‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Star Chris O’Donnell Is Rooting For Blue And Taylor Too: “It’s Great To Have Them Come Together”

After playing G. Callen on NCIS: Los Angeles for more than decade, Chris O’Donnell was ready for a change. So, when he got the offer to be a part of ABC’s 9-1-1: Nashville, he was intrigued. A longtime admirer of Ryan Murphy, O’Donnell said it was an “easy decision, although [he] didn’t know exactly what [he] was getting [him]self into.” The actor readily admits that he wasn’t overly familiar with 9-1-1, so he had “no idea how insane these emergencies are” that are featured in the franchise universe. “Those first couple of scripts, I was going, ‘wait, I’m sorry. What happened?” remembered O’Donnell. “I would call our showrunner and he would say, ‘No, no, no, this is based in reality.O’Donnell would say, ‘Okay, I’ll go with it.’”

O’Donnell’s character, Captain Don Hart, has two women fighting over him. Hart’s wife Blythe (Jessica Capshaw) and Hart’s ex-girlfriend Dixie (LeAnn Rimes), who also happens to be the mothers of his sons, Ryan (Michael Provost) and Blue (Hunter McVey). “It was interesting to slip into this character’s life,” said O’Donnell. “The challenge for me was getting my head around that and the culture and the feel in Nashville.” Luckily, O’Donnell has nothing but praise for his talented co-stars, especially McVey, who is new to the industry. “This is literally his first gig,” said O’Donnell, who revealed that McVey got the role after someone in Murphy’s office saw his audition tape for Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. “Next thing you know, he’s making a TV show. He’s a really smart guy.”

O’Donnell also had a blast working with 9-1-1 stars Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman on the franchise’s recent crossover episode, which had Buck and Eddie travel to Nashville to compete in the Firefighter Games. “Oliver and Ryan were amazing sports,” said O’Donnell. “They came into our show with no ego, no special requests, no demands. They were just team players from day one.” The fans’ amazing response to the crossover no doubt played a part in the renewal of 9-1-1: Nashville for a Season 2. “We are setting up a serious cliffhanger,” teased O’Donnell. “Now that we’ve been picked up for second season, it will not disappoint.”

O’Donnell stopped by the Decider studio to chat about the series, dish about his co-stars, and more.

DECIDER: Chris, you are no stranger to playing a first responder of sorts. What appealed to you about joining 9-1-1: Nashville?

CHRIS O’ DONNELL: The initial question was, “are you interested in doing a Ryan Murphy show in Nashville?” The Ryan Murphy part was easy. He’s been prolific and so creative. The Nashville part was a nice change of scenery, frankly, after just having lived through the Palisades fires. It was an easy decision, although I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into as I’d never really seen much of the original show.

Some of the emergencies featured on the show must have been a shock to you then.

Yes. People who aren’t familiar with the flagship series have no idea how insane these emergencies are. For the team, the crazier the storyline, the better. It’s the show’s brand, and it’s very entertaining. Those first couple of scripts, I was going, “wait, I’m sorry. What happened?” I would call our showrunner and he would say: “No, no, no, this is based in reality. Something very similar actually happened.” I’d say, “Okay, I’ll go with it.”

Brian Zak/ NY Post

Don Hart is a hot commodity in Nashville! He’s in a love triangle of sorts, his two sons are meeting for the first time, there are all these disasters going on. What was the biggest challenge you faced crafting this character?

911: Nashville has a different dynamic. I had been so comfortable playing my last role [in NCIS: Los Angeles] for 14 years. It was interesting to slip into this character’s life in Nashville. Don’s living a very charmed life, having married Blythe. She comes from a very wealthy family, but Don didn’t come from that background. He still has one foot in his old life with Dixie where he came from. Now he’s living in this charmed, fancy world, but at the same time, he’s a firefighter with this high-pressure job. The challenge for me was getting my head around that and the culture and the feel in Nashville. I had to figure it all out.

It is s fun to watch actresses as amazing as Jessica Capshaw and LeAnn Rimes spar over your character. What’s it like working with these dynamic women?

