“Once a Part of the Family, Always Part of the Family:” ’Chicago Fire’s Eamonn Walker Is Open to an Extended Return

Wallace Boden has only been gone from Chicago Fire for less than a season, but the fan-favorite character has been sorely missed since his departure in the Season 12 finale. While Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) has stepped into Boden’s former role, many fans feel he hasn’t quite filled the void left by the beloved former chief. Thankfully, Boden will return in tonight’s episode, Season 13, Episode 18 “Post Mortem,” with Eamonn Walker returning to reprise the role. While the fans will appreciate this return, the longing for more Boden remains, with some fans wishing his return could be more permanent rather than a single-episode guest appearance. Those fans will be pleased to learn that Walker is open to featuring in the show for as much as the producers want him.

“Once a part of the family, always a part of the family,” Walker shared in a recent interview with ScreenRant, previewing his much-anticipated return to the procedural series. The actor then went on to express enthusiasm about future appearances in the series, adding, “If they write another episode, I will come and do it. One of my favorite things about this place of work is they’re always there. They’re always there for each other. And we’ve held each other up over many, many years. And so yeah. Once a part of the family, always part of the family.” Lack of intent from an actor is often what keeps fan-favorite characters from making a return, but that’s clearly not the case here. Walker had originally asked to step back from a regular role, opting instead for a recurring presence. And now, with “Post Mortem” marking his comeback, it seems this won’t be a one-off appearance but the beginning of a more consistent presence on Chicago Fire.

Eamonn Walker’s ‘Chicago Fire’ Faced A Few Challenges

Despite his eagerness to return to Chicago Fire, Walker faced a few challenges in fully stepping back into the role of Wallace Boden, particularly in recapturing the hoarse voice that is one of the character’s signature features. Walker revealed he turned to his favorite voice coach for support and before syncing right into character. “So the first week out, I had this [thought], ‘How do I get Boden’s voice back?’ So I called up Tanera Marshall, who is my voice coach in Chicago, and I was like, ‘I need three days with you to get Boden’s voice back. I can work on the physicality later, but let’s get his voice back. That’ll be the start of the journey.'” Walker also spoke fondly about the warm welcome he received on set, describing the emotional experience of reuniting with the crew:

“So seeing her, after working with her on every single episode for all of those episodes, was amazing, in and of itself. And then [I] went into costumes and saw those guys, the whole costume department, and then the journey began. I put the costumes on, and I had his voice, and then Boden was back. It was fantastic to be back with the people I love and who love me back, and the welcoming was amazing. They have a very, very special place in my heart.”

Boden returns tonight for the first time as Deputy Commissioner to headline a post-incident analysis after a disastrous firefight overseen by Pascal puts one of their own in grave danger. “Post Mortem” airs tonight on NBC at 9/8c.