Oliver Stark‘s 9-1-1 character, Buck, has so much on his plate in season 10 — except for romance.
“I would think that that’s not at the forefront of his mind,” Stark, 35, exclusively told Us. “Certainly not a priority.”
Stark didn’t rule it out altogether, adding, “When or if that day does come, Theo is there [now]. There’s also more consideration to be had now about who you bring around. [But] I would say that’s definitely on the back burner in the immediate future.”
Season 10 has already started to offer glimpses at Buck’s new role as a dad to 4-year-old son Theo. As for who would be a good fit for Buck in the future, Stark remained tight-lipped about his dream guest star who could play a love interest.
“That’s a dangerous question,” he joked. “I give that over to the people.”
Stark continued: “I’m open to all comers. I just want somebody that is … obviously with Buck being bisexual, a man or woman who is committed to it and willing to go places and really commit emotionally to the part. That’s the most important thing for me.”
The actor also noted that Theo would be a major deciding factor for who Buck would date moving forward. For now, Buck has his hands full figuring out fatherhood, which viewers already saw taking a toll on him and his friendship with Eddie (Ryan Guzman).
“[The tension is] definitely gonna continue. Eddie’s gonna have some opinions, and obviously, the welfare and the care and treatment of a child is at stake,” Stark noted. “So he’s going to share those opinions and some of them are going to be welcomed and some of them are not going to be so welcome.”
Stark reflected on how Eddie would be present for Buck this season, adding, “When Buck was there for Eddie and has stepped in to help out, they’ve always been very much on the same page. Whereas now, as Eddie steps in and steps up in this situation, it’s not necessarily going to be that they’re doing that with the same mentality.”
While speaking to Us, Stark expressed excitement at the way 9-1-1 has found new ways to explore the fan-favorite relationship.
“I love that we constantly find new avenues to explore and new aspects of relationships on the show,” he shared. “And it’s fun as an actor to, you know, move a relationship into different directions. I’ve had a really good time playing those scenes out and I’m excited to see it on screen.”
Looking forward, Stark is also excited about the surprises 9-1-1 has in store.
“One of my favorite things about the show is that it does so many different things. You have really light — almost silly episodes — and then you have really dark episodes,” he noted. “I really do enjoy all aspects of the show and it’s nice to be able to flex different muscles in different episodes. So as I say, I’ve had kind of a more dramatic and darker start to the season, especially as we progress further into the season. But I believe there’s some more light-hearted stuff coming up as we move kind of into the back half. So, I’m excited for that.”
9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
