PHOTOGRAPHY BY WIL COHEN

“I do believe, or at least hope, they seem to be dying out,” laughs Oliver Stark. The British actor is manifesting the much-needed and deserved extinction of 9-1-1’s anti-LGBTQIA+ mob, who were – sadly, but predictably – out in full force after his mainstay character Evan “Buck” Buckley embraced his status as a bi-con in the procedural drama’s seventh season. Stark proceeded to showcase his LGBTQIA+ allyship by issuing a statement in which he condemned the biphobes and told them to, basically, piss off.

“I wondered if I should bother even saying something to them because, do I even wanna give them the time of day?” Stark tells GAY TIMES over Zoom. “I think the most important aspect was to put a message out for the other people, for the people who were supportive of the storyline and to make sure they knew I wasn’t at all swayed away from it and I’m proud to be telling this story.”

‘Refreshing’ is how fans – and Stark – describe the handling of Buck’s sexuality. Rather than question his masculinity or reject his identity – which has, sigh, traditionally been the case in television and film – Stark’s beloved first responder has embraced all facets of his queerness. From the start, it was important that ‘trauma’ didn’t have a place in his journey, Stark explains.

Read ahead for our full interview with Oliver Stark, where he celebrates 9-1-1’s progressive depiction of Buck’s sexuality and discusses his chemistry with co-stars Ryan Guzman and Lou Ferrigno Jr. Obviously, we had to chat with Stark about ‘Buddie’ – the much-championed ship between his and Guzman’s characters – and whether Buck is a fan of Atomic Kitten. That last part: very important and relevant.

This storyline, Buck’s sexuality journey, has been popping off online. How have these past few weeks been for you?

There have been different emotions. At first, it was really lovely and then it got a bit overwhelming, almost. I felt a lot of… It’s just a lot of emotions that have come with it, right? I’m so happy that the response has been as positive as it has and obviously there are a few people who want to speak against it, as you get with any storyline anyway, but it’s almost been overwhelming. It’s been a lot to take in, but for the majority, it’s been really lovely and positive and I’ve been really proud of it.

I saw that you had to put out a statement, shutting down the anti-LGBTQ+ crowd. It’s baffling, isn’t it? The show has had queer storylines throughout the series, and it comes from queer mastermind Ryan Murphy, of all people?

It’s a very strange one, and I wondered if I should bother even saying something to them because, do I even wanna give them the time of day? I think the most important aspect was to put a message out for the other people, for the people who were supportive of the storyline and to make sure they knew I wasn’t at all swayed away from it and I’m proud to be telling this story. The people that aren’t on board with it – as I said in the post – they can go and watch something else.