The actor also gets a little emotional while talking about his dynamic with Aisha Hinds.
It isn’t every day you get married, and for the 9-1-1 gang, big life events normally go hand-in-hand with some kind of tragedy. After Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena’s (Angela Bassett) honeymoon-gone-awry, it’s fair to assume that these last few weeks of peace we’ve had are not going to be around forever. In tonight’s episode of 9-1-1, Season 7 Episode 6, we jump to Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney’s (Kenneth Choi) long-awaited wedding. After a tumultuous relationship full of ups and downs — often more extreme downs than ups — our favorite 9-1-1 operator and her firefighter baby daddy are finally getting hitched. Except… well, as we know from Episode 5, Chimney is missing!
It’s safe to say that Chimney has had one of the more dramatic story arcs of the show, even in a show full of dramatic story arcs. He kicked off the show, getting a pole jammed through his head after a car accident, and it only snowballed from there. We learn through his flashback episode that he’s already lost his surrogate brother and best friend, Kevin (James Chen), to a fire after they both decided to become firefighters together. But then, just as his romance with Maddie was kicking off, he got catfished and subsequently stabbed a couple of times by her abusive ex-husband, Doug (Brian Hallisay). After that, when Maddie got pregnant, it felt like we were in for a period of peace. But, then Maddie left for Boston abruptly after struggling with her postpartum depression and nearly drowning their daughter Jee-Yun by accident.
After all of this, it feels like Chim and Maddie both deserve a break, right? Well, Collider had the chance to speak with Kenneth Choi about Season 7, some of the craziest stories of Chimney’s past, and his favorite story arc for the character. Choi also talked about wanting a happier and more peaceful arc for Chim and Maddie (understandable), what we might see with Chim and Maddie’s wedding, Chim’s relationship with the Lees, the other big relationship in Chimney’s life — his friendship with Hen (Aisha Hinds) — and more.
Kenneth Choi’s Favorite Story Arc Was Also One of ‘9-1-1’s Most Tragic
We’ve explored a lot of Chimney’s backstory over the years. Do you have a favorite arc for his character that you think was really some of your best work?
KENNETH CHOI: Yeah, I would say the postpartum depression [story]. My favorite episode is “Chimney Begins,” obviously, for selfish reasons, because it’s my origin story. But I think the best acting I did was the scene in the hospital where I’m trying to track down Maddie. I go in, and I talk to the doctor she spoke with, and it’s kind of where all my drama and trauma comes to a head and I finally let it all loose. They give Chimney and Maddie a lot of dramatic material, which is great for an actor. But I think that story arc was the richest because you’re delving into postpartum depression, you’re delving into being a new father, being a new mother, and the changes that go with that.
Postpartum depression is kind of one of those taboo subjects no one likes to talk about. But after it came out, I’ve had several women come up and say, “I experienced it. And I’m glad that you guys broadcast that because I was afraid to say it. People thought, ‘You don’t want to hold your child? Or you feel uncomfortable around a child?'” So, that was very rewarding, both for the social aspect of it and as an actor.
After So Many Tragedies, Maddie and Chimney Deserve Some Happiness on ‘9-1-1’!
With Chimney’s character, I feel like there’s so much more to explore with his backstory, and also his relationship with Maddie and their daughter. The young actress who plays Jee is very cute, and I love seeing her. Is there an aspect of this character that you really want to explore more that you haven’t gotten to yet?
CHOI: Yes! And I hope the writers read this: I want to explore happiness and joy and success in a loving relationship! We were at a panel and somebody asked our showrunner, Tim Minear, “Will Chimney and Maddie ever find happiness?” And he says, “Well, if they do, then they’re off the show, because there’s no need to put them on. There’s no conflict. There’s no drama. It shouldn’t be on TV.” And I get that aspect and I see why we have to have roadblocks and obstacles thrown in our way, but as a fan of the show, I’m really hoping that they have some time to breathe and enjoy wedded bliss, and each other, and their daughter, and their family, because they never really seem to be able to catch a break.
Especially not Chimney! I feel like everybody else gets a little bit of happiness. I want there to be happiness in this relationship, too.