Well, it’s very normal. I’m so used to having women fighting over me [laughs]. It has felt very natural. Jessica and I have met over the years. We overlapped on The Practice and Grey’s Anatomy, although we were never in scenes together. She also used to live in our neighborhood, so she knew my wife. We have two kids who are the same age. LeAnn’s awesome. She’s an old pro. I think she won Best New Artist at the Grammys when she was 13 years old? She brings a fun energy to the set. She’s so perfect at playing Dixie too. The two of them together makes for some pretty good fireworks.

You’ve got a few sons yourself, but your on-screen boys, Michael Provost and Hunter McVey, are just starting to establish themselves in this industry. Do they ever come to you for advice, be it for their on-screen roles or their careers in general?

They’re at different stages. I mean, Michael’s been doing this for a while and has been in some nice projects. Hunter, this is literally his first gig. I mean, he sent in a tape for Love Story, the JFK show. He said, “I’ve never acted, but people have told me I look a little bit like JFK.” Somebody in Ryan’s office saw his audition, and that is ultimately how they found him. They were having trouble finding somebody to play Blue and the casting director said, “what about that kid?” They remembered him. Next thing you know, he’s making a TV show. He’s a smart guy. You can sit and talk with him on any subject you want. He is figuring things out quickly.

Before I get into this week’s episode, I do want to talk about “Don Begins,” which focuses on Don and Dixie’s origin story. I spoke with LeAnn Rimes who said that she really did not know anything about how they met before that episode. Did you have a similar experience?

Yeah. When the show was coming together, the writers were still figuring out character dynamics. They try to establish as much as they can before the start of filming. Then, suddenly, that script came out, and I thought, “okay, that explains a lot.” Initially, fans were thinking: “Dixie, she’s the bad girl. Boo, we’re all Team Blythe.”

After that episode, you are kind of rooting for Dixie because you realize what a connection Don and Dixie had. They were young and in love, and circumstances separated them, and their lives went in different directions, but there was a genuine connection there. She was so heartbroken. There is a reason that she kept Don’s son from having any contact with him.

I think Don’s victim impact statement was such a beautiful scene and so cathartic for the character. What do you remember about filming that sequence?

For some reason, those kinds of scenes feel very natural to me. They come down to preparation and doing the work beforehand. As a young actor, I would really struggle with scenes like that, especially anything that got emotional. Over the years, I have gotten better at tapping into those parts of myself. I felt like there were some honest beats in that sequence. It wasn’t hard to put myself in Don’s shoes and understand what he was going through in that moment. It was a cathartic moment for Don. It was a cathartic moment for me as an actor. I mean, that’s part of the beauty of what we do.

Disney/ Jake Giles Netter

9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville also just had their first real crossover episode. How fun was it to film those firefighter games and work with Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman?

Oliver and Ryan were amazing sports. They were filming their show at the same time but made the trek into Nashville. They’ve been doing that show for nine years. They are part of the OG cast. They came into our show with no ego, no special requests, no demands. They were team players from day one. I’ve been through this before. It’s a lot to ask people to come from another show.

It was a huge boost for us to have them jump on our show for an episode. The 9-1-1 fans came and watched, so it was a great opportunity for them to sample what 9-1-1: Nashville has to offer. I remember Oliver and Ryan had to come back a second time because we didn’t get through all the action sequences the first time around. Plus, it was miserably cold. They were total pros. Great guys.

So, let’s get into this week’s episode, “Small Potatoes.” It kicks off with Don finding out about Blue’s and the 113’s paramedic/aspiring country singer Taylor’s (Hailey Kilgore) relationship.

It was great to have them come together. They have great chemistry, so the fans have been responding well to those two characters. When you’re doing a show like this, so much has to happen in the first season to establish the characters and provide back history. We’ve just met Don’s son, Blue. At this point, we do not know about my relationship with Taylor. It’s all coming together, and they’re an item, so it’s all good.

Why do you think 9-1-1: Nashville fans are so obsessed with Blue and Taylor? Is it just because Hailey and Hunter are so charismatic?

There’s a natural chemistry there. The trick with all these shows is getting the audience to fall in love with the characters and hope that they will go on a ride with you for many seasons to come. The writers can set a relationship up in the writers’ room. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Those two just happen to have good chemistry together.

What can you tease about Don, his family, and the 113 going forward?

We are setting up a serious cliffhanger. Now that we have been picked up for second season, it will not disappoint. They just keep coming up with these amazingly big over-the-top events, and there are more coming.

9-1-1: Nashville airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC