part of the 118 absent now,” he mentioned, referring to Bobby’s passing. “He just wants the remaining pieces to settle into a familiar order that he understands and cherishes. So he’s adjusting to the new reality and being somewhat of a [baby] about it.”
Stark pointed out that Buck’s challenges won’t dive too deeply – reminiscent of Buck’s overreaction when Eddie moved to Texas in season 8 – but there will be humorous remarks along the way. “He’s bound to throw in some comments and light-hearted jabs,” Stark hinted.
Buck’s transformative adjustment will manifest in various ways. In the season 9 premiere, viewers witnessed him competing with his colleagues for a chance to travel to space with Hen after she rescued tech mogul Tripp Hauser (Mark Consuelos) from a whale. However, he withdrew upon realizing he didn’t actually want to go.
For Stark, Buck’s impulsive engagement stemmed from a desire to feel “included.”
“It’s about wanting the 118 to maintain its essence, steering clear of disputes around him. He yearns to be involved,” Stark elaborated. “He desires to feel part of the team, regardless of any tensions – it’s all done in a spirit of camaraderie and care for one another. He just wants to belong.”
Of course, Buck won’t be navigating this journey alone at the 118 – he will be busy establishing a new partnership with Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody), who has stepped in as his new partner as Eddie takes on different responsibilities. Stark mentioned that the duo will be “building trust” together, allowing their “friendship” to evolve naturally over time.
“They are simply learning to collaborate more effectively,” he added to Us, expressing his enjoyment of working with Anirudh as well. “Having that relationship is fantastic. Anirudh is a great friend, so it’s wonderful to delve into something new within the dynamics of the show.”
While Buck strives to be active within workplace conversations, Stark aims to ignite discussions off-screen about his character’s evolving identity. The actor has observed a prevalent “ignorance” concerning Buck’s bisexuality since his coming out in season 7 and is eager to shift that narrative.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding regarding Buck being perceived solely as a gay man since his coming out; we’ve seen him with Tommy and not much else,” Stark commented. “This doesn’t mean he has to seek out romantic connections with women to maintain a balance. However, important conversations should take place to educate audiences, not in a forced way, but to further explore the topic.”
Stark hopes that education emerges through both “actions” and dialogues Buck will engage in with himself, as he contemplates questions like, “Do I need to conform to a specific label, or can I simply live my life and be attracted to whom I wish?”
He is confident that 9-1-1 will do its best to “emphasize that more” as the season unfolds. However, Stark made it clear that Buck won’t be “actively seeking a relationship” anytime soon. Nonetheless, he is still Buck and will “find himself in various situations” — but “actively pursuing romance” isn’t on his agenda for the moment.
Even 9-1-1’s Oliver Stark acknowledges that his character, Evan “Buck” Buckley’s first encounter with Ryan Guzman’s Eddie Diaz had subtle undertones suggesting more than friendship. “That’s a pretty astute perspective,” Stark, 32, remarked in a clip from the upcoming Tuesday, April 30, […]
As for Buck openly identifying as a bisexual man — something many fans have anticipated since season 7 — Stark doesn’t believe it’s off the table but urges fans to remain patient.
“In the initial episodes of this season, he engages in discussions where he reflects on himself,” he shared. “I see no reason he wouldn’t use the term bisexual, but he is certainly open about his attraction to multiple genders in the upcoming episodes.”
9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
