Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman were at the Disney Upfront representing 9-1-1, which is returning to ABC for Season 9 in the fall.
Stark plays Buck, and Guzman plays Eddie in the procedural drama. The actors are the center of fan theories, which hope the characters will eventually become romantic. Although writers have insisted that the characters are only friends, that hasn’t stopped viewers from shipping “Buddie” and hoping they become canon.
“What I will say is that if the story ever goes in that direction, I don’t think the way to do it is purely to give in to dance,” Stark told Deadline. “I hope, if it goes there, it’s done because that’s the right story to tell and that’s the right progression for the characters.”
Stark doesn’t “want to do it purely as fan service,” although he believed that fans “would feel served” if “Buddie” ever becomes a reality on the ABC drama.
“So I hope it’s not a case of giving in as much as that’s the natural progression for the story,” Stark added.
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Stark’s Buck identifies as bisexual and was involved in a gay relationship with Lou Ferrigno Jr.’s Tommy, while Guzman’s Eddie identifies as heterosexual, for now. Die-hard fans say that if Buck and Eddie were heterosexual, of the opposite sex, writers would have already explored a romantic relationship.
Guzman also weighed in on whether writers should give in to viewer hopes for their characters, saying, “I think we have something so genuine with what we’ve already established. And I think Oliver’s character has said it multiple times. It’s like, why can’t we just be friends, brothers. I think right now it stands as it is.”
“I completely understand where fans are gaining that from, and they’ve created their own lore,” Guzman added. “I see so many different things. I see renditions of the show where it’s all of us like friends, characters, and stuff. I love it. They’re so adamant on their version of 9-1-1.”
Watch Stark and Guzman’s interview in the video below.
