Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 11, Taylor Kinney reflected on Chicago Fire reaching 300 episodes and the respect he has developed for the men and women whose work he portrays.
Kinney brought Fallon a firefighter helmet signed by the cast, but the gift also opened a conversation about the real Chicago firefighters whose experience helps shape the NBC drama.
Fallon tried on the helmet and immediately noticed its weight. That prompted him to consider what firefighters carry when they put on their full gear and head into an emergency.
“I mean, they really are heroes,” Fallon said.
For Kinney, who plays Kelly Severide, working alongside real firefighters offers a continuing reminder of the difference between performing a rescue and answering an actual call.
“Getting to work with those guys and women … it’s humbling,” he said.
“We tell stories and you can yell ‘cut,’” Kinney added, explaining that the production can extinguish its controlled fires when a scene is over.
He singled out longtime cast member Tony Ferraris, who plays Squad 3 firefighter Tony. According to Kinney, Ferraris recently retired from the Chicago Fire Department’s Squad 2 while also building an acting résumé on Chicago Fire that now approaches 300 episodes.
From the beginning, Ferraris gave Kinney someone to turn to for practical advice about how to make his performance credible.
“When we started out … I could go to him for any kind of advice or … know-how just to not look like a dingbat,” Kinney said.
Then came the Chicago punch line.
“I don’t want to walk by a firehouse and get … a bratwurst thrown at my head.”
“In Chicago that can happen,” Fallon replied.
Kinney’s acknowledgment of Ferraris offered a particularly personal glimpse of what goes into playing a firefighter: having someone close by who knows the job, can answer the questions and can help an actor earn the credibility of the people watching from a real firehouse.
Kinney also described how his habit of keeping busy between takes grew into a charitable event.
“I started carrying a golf wedge around work,” he said. “I always carry around a baseball or a football. I don’t like to sit still.”
The golf club led to friendly challenges among coworkers and eventually organizing a charity outing that brought approximately 130 people together to raise money for the 100 Club.
“Just from everybody talking smack like, ‘Oh, we’ll get out sometime,’” he said.
The conversation included the series’ longevity and the experience of filming throughout Chicago and its surrounding communities. Kinney said location work has taken him across the South Side, North Side and as far as Waukegan, helping him learn the city over the years.
Kinney saved a heartfelt thank-you for the viewers who helped carry Chicago Fire to 300 episodes: “It’s humbling. So thank you, guys. I wouldn’t have a job if people didn’t watch it.”
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Central on NBC.
Full interview here:
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