"Chicago Fire" Shocker! EP Derek Haas on Why [Spoiler] Was killed – TV insider

[CAUTION:CequisuitcontientdesspoilersMAJORpour[WARNING:ThefollowingcontainsMAJORspoilersfor[ATTENTION:CequisuitcontientdesspoilersMAJORpour[WARNING:ThefollowingcontainsMAJORspoilersforthe Chicago fire Season 8 Premiere, "Sacred Ground".]

TEAR. Firefighter Brian "Otis" Zvonecek (Yuriy Sardarov).

In season 8 premiere of the Chicago fire, one of the most adorable characters in the series has tragically expired due to burns sustained during the fire of the last mattress factory.

Once I wiped my tears, I berthed the Chicago fire executive producer Derek Haas on the choice to kill Otis.

Well, even if it was hinted that someone would die, Otis' death was shocking! When and why did you decide to kill Otis?

Derek Haas: We finished last season without knowing what we were going to do. How were we going to handle the fire of the mattress? We had too often shot the football when a person was in danger before being saved. We must remind the public that these calls are dangerous and that sometimes people do not do it. We thought, what if we killed Otis and that he died heroically? We realized that there were so many emotional landscapes that we could cover.

How did Yuri discover it?

I first talked to [franchise creator] Dick Wolf and finally got the green light, then I called Yuri, whom I knew from the beginning of the show. I had it thrown in a movie that wrote and produced[[[[Double]when he was still in college, and I basically watched him grow up in the series. He was kind and professional. He has a mind that includes creative choices and he has agreed to come back and make the first episode of the season.

Why Otis?

There were other candidates, including Ritter (Daniel Kyri), but he had only been there for a year. For this to be a real surprise, you have to make it a main actor. We thought that Yuri affects everyone in the house as well as the fans. I had seen a memorial in a LA fire station and thought it was something we had never done before. I thought it was possible to remember him, so I had the memorial as an end in my mind and I was working back from that.

How important were the book scenes with Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), revealing his deep pain of having lost his best friend?

Joe Minoso is an incredible actor with such an expressive face, equally adept at making comedy, drama, novels, suspense and action. I knew it would exceed everything I had in my head. I knew we were going to have a deadly scene when he realized at the back of the ambulance, when they would open the protective jacket and Cruz realized that it was not something you could overcome. I knew we could play that in one shot between Otis's body and Cruz's face with this realization. I knew that I would end up at the memorial service and that Boden (Eamonn Walker) would reveal Otis' last words.

What was the reasoning behind Brian's last words – which were for Joe – in the Russian with which Brian grew up. Obviously, Joe could not understand them.

I have to give credit to Arthur Forney, head of the Wolf Films station. He read my first draft and said, "What if Otis said something in Russian and we later found out what he was saying?" I knew it was a good idea, so I thought say yes!

What was the reaction of the actors during this commemorative scene and the last farewell to Otis?

I think they have tapped into the fact that they cry a colleague as much as in real life. But my intention was not to surprise any actor, so everyone knew it well in advance. Moreover, it was not the last day of filming Yuri.

What was his last scene?

The last Russian words. But if I'm lucky and can get Yuri's agreement, I do not think it will be the last time we see it. You are the first person to whom I said that!

I am not the only one, I'm sure, to say that the actor and the character will miss me.

I do not worry about everyone. It's only at the top of here. If anything will let him stretch; he plays and is a good writer. It will be fun to say that he started Chicago fire.

You have not forgotten other scenarios, including the one with Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer). She left Chicago with Kyle Sheffield (Teddy Sears), the former chaplain of the department who wants to marry her, but she seems to be dying in Indiana.

Yeah, it's not solved yet. I wanted to continue with her agreeing to marry Kyle. With my own sinister nature, I can bring back Hope (Eloise Mumford)!

Brett's friend became an enemy. This snake in the grass.

I love this character!

This could bring Brett back to Chicago quickly. That does not bode well for the very handsome and nice pastor, so could there be an opportunity for Lieutenant Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Brett to really get together. It's there that they were heading, right?

The fans have benefited a lot from something that did not happen, so I'll leave all the options on the table for now.

And then there is the new candidate possible in the next episode.

We are happy and happy to have invited Alberto Rosende to play Blake Gallo. The name of the episode is "A real shot in the arm" and the idea is that we needed fresh energy. So here is the raw talent that would be described as Junior Casey / Junior Severide (Taylor Kinney). But not everyone is ready to bring this guy. We will find more information about it during the season.

the Chicago fire, Wednesdays, 9 / 8c, NBC