Stark reality: 9-1-1 star out to help real-life first responders.

He upset real-life firefighters in the first series of 9-1-1 but now Oliver Stark (right) is helping make life better for America’s first responders. Kerry Harvey reports.

Oliver Stark might have inflamed a few tempers among firefighters in his early days on the American drama 9-1-1 but he is making up for it now.

Londoner Stark, now in his fourth season as Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley, admits the show drew some “not so positive” comments from real-life firefighters during its first season.

“For example, in the pilot episode, my character leaves the fire truck to go and have sex with somebody that he’s met on an online dating app. They were not fans of that storyline,” he says. “They thought, on certain things, we were pushing a little too far.”

Since then, a former Los Angeles Fire Department chief has joined the team behind the scenes on the series which follows the work and personal lives of a group of Los Angeles first responders – firefighters, police and paramedics.

“He’s with us every emergency that we go on so he has a lot of input and tries to keep us on the straight and narrow,” Stark says, revealing playing Buck has proved to be eye-opening for him.

“I think, as regular civilians, we don’t necessarily consciously think of first responders a lot. We know that they’re there, but it’s almost taken for granted. I know I certainly had that mindset, so being immersed in it a little bit more really makes me appreciate what they do.”

So much so that the 29-year-old actor now works with a charity which provides workout equipment to firehouses to help real-life firefighters stay fit.

“Heart attacks are the biggest cause of death amongst firefighters, so we are just trying to give them the means to stay fit and capable to do their job,” he says.

Stark had roles in British dramas Luther and Casualty before heading to the US where, in 2015, he was cast as Ryder in the martial arts drama Into The Badlands.

Three years later, he joined well-known American actors including American Horror Story’s Angela Bassett, Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights and Nashville) and Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) in 9-1-1. They have since been joined by Jennifer Love Hewitt, as Buck’s sister Maddie, and Ryan Guzman (Pretty Little Liars) as fellow firefighter Eddie Diaz.

“I felt relatively green coming in but I didn’t need to feel that way at all because it is a very egoless set,” Stark reveals, of working with people who were household names when he was still at school.

“There’s no sense of ego, there’s no sense of bravado, there’s no sense of anybody thinking that they’re better than anyone else. It’s just a really nice work environment.”

Season three ended with Buck discovering his former lover Abbie (Britton) had met someone else and now, in season four, he must deal with both that revelation and also discovering more about what made Buck the man he is now.

“I think it’s the first time he has found himself out on his own and having to stand on his own two feet,” Stark says. “I think it’s quite a scary time, but also possibly quite a transformative time for him.”

There has always been a bit of mystery surrounding Buck’s family and that is gradually explained over the next few weeks.

“There was a lot to dig into, and family secrets to be uncovered, so it’s a time of much change for him,” says Stark, who admits he is learning about his character at the same time as the audience.

“I always assumed there would be some kind of parental issue – an abusive father or something – I didn’t know exactly what it would be. I knew there was some disconnect there because, you know, over the years he’s ended up in hospital many times and we’ve never seen his parents.” While Stark isn’t giving away any secrets, he says Buck’s journey is an emotional one that even made his own mother, back in England, cry. “After my mum saw the Buck Begins episode, she was a little bit emotional and she called me and we had a nice chat,” says Stark, who admits Covid-19 has kept him away from his own UK-based family. “I have not seen my family in over a year and a half now which is a weird feeling. The one time when I could have flown was quite early on and I didn’t know how safe that would be and I was worried about whether – as a non-US citizen – I’d be allowed back into the country if the show started up again.” He hopes to soon be able to host his family in the house he has just bought in Los Angeles. “That would feel like a nice, big step for me,” he says, adding in some ways he and Buck have grown to adulthood together. “But I’m maybe slightly winning the race. I’m sure he’ll catch me soon enough.”

“I think, as regular civilians, we don’t necessarily consciously think of first responders a lot.”

– Oliver Stark