“There are really talented editors out there.”
If you’ve ever made a Buddie fan cam, chances are you’re why Oliver Stark sees the Buddie vision, and you might have made him cry. 9-1-1 is finally exploring Buck’s sexuality, which has rejuvenated the show, especially on social media. Stark, who plays Evan Buckley, has been at the center of this frenzy, which has not gone past him. In an interview with Decider, Stark opened up about why it was the appropriate time to tell Buck’s story, how he was won over to the Buddie side, and if all this attention affects how he portrays the character. Stark credited 9-1-1’s showrunner Tim Minear with pushing the envelope with Buck. Here is what he said:
“Tim as a writer is not a man who will ever write anything on anybody else’s terms. He’s only going to tell the story that he thinks is right to tell. If we were just doing it for the sake of it, I don’t think it would be positive representation at all. I think it would feel shoehorned in, and in actual fact, that will be counterproductive for sending a good message. I think this is a natural progression for the storytelling of Buck.”
Oliver Stark Talks About Buck and Eddie
While viewers saw Buddie the moment Eddie (Ryan Guzman) walked into the firehouse, Stark was so deep into his character that he didn’t pay them much attention, until he had to. The internet has many Buddie fan cams pulled from interactions throughout the seasons, and Stark has seen some of them. He credits the videos with exposing him to the potential of the couple. There have been particular edits that have affected him, and when asked about such edits, he answered with a grin, saying:
“Oh, 100%. 100%. I watch certain edits and I think ‘Am I Team Buddie?’ because there are really talented editors out there. And you know how it is. You put the right song over it and you throw the right moments in, and I’m like, ‘Wait, I’m weeping in the shower.’”
A thin line exists between being a show’s fan and being a star. Some things you see, you can’t unsee, and they can influence you a lot. Stark opened up about the effect of watching the edits and if they influenced how he approached scenes between Eddie and Buck. He admitted that they have affected how they play the characters but ultimately decided it might be dangerous to feed into certain narratives when they don’t have much control over the show’s creative direction.
“In the earlier seasons we used to discuss it a lot, because we would have all these edits and fan pictures flood in and it was really fun to share those with each other. And then we moved away from that a little bit, because we were unclear if by watching these things and interacting with them, if we were feeding into a narrative that maybe was never going to happen, [and] if that was then maybe somewhat unfair to the audience,”
But what about Buddie? Stark had hesitated to take a side on the ghost ship for obvious reasons, but he clarified that he wasn’t against it. If the story ever went that direction, he was game. However, he was quick to highlight a trap of their own making they might fall into with that decision. If they did it as fan service, it might be hard to reign in the show and the story.
“If they ended up taking Ryan’s character in that direction and it feels right for the story I’m always open to it. I’m always open to whatever feels like is the right path for these characters. I think you can’t ever do it for those reasons. If you’re going to do it, it has to be because the story dictates that it should move in that direction. If that does end up being the case, then of course. Yeah. I’m all for it.”
