Oliver Stark wasn’t initially sold on his character Evan “Buck” Buckley’s big 9-1-1 season 9 finale twist ending.
Warning: Spoilers below for the 9-1-1 season 9 finale.
During the final moments of the Thursday, May 7, episode, titled “Hearts and Flowers,” it was revealed that Buck signed paperwork making him the legal guardian of 4-year-old Theo after his parents, who utilized Buck as a sperm donor, both died in a tragic accident.
“I was pretty apprehensive,” Stark, 34, admitted while exclusively speaking with Us Weekly about the finale. “[Our showrunner] Tim [Minear] called me about it, and I said to him, ‘That’s [a] pretty big change. Like, that’s huge. This doesn’t mean that all of my scenes are going to be just about this, right?’”
Stark told Us that Minear was quick to quell his worries about what season 10 would look like for his character, pointing out that Buck learning to parent Theo will inevitably connect him to other characters on the show — including best friend and single dad Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman).
The actor, for his part, quickly changed his tune after working with the young twins who play Theo, Lincoln and Theodore Sykes, saying they “completely” opened him up to the idea of what Buck’s role as a new father would look like.
“I love working with them,” Stark said with a huge smile. “I cannot articulate how much fun I’ve been having with them. They’re just so great to be around. And so it’s made me feel really, really excited for whatever the story line looks like going forward.”
As for how else Buck’s life might change, Stark anticipates the character will be saddled with “more responsibility” and the need to “lean heavily” on the people around him who have experience, again citing Eddie, who is dad to teen Christopher (Gavin McHugh).
Stark also thinks Buck will learn a lot more about himself through Theo, who has already been introduced as having similar traits to the firefighter.
“Kids can be such mirrors for who we are,” he said, noting that he’s fully aware it takes a village to raise a child. “And I don’t think it’s going to be easy. I think we’re going to have to dive into, ‘Why is Buck the one who’s having to step up here? Who else is or isn’t in Theo’s life?’ We’re going to have to dissect a lot of things to make sense of that, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what that means and how Buck handles them.”
It’s a challenge, however, that Stark ultimately thinks Buck is ready for after a season of “growth.”
“I look back at the episode where [Buck] was struggling with feeling older and he didn’t know how to process that. And then by the end of the episode, he realized that he doesn’t mind the fact that he’s older and that he’s different now,” Stark explained. “I think moments like that across the season, where he’s accepted things about himself have contributed to a lot of growth. And I think that’s why whatever role he’s stepping into for Theo, he’s ready to do that.”
For those worried that the added stress of being a new — and unexpected — single parent to a toddler could turn into a danger of relapsing for Buck, who struggled with an opioid dependency earlier in season 9, Stark doesn’t see it as something “present in his life.”
“I think his issues with the pills were tied to his pain to begin with, and I think a big part of that story line was showing how quickly it can start, and how quickly, if you go by the right routes and look for help, how quickly you can pull yourself out of it,” Stark explained. “And obviously, there will always be things that he needs to stay away from, but I don’t think the plan is that is going to recur as an issue for Buck now and then.”
Buck’s trauma and subsequent addiction may be in the rearview for now, but it remains an arc that Stark holds immense pride in and looks back on fondly.
“I was really excited for it. And you know, the world of 9-1-1, things sometimes come together as it happens,” Stark revealed, noting that he didn’t know Buck would develop a pill dependency even while he and Guzman, 38, were shooting the pair’s road trip back from Nashville just two episodes prior.
“I didn’t know the endpoint,” he confessed. “So you take it episode by episode as it comes, and I’ve been very fortunate that Tim has put some big meals on my plate, and I’ve had a great time chewing them up.”
Another highlight of the season? That road trip gone wrong with Guzman, which Stark praises for being a fun change from 9-1-1’s typical structure.
“I loved that road trip episode, and it was so different,” Stark gushed. “And it was fun to just dive into different aesthetics for the show and different pacing. I think it came together really nicely. It’s an episode that we’re all really proud of.”
9-1-1 is available to stream on Hulu.
