Oliver Stark is in favour of a romance between his and Ryan Guzman‘s 9-1-1 characters if “the story naturally progresses in that way”.
Ever since the introduction of Guzman’s firefighter and paramedic Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz” in the procedural drama’s second season, fans have passionately shipped him with Stark’s beloved mainstay Evan “Buck” Buckley, affectionally referring to them under the ship name “Buddie”.
With season seven introducing a bisexual storyline for Buck, fans are more determined than ever to see Buddie become a reality.
In an interview with GAY TIMES, Stark said he doesn’t “think that the Buddie fans wrong” in recognising his undeniable chemistry with Guzman: “I see what everybody else sees. I watch the same show.
“So, I decided this year that I wanted to possibly lean into some kind of sexual awakening for Buck, anyway. When the storyline was brought to me by Tim Minear, who writes the show, it was like, ‘Great! I was gonna do that anyway. Good to know we’re all on the same page.’”
Stark revealed that he tries to not let the Buddie fandom impact his performance as Buck and scenes with Guzman, describing the influence of social media as a “dangerous road to go down” .
“But, it’s impossible to not let it influence your work in some way, especially when you’re reading all these things and if you agree with some of them, then how do you end up not taking that on board?” he said.
“I’ll watch these fan edits of moments between us that we get tagged in on Instagram and there’s a beautiful song playing in the background, and it’s hard not to be taken in by that.”
Stark acknowledged that “there is a chemistry there that exists just naturally” between him and Guzman, and their aim is to “just let it flow”.
However, if a Buddie romance were to come to fruition in the future, he explained that it “will be because the story naturally progresses in that way. It shouldn’t be done just to please a specific sub-set of fans.
“It should be done because that’s the right story to tell, and that’s in fact the much more progressive and positive way to tell the story anyway.”
Stark and Guzman shared one of their most memorable scenes to date in the season seven episode ‘You Don’t Know Me’, when Buck opens up to Eddie about his romance with fellow firefighter Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.).
@gaytimes Star of 9-1-1 #OliverStark shares his thoughts on #Buck‘s bisexual journey and fan reactions to #Buddie 🚨 #911 #buckandeddie #911lonestar #oliverstarkedit #buddie911 #911buck #911buddie #911onfox #911edit ♬ original sound – GAY TIMES
Devoid of any tired ‘coming out’ elements or queer tropes, the scene was universally praised by fans and critics for the refreshing writing and for the duo’s performances.
Following the episode, Guzman revealed that he tapped into a real experience while filming the scene, telling The Wrap that his friend went through a similar situation to Buck.
“All I wanted to do in that moment—for me, as Ryan—was make my friend feel safe, make my friend know that he can trust me and that it’s nothing but love,” the actor shared.
Stark told GAY TIMES that, as a result of Guzman’s “personal connection” to the story, they both aimed to “dive into the openness and supportiveness and vulnerability” of the coming out experience.
You can read our full interview with Oliver Stark here, or watch below.
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