9-1-1 star Ryan Guzman has shared his thoughts on how the ‘Buddie’ ship came to be.
Over the last few years, TV viewers worldwide have immersed themselves in the shocking and chaotic drama created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.
However, one aspect of 9-1-1 that has particularly captivated viewers is the electric chemistry between firefighters Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz (Guzman) and Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark).
While the writers have portrayed Eddie and Buck as close friends over the last eight seasons, it hasn’t stopped fans from shipping the two characters, affectionately naming the duo ‘Buddie.’
During a recent interview on the Zach Sang Show, Guzman opened up about the show’s dedicated fan base, telling the titular host that he loves seeing the audience participation.
“If they aren’t saying anything, you’re not doing your job correctly. You want to kind of be provocative in a way. But what they do with the storylines and what they attach themselves to is completely their own,” he said.
“This goes for everything and everyone in the world, people will see what they want to see… it’s all up to the audience, and we love the fact that the audience is kind of growing with us.”
When the conversation shifted to Buck and Eddie, Guzman shared his thoughts on how the ‘Buddie’ ship became so popular.
“That’s a huge one. We have such a massive following with that, and it all started from season two. Eddie and Buck were walking down and we kept on bumping each other’s shoulders,” he explained.
“So somebody picked up on that and that’s where it just kept on growing and growing and growing and growing.”
After Sang asked if the moment was intentional, Guzman said it was due to Stark “not knowing how to walk straight.”
“That’s it. Mind you, for seasons he’s done that. I think it was two seasons, three seasons ago, we were doing a scene, and we’re walking towards the same way… and I had to actively work against his little push he does,” he continued. “But with that, the audience sees that, runs with it, we encourage it.“
While the wait for canon ‘Buddie’ continues, the show’s writers have treated fans to plenty of LGBTQIA+ content involving Buck – who was confirmed bisexual in season seven.
In the episode titled ‘Buck, Bothered and Bewildered’, the fan favourite character shared a (surprising) intimate moment with former firefighter and LAFD Air Operations pilot Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.), which set off their passionate and short-lived love affair.
Shortly after the episode was released, Stark opened up to GAY TIMES about his character’s journey, revealing that the idea was initially brought to him years prior.
“I had said yes, and then it was shut down from somewhere else above. So, I had known that this was a possible storyline that we might, one day, be able to lean back into,“ he explained.
Stark also addressed the ‘Buddie’ fans and whether he would be open to a future romance between the beloved firefighters.
“Honestly, at the beginning of this season… I see what everybody else sees. Like, I watch the same show. I don’t think that the Buddie fans are wrong,“ he said.
“If it does end up going there, 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.”
Check out our full interview with Oliver Stark here.
New episodes of 9-1-1 air every Thursday on ABC.
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