‘9-1-1’: Kenneth Choi Teases Chimney & Maddie’s Wedding, Plus Will We Learn How He Got His Name?
Q&A
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Considering all the trauma that has been part of Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and Maddie’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) relationship on 9-1-1 thus far, it can’t get worse, right? Well, their wedding is coming up…
But before we get to that, there’s still plenty to cover. After all, Season 7 is in the middle of the big cruise ship disaster that’s covering the first three episodes—with Athena (Angela Bassett) and Bobby (Peter Krause) right in the middle of it. Then, there’s the show’s 100th episode immediately after that.
Below, Choi (carefully) teases what’s ahead.
What can you preview about the cruise ship disaster in the second and third episodes and how the 118 is going to get involved?
Kenneth Choi: The 118 will definitely want to do their best to try and rescue Bobby and Athena. Whether that happens or not, whether there’s conflicts or roadblocks, we’ll have to wait and see.
The wedding is finally coming up, and that of course means wedding planning. What can you preview about what we’ll see there?
In typical Chimney-Maddie fashion, even such a joyous, happy, loving occasion will most likely be fraught with conflict, obstacles, and probably some trauma, too, because that’s just how they’re built. So I’m pretty sure things will not go as smoothly as either Chimney or Maddie would like.
How traumatic is the wedding on a scale of a breakup off-screen to a stabbing and kidnapping by her abusive ex-husband?
Because it’s a wedding celebration, I’d put the trauma at an eight. They just can’t catch a break.
How is Maddie and Chimney’s relationship in general this season? Do you think it’s the best it’s ever been?
I’m going to say yes because there are no stabbings. There’s no postpartum depression. There will definitely be conflicts and obstacles, but yes, seeing as they are going to get married, they are absolutely in the best place that they have been since they met.
Disney/Chris Willard
Episode 100 is coming up. Congratulations! Talk about reaching that milestone.
We realized we were shooting the last day of the 100th episode—we were out, it was a beautiful, sunny Los Angeles day, it was probably like 78 degrees, and we were already having a lot of fun with one another. And then I had realized, “Guys, this is the last day of the 100th episode, and we haven’t really celebrated it.” So we did our own sort of celebration, which, because we all get along so well and we are like an extended dysfunctional family outside of work, we started off saying, “Congratulations, we all hit 100.”
And then Aisha [Hinds] remembered that there are some episodes that I was not in. So she said, “You are actually not in 100 episodes. I’m in 100 episodes. You are in something like 97.” And then we realized Oliver [Stark] wasn’t in a couple, like, “You are at 98.” And then we all looked at Ryan [Guzman], who joined second season. We’re like, “Oh, you’re like at 88. Poor Ryan. You’ll get into the 90s pretty soon.” And so for the next hour, we just kept ribbing each other. Actually, we did it so much that I changed Aisha’s contact in my phone from Aisha Hinds to Aisha 98. [Laughs] And I took a screengrab and I sent it in the group chat because all day she was like, “98, 98.” And then we realized that Angela has been in every episode, so she’s actually the only OG 100-episode actor.
What can you preview about the episode?
That’s Episode 4. I can tell you that it is brilliantly directed by the wonderful Chad Lowe, who’s Rob Lowe’s sibling, and it’s kind of our getting the 118 back together because it’s after the first three and that trauma has kind of put itself to bed, hopefully. And so we’re back to kind of fun. The great thing about 9-1-1 is we have make you cry dramatic moments, we have action, we have adventure, but then we also have a lot of humor. We have kitschy, weird kind of stuff that happens. And this is going to be one of the kind of more uplifting, fun episodes. And I think that’s our secret sauce is—Peter said, “One episode we’re doing Poseidon Adventure, another one we’re doing Dumb and Dumber.” It vacillates. And so as an actor, you get to play all these different colors. I like to say that 9-1-1 is an elevated procedural, not just your stock, every episode is a certain case. We throw in all these curve balls at the audience, and I think that’s what keeps ’em coming back.
There’s always the question of how Chimney got his name. What are the chances that we get that story this season?
This season? Zero. I think ever, it’s going to be zero. It’s going to be like—I don’t know if I’m dating myself with this reference—Cheers. Norm [George Wendt] and his wife, Vera, you never ever saw Vera ever. I don’t think we will ever divulge why he’s named Chimney. I, of course, know why. I have so many people asking me, “Why is he Chimney? Why is he Chimney?” And I teased something once where I said, “I have my own reason why he’s Chimney, and I laid some breadcrumbs throughout all the seasons for audience members to pick up and go, ‘Oh, this is probably why he’s called Chimney.'”
I feel like it’s going to be the series finale, he’s about to say it, and then that’s going to be the way the episode ends.
God, I wish I could say something right now, but I can’t, to your point.
9-1-1, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC
