'9-1-1' Star Oliver Stark Reveals Why the Recent 'Buck Begins' Episode Made Him Emotional
Fox's "9-1-1" actor Oliver Stark, who plays the role of Evan "Buck" Buckley, recently opened up about his emotional attachment to the character he plays.
Fox's "9-1-1" recently blew fans away with a surprising tell-all episode, "Buck Begins," that gave a glimpse at actor Oliver Stark's character, Buck's turbulent past. Following the episode's premiere, Stark revealed why it had him emotional in an ET exclusive. He began:
"But the first time I read it, I got quite emotional actually because I've played this character...so I've come to really find a real connection with him."
Actor Oliver Stark speaking in an interview with "The Hollywood Reporter" | Photo: YouTube/The Hollywood Reporter
The actor continued, explaining how his character has become a real person to him over the years. He also admitted that reading Buck's backstory and working to bring it to life in the perfect way was truly emotional for him.
Stark first revealed that he heard rumblings of a tell-all episode on Buck over the summer. At the time, they were on an extended hiatus due to the pandemic, but the showrunners were already thinking of an episode on the character's past.
They were determined to create a story that would succinctly explain to viewers why Buck is the way he is, why he has a strained relationship with his parents, and of course, the big bomb dropped in the episode, the brother he did not know about.
Stark expressed his feelings about the introduction of Buck's parents. He noted that the character had faced death many times without his parents ever showing up at the hospital.
He was thrilled to help shed some light on their relationship. "Buck Begins" followed up on the previous episode's shocking reveal that Buck had a brother, Daniel, who died shortly after he was born.
The episode then shocked viewers, explaining that his dead brother battled with leukemia, and in some twisted way to help their son, their parents had another child, Buck, for "spare parts."
Following Daniel's death, their parents soon became detached, and the young Buck realized that the only way to get their attention was getting hurt — small tumbles, falling from his skateboard, and other such accidents.
It worked briefly but they would soon detach again leaving his sister, Maddie, to take care of him. Viewers got to see more of the close bond between the siblings. Stark told People that he has a brother but they have never really been close like Buck and Maddie.
The episode also chronicled the series of events that led Buck to move across the country and finally, to Los Angeles, where he would find a true family in the fire academy.
"9-1-1," which is reportedly based on some real-life stories, has been a hit show since it kicked off in 2018. It follows the lives of Los Angeles first responders as they struggle with their challenging jobs while juggling their personal lives.