CHOI: I think everybody does. It’s been seven seasons of it, of getting stabbed, of postpartum depression, of being separated, or being traumatized by Doug. And I think we’re probably in for more of it this season. And hopefully, there’ll be a few episodes at least where they can just take a breather.
Yeah, just raise their kid together. That’s stressful enough as it is.
CHOI: How are you going to raise your kid when you’re stabbed two times in the abdomen?
That’s too many times!
CHOI: By your baby mama’s ex!
Tim Minear Did a Lot of Research for Chimney’s Family and Cultural Traditions on ‘9-1-1’
I really enjoy Chimney’s family background, and I want to know if there’s been any talk about looking into that, because I found his backstory to be really interesting, especially being raised and growing up with a different family. Do you have thoughts about that?
CHOI: Okay, so there will probably be an opportunity this season for Chimney to have some interaction with his surrogate family as there is a wedding. On what level? That’s the part, I guess, I cannot say. But I do know, Tim, who is wonderful, has found some cultural stuff specific to Chimney and his family that he has added. And it’s so precise that I asked my mother about it. She said, “Wow. Yeah, that’s exactly how something like that would happen.” Then she asked, “Is the writer Korean?” I said, “No.” And she said, “Well, he did a great job researching it.”
Hats off to Tim, because he’s that thorough. I think he’s a genius. Literally, he probably is, he’s that smart. But that’s how much care and thoughtfulness he puts into each character and their storylines, that he actually added this Korean cultural element. And it is so precise and so exact. There’s things that I learned, there’s a part of this sort of thing that I can’t divulge, that I’ve actually done in my life. But I didn’t know there were all these other aspects. I did kind of the shortened version.
Choi Gets Emotional About Acting With Aisha Hinds on ‘9-1-1’
I want to talk about one of my other favorite relationships, which is between Chim and Hen. Hen had a wild season last season; she was on the rollercoaster of a lifetime. Do you two explore any more of that, have more moments together as friends, the major life events that you guys are both going through in this season?
CHOI: Yeah, Hen is Chimney’s ride-or-die. I think Chimney is Hen’s ride-or-die. They’re best friends, they’ve been part of the 118 the longest, and they’ve known each other the longest out of everybody. I think it’s safe to say, I think Tim mentioned it, that they might be fraught with some more familial troubles with wishing to expand their family. They’re gonna continue to try to expand their family. And, of course, that will be fraught with a lot of roadblocks and conflict as well.
I think why they throw Aisha a lot of this material too is because she has this capacity as an actor. I like to say she’s the easiest actor I’ve ever worked with, because there’s something about her and I, when we show up on set, whether it’s extreme joy or extreme sorrow, we both know that we’re going to excavate from our own lives, our own experiences, and our own feelings, to bring up either intense joy or intense sorrow. And the other person is just going to be there for them.
Why I say she’s maybe the easiest actor I’ve ever worked with is we have this kind of thing where I feel when we look into each other’s eyes, we can see all the pain… I’m actually starting to get emotional, I can’t believe it! I don’t have to know what pain Aisha has gone through in her life, but I can just look into her eyes, and I can see her bringing it up for the scene. And it just floors me, and I tend to do the same, and she’s always there for me. Highly emotional scenes can sometimes be difficult for an actor. But on the show, it’s easy.
I can just look into Peter Krause’s eyes, and he’s right there. I can look into Jennifer Love Hewitt’s eyes, and she’s right there for me. And with Aisha Hinds, it’s just, I don’t say that I don’t do the work, I do all the work. But I wouldn’t have to. I could just learn my lines show up and just react off of her; that’s how strong her performances are. And I think that’s why they throw all of these heavy emotional story arcs at her. She’s incredible. She’s incredible to work with. I can’t! I don’t know what’s happening!
You’re making me get teary-eyed! I love her character. Honestly, that friendship means a lot to me. I just enjoy it so much.
CHOI: Yeah, I love it, and I love working with her. As a fan of the show, I look forward to watching our scenes, because we get deep, a lot. We go very deep.
