‘Chicago Fire’: Jocelyn Hudon Talks ‘Great Duo’ Novak and Violet & Hopes for Crossover Romance

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There may be some changes coming to Firehouse 51 in Chicago Fire Season 14, but will that extend to Ambulance 61 as well? Jocelyn Hudon certainly hopes not, given that she and her character, Novak, like exactly where she is.

Novak was initially resistant to joining Violet (Hanako Greensmith) permanently at 51, but she’s proven that her PIC’s (paramedic-in-charge) call was the right one. These two have become great partners on the job. Below, Jocelyn Hudon looks back on Novak’s Season 13 and shares her hopes for the future, including crossovers with Chicago P.D.

Originally, it took Novak a minute to agree to stay at 51. So how is she feeling about that decision now? It feels like she’s found a home.

Jocelyn Hudon: Oh yeah. No, she’s in it. She definitely feels at home there. I feel like she’s completely just found a family at 51.

Yeah, because Novak and Violet have become great paramedic partners. What makes them work so well together?

They trust each other. They have such a strong bond. I think they complement each other really well. Violet has a lot of responsibility. She’s very serious, she’s very driven and focused and professional. And Novak is as well, but she just kind of lightens her up. She’s a friend for her to lean on, and she just supports Violet as much as she can. I think Violet can recognize that and appreciate that. So they formed a really strong bond, which makes for a great duo.

Peter Gordon / NBC

I love seeing them off the clock, too, together. Those are fun scenes.

Yeah, especially at Molly’s. I love doing those.

Firehouse 51 is poised to go through quite a few shakeups. There’s a question still of how Ritter (Daniel Kyri) and Carver (Jake Lockett) will be written out. Herrmann (David Eigenberg) stepped back, so Mouch (Christian Stolte) can be lieutenant of engine. Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) is seemingly staying. The auditor warned of changes…

I think Novak’s saying right where she is, at least I hope so. I love exactly where she is. She’s just part of it. She’s very hands-on with all the ambulance calls. I think she just fits in and I don’t think she has any changes coming up.

Early in the season, there was seemingly some interest or something from Novak toward Pascal. What was going on there?

I don’t know. I think they just have a bond because they’re both new. They’ve both been through some s**t and they just understand each other on a deeper level. And yeah, I don’t know where that will go, but we’ll see.

I have to say how much I like Novak and Ritter as roommates. That was fun, the little bit we got of that.

Yeah, I know. I don’t know where Novak’s going to live now.

Do you think she maybe needed to have Ritter as her roommate? Because it did seem like those two would be good for each other.

Yeah, I think her and Violet living together would be too much. Work-wise, we’re together on all the calls and then living together in the apartment would be like, okay, a little much. But I think her living with Ritter was great. I think she just moreso needed anywhere to live, and then she kind of forced Ritter into it. She just wore him down a little bit. She was like, “Listen, I’m going to be a great roommate. Please take me. I’m going to make a playlist. We’re going to be awesome.” So I think, yeah, maybe finding her next roommate will be in Season 14, that could be a good journey.

Peter Gordon / NBC

Novak and Damon (Michael Bradway) were seemingly keeping things casual. How does she feel about that relationship?

She shows up on Med and flirts with John Frost, so I feel like that’s also a relationship for them to explore as well, Darren [Barnet] on Med. So I don’t know what way they’re going to go with love and trust for her, because I think her and Frost get along really well. And then Damon kind of rejected her a little bit. I know she’s keeping it cool with him, and she’s like, ‘It’s fine, it’s casual, blah, blah, blah.’ But there seems to also be something with Frost on Med.

Yeah, and now Damon is permanently at 51…

And I feel like it’s important for him to do a good job because he was removed from the firehouse before. So I think for him having a work relationship might, I don’t know, not make the best second impression. So I don’t know if that’s the best move for him. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Then, there’s the fact that a crossover romance is always fun.

Yeah, I love going to Med. I love working with the Med group.

Speaking of, you crossed over for the Med finale, and Novak and Violet were the ones to bring in Dr. Charles’ (Oliver Platt) daughter.

It was great. It was so cool because we’re already at Med so often, so it was just kind of like our set, but with a whole different crew and cast. I’m like, “Oh, this is crazy actually, this is your guys’ set.” But it was really cool to bring in his daughter and there was so much urgency and it was such an important moment in their season finale, and to be given that chance to reveal who it was was really cool for us. But yeah, I love working with them and everyone’s just, I love their cast. It’s a great cast and crew at Med.

Novak has been getting a good look at Violet and Carver’s relationship and all of those complications. So where does she stand on that?

Yeah, I don’t know what’s going to happen when he leaves, but I think Novak’s entire goal was just to support Violet no matter what. If she wants to date the other guy [Steven Strait‘s Flynn], great. If she wants to be with Carver, great. I think you just got to get it out, say it, own it. Just give him the letter that you wrote for him, let him know how you feel. And once everything’s on the table, then whatever’s meant to be, will be. So I think no matter which way Violet goes, Novak just wants to truly support her.

I like that Novak just says what needs to be said and that she’s honest.

Yeah, 100%. Very blunt and honest and free.

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What were your favorite scenes to film from this season?

I love doing Episode 8, the C-section directed by Brenna Malloy. I love that one because I feel like that was just a really important episode for Violet and Novak, especially their bond when we’re delivering the baby kind of when we’re not supposed to be delivering the baby. And Violet’s like, “You should go,” and Novak’s like, “No, I’m staying with you no matter what. We’re in this together.” I think that was very crucial to their relationship and their bond.

I also loved the episode with Novak and the chief on the bench after the suicide, and he can tell something’s come up with Novak and she kind of confides in him and she’s like, “I’ve never just committed to something, and they want to know everything, and they want to just be my family, and I don’t really know how to do that.” And the chief just gives her some advice that they’re front-liners and that bond, too, making that bond with that character was really fun to film, and I knew how important it was as well. So I put a lot of pressure on myself for those scenes, but I think they all turned out really well.

What are your hopes for Novak next season?

I trust whatever the writers do with Novak. I feel like she’s in a really great place. Every episode I get, I’m like, “Awesome!” Everything the writers give me, I’m on board with. I think the only thing I could say I would like is I like crossing over to Med, and I think it would be so cool to just pop over to P.D. for one episode. I love those actors as well, so I think it would be really cool for Novak to just to cross over with P.D. and see what’s going on over there because I’ve never been on that show, so I think that would be really cool. But within Chicago Fire within the firehouse, I feel like she’s at a really good place, so I don’t have any requests for that.

Do you want to see her involved in an investigation on P.D. or P.D. needs medical help or whatever happens, happens?

I think investigation would be great. I think if there was some kind of robbery and there was some kind of physicality that Novak could help out with, I think that would be great for my character. If the ambulance gets robbed and I’m like, “Oh s**t,” I think that would be really cool to have some kind of P.D. action combo with Chicago Fire ambo girls and P.D. That would be really fun.

Which characters would you like to see Novak interact with more next season?

Well, she doesn’t really interact with Kidd [Miranda Rae Mayo] that much. I would like her to interact with Kidd and Severide [Taylor Kinney] a little bit more. We kind of have completely different storylines and just we never really cross over unless we’re doing an incident together, but we don’t have a lot of dialogue together or just one-on-one scenes.

Chicago Fire, Season 14, Fall 2025, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC

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