Oliver Stark is opening up about what lies ahead for his character, Evan “Buck” Buckley, on this season of 9-1-1 — from adjusting to new partnerships at work to delving deeper into what it means to be a bisexual man.
The season 9 premiere, which aired on ABC Thursday, October 9, showed Buck struggling with Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) new role as a paramedic alongside Hen (Aisha Hinds). The shift occurred following the death of Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) at the end of season 8, leaving paramedic Chimney (Kenneth Choi) to step into the new role of interim captain. With so many changes at the 118, Buck found himself uncomfortable with losing his longtime work dynamic with Eddie — and seeing his BFF click so quickly with someone else.
“He’s not jubilant and happy [about it], but I don’t think it’s sadness, either,” Stark, 34, exclusively tells Us Weekly about the new 118 arrangements. “I think he just wants things to be as normal as they can be. They’re already dealing with such a big loss, and now he just feels like there’s more change compounding on top of that.”
Stark clarified that Buck loves Hen and isn’t “angry” seeing Eddie work with her as a paramedic, but is instead struggling with the overwhelming amount of change happening at the station.
'9-1-1' Star Oliver Stark Teases What Lies Ahead for Buck in Season 9
“There’s such a big part of the 118 missing now,” he explained, referencing Bobby’s death. “He just wants the rest of it to fall into line in the way that he knows and loves and understands. So he’s just getting to grips with something new, and he’s being a bit [of a baby] because of that.”
Stark noted that Buck’s issues won’t go too “deep” – think: Buck losing his mind over Eddie moving to Texas in season 8 — but there will be some quips made along the way. “He’s going to make some comments and take some little jabs at them,” Stark teased.
Buck’s evolving adjustment period will clearly show up in a myriad of ways. During the season 9 premiere, viewers saw him compete with his coworkers for a chance to go to space with Hen after she saved tech mogul Tripp Hauser (Mark Consuelos) from being swallowed by a whale. He bowed out, however, when he realized he never actually wanted to go in the first place.
For Stark, Buck jumping into the fray with no real motive was a result of simply wanting to feel “included.”
“It’s kind of the same thing of, he just wants the 118 to feel like the 118 so he doesn’t want these arguments or these disputes going on around him. He just wants to be involved,” Stark explained. “He wants to feel like he’s amongst it, and that they’re a team, even if they’re kind of fighting – not really fighting, but they’re at each other. It’s still done within a team spirit, within an atmosphere of loving each other, and I just think he wants to be a part of that no matter what.”
But Buck, of course, won’t be rolling solo at the 118 — he’ll be busy forming a new dynamic with Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody), who became his new partner now that Eddie is needed elsewhere. Stark said the duo will be “building up trust” with one another as they “go through things together,” and audiences will see that “friendship” evolve over time.
“They’re just learning to be a better team together,” he told Us, adding that Stark himself is enjoying his new teammate as an actor, too. “It’s really great having that relationship. It’s great for me, having Anirudh around. He’s obviously a good friend, so it’s nice to explore something new within the dynamic of the show.”
While Buck is vying to be part of the conversation at work, Stark is hoping to also spark discussions off screen as his character continues to explore his identity. The actor has noticed a particular “ignorance” around Buck’s bisexuality since he came out in season 7 and is looking forward to changing that narrative.
“I do think there’s been some ignorance around people thinking that Buck is now a gay man, because since his coming out we’ve seen him with Tommy, and that’s it,” Stark said. “And not that he has to now go run off and be with a woman just to balance that out or anything. But there just needs to be conversations to help educate an audience. Not in a heavy way, not in a beating anybody over the head with it, but to delve deeper into it.”
Stark hopes that education can come from both “actions” and in “conversations” that Buck will have with himself, where he’ll ask, “Do I have to pick a lane, do I have to do anything that anybody else tells me? Or can I just live my life and be attracted to who I’m attracted to?”
He feels confident that 9-1-1 will do all it can to “try and highlight that more” as the season goes on. That being said, Stark clarified that Buck won’t be “actively trying to date anybody” any time soon. He is, however, still Buck, and will “find himself in some situations” — but “actively pursuing anything” romantic is off the table for now.
9-1-1’s Oliver Stark Says Buck and Eddie Meeting Had Bisexual Confusion
As for Buck actually vocally defining himself as a bisexual man — something many have been clamoring for since season 7 — Stark doesn’t think it’s off the table, but fans will have to be patient.
“I can tell you the first few episodes of the season, he talks to people and he does have discussions about himself,” he said. “And I see no reason why he won’t use the word bisexual, but he’s certainly talking about his bisexuality. I don’t know if he uses the word, but he’s certainly very honest and open about the fact that he is attracted to more than one gender in upcoming episodes.”
9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.