 |
| Daniel Kyri |
"My character was only going to be around for a few episodes, so I don't think there was a lot of thought put into who guy was," said Daniel Kyri, the actor who plays Ritter on "Chicago Fire," now in its 13th season on NBC. "I just played the character as I saw him; I wasn't throwing out rainbows."
Lt. Paul Clark certainly knew he was gay when he started as an actual Chicago firefighter at the Wells Street Station in 1997.
"I was there about year and half, then I transferred to the West Side Douglass Park neighborhood and was there for nine years," said Clark. "That's where I cut my teeth on the job, a very busy firehouse, very poor neighborhood. I saw a little bit of everything."
Like Ritter, Clark played it low-key.
"I was never an in-your-face type of person," said Clark, 59. "I just, consciously or subconsciously, decided to let guys figure it out on their own and see how they react."
When the producers of "Chicago Fire" invited me to interview Kyri, it seemed an opportunity to compare the experiences of a fictional gay Chicago firefighter with a real one.
Firehouses are not known as monuments to tolerance; how did Clark's colleagues accept him?
"As you can imagine, the fire department and firehouses are very gossipy," said Clark. "It doesn't take long for word to spread. I let it happen organically and almost made a game out of it. However they react is on them. Either way, I wasn't going to let it affect me."
Kyri, 30, was born in Chicago and worked at the Goodman Theatre. As the show's writers got to know him, they decided to have his character come out. That intimidated Kyri.
"Being a young actor, there is a hesitation with portraying a gay character," he said. "Am I only going to be known as portraying a gay character? I do not want to be limited in my career."
This was no off-Loop black box theater, but a nationwide stage.
"Knowing what this show is," Kyri said. "A Dick Wolf procedural about first responders. Middle America is watching. Not knowing how the reception is going to be. Coming out as a gay firefighter, the first one on the show. Is the audience going to accept that? Is this going to cost me my job?"
To. continue reading, click here.
Work is work. Identity should mean nothing in the workplace, just show respect for one another. It is quite all right to fire bigots.
ReplyDeleteGive television credit for holding up a mirror. I've never seen Chicago Fire, but shows that make a point of normalizing what may be unfamiliar to most viewers, provide a great service to society. Where tolerance takes root, acceptance can grow.
ReplyDeleteThe Orange One, who has an uncanny ability to make everyone he touches a lesser version of themselves, gives bigots permission to, well, bigot. He has taught us that the saying "may you live in interesting times" is indeed a curse, not a blessing.
ReplyDeleteAnybody else remember the old "Rescue Me" series that starred Denis Leary as an Irish FDNY firefighter? It ran for seven seasons (2004-2011) on cable (FX, which is owned by Disney).
ReplyDeleteThe series drew a lot of eyeballs, at least at the beginning, and had good ratings and won many awards. It dealt with the issue of gay firefighters. But the show ended for me early on, in its first season.
After a firefighter told the press that at least 20 of the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11 were gay, he was followed into a gay bar by a Battalion Chief and beaten nearly to death. That did it for me. Never watched another minute of the series. Never liked Denis Leary, either.
I find it hard to believe that the beating was portrayed in a positive light. What was your issue with it?
DeleteIt wasn't. Don't know how any one could even think that. it was meant to portray the bigotry and homophobia that existed in the FDNY, particularly among the Irish. I have lived in Cleveland's most Irish neighborhood for thrirty-plus years, among many first responders. Don't get me started.
DeleteThe victim was followed into a gay bar and attacked from behind, beaten senseless, and had his face smashed into the bar. Issue with it? I was infuriated.
Wouldn't it be great if everyone could be as savvy as Lt. Paul Clark? This was a 'feel good' read. I wish everyone, especially the bigots of the world, could see beyond their own reality and recognize the true heroes amongst us.
ReplyDelete