“Sexuality Doesn’t Have To Define a Friendship”: ‘9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman Breaks Down Filming Eddie’s Reaction to Buck Coming Out

One of the biggest moments in the history of ABC’s 9-1-1 was Evan Buckley (Oliver Stark) coming out as bisexual in Season 7. The development reverberated across the show’s fandom, with many praising the decision. In the character’s life, however, it was not as dramatic — everyone was on board with Buck’s newfound relationship with a part of himself. No character was as supportive as Buck’s best friend Eddie (Ryan Guzman), who took everything in stride and let his friend be his true self. Guzman appeared on The Zach Sang Show and revisited filming this pivotal moment. Guzman discussed the power of showcasing a friendship between straight people and queer people. He asserted that friendships should transcend sexualities, saying:

“I think it resonated very well, because the feedback that I got from that scene was just like, “Oh, he’s really being there for him,” and that’s what I want to kind of showcase with Eddie, that sexuality doesn’t have to define a friendship. You know, just because you like to sleep with women, you like to sleep with men. How does that define any kind of humor or relation or connection with another individual? You just be you, yeah. And the fact that you’re you have the strength, in a world where most people would be, let me not speak on most people, but there’s been a lot of history where gay men or gay women have not been able to live their truth. Here we are representing something so incredible.”

Ryan Guzman Used His Real Life Experiences for Buck’s Story in ‘9-1-1’ Season 7

The actor also revealed that he grounded his performance in those scenes in real-world experiences. The actor has said before that he used his life experiences, but he went deeper with his answer on the internet talk show, revealing that he had a friend who came out. “I automatically thought about one of my friends who, I was filming Everybody Wants Some and he gives me a call, and he tells me that he’s finally coming out,” Guzman said. He continued:

“And it was this moment of like, ‘I’m so happy that you’re allowed to finally just drop your guard and just be you.’ Like there’s no more extra energy being used to portray something you’re not. And I just took that, and I used it for that scene.”

In the second half of 9-1-1 Season 8, Eddie decides to move to Texas to be closer to Christopher (Gavin McHugh), but his best friend can’t handle being left alone. How will Eddie, who has been a great support system for Buck, ease the blow? Tune in to the midseason premiere on March 6 to find out. Stream past 9-1-1 episodes on Hulu to find out.