The next Chicago Fire Season 14 episode is a challenge for Sal Vasquez, as the NBC show ventures outside of Firehouse 51 in a way One Chicago fans won’t soon forget. In “Instinct,” paramedics Violet Mikami and Lizzie Novak find themselves in life-threatening peril—and Vasquez has to face more of his complicated past.
It all comes together in one of the most action-packed hours of the season. Ahead of the premiere, TVBrittanyF.com connected with actor Brandon Larracuente to get a few hints about what’s coming around the corner. He also reflected on Vasquez’s evolution from the somewhat cocky character viewers first met into who he is today.
Brittany Frederick: “Instinct” is a unique Chicago Fire episode in that most of it takes place outside of the firehouse. What was that like for you as an actor?
Brandon Larracuente: It’s so different. Everybody else got to have an episode off, which I’m sure they all enjoyed [laughs] and it was great. This episode, from the moment that I read it, I was on the edge my seat. I remember reading it, and by the end of the episode, I was inches away from my computer monitor. It’s just so well-written, and I hope that it translates well. I’ve yet to see it, so I’m going to be tuning in Wednesday with everybody else to watch it.
The last few episodes have gone back to Vasquez’s history in the police academy, and this one explores that in a different way. Is that part of his character easier for you to play, because of the season you spent playing a cop in Wolf Entertainment’s On Call?
Both my parents are retired law enforcement, so I’ve kind of been able to pull from that naturally. Playing a fireman, that’s been a new challenge for me, and one I’ve embraced fully. I’ve really leaned on other actors like Tony Ferraris, who’s a retired fireman [and] an actor on our show. Being able to pick their brain and use them as a resource has been invaluable.
“Instinct” is a good episode to look back and see how far Sal Vasquez has come from when he joined Firehouse 51. As you go through the season and learn more about him, has your opinion of Vasquez changed?
No matter what character I play, I try to never judge my character, because no matter what they do, their past is, their history is, they have justifiable reason for it. Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s up to interpretation. But I try to never judge my character. So when I first read Sal, and I saw how cocksure and confident he was. I knew that at the end of the day, it was to cover something. He wants to hide something. He basically uses that as his armor.
Throughout the season, as it progresses, we start to learn why he might sometimes be overly confident—or at least that’s what it looks like on the surface. It’s because he’s hiding things that he’s shameful about; the stuff that happens with his father and stuff like that. He never wants that to get out. So in order to cover it up, he tries to portray this, I’ve got it all figured out. We start to learn throughout the season, as his life unfolds and as his history starts to catch up to him, that might not be the case.
That’s one of the profound things about the way that they wrote this character, is that he’s an onion, and as the season progresses we start to unfold those layers. We start to understand him on a deeper and more human level.
It seemed like after everything with Vasquez’s dad was resolved, his personal life might calm down, but now the show’s been teasing this potential love triangle with him, Novak and Violet. What are your thoughts on how that’s developed?
They’re lovely individuals, Violet and Novak, and no matter who Sal ends up with, I feel like it’s a win for him, because they’re both two strong females who have a lot to offer. But at the same time there is a world where none of them end up together. They can all just end up being friends.
A lot of the time as humans, we get our hearts tied up, or we grow bonds with people, and sometimes those bonds can cross with somebody else’s bonds. I don’t think necessarily that Sal has a preference. Are there things that are admirable about both? Absolutely. But I hope that at the end of the day, they all can still have the trust and respect among each other to to do the job that needs to be done, which is being firefighters and paramedics, and [saving] people’s lives.
Speaking of other characters, “Instinct” also gives you some more screen time with Jeanine Mason, who plays Lucy. What’s it been like to have her as part of Chicago Fire?
She’s great. I’d never met Jeanine prior to this, but I’ve known about her and her body of work for years. Being able to have her on the show has been wonderful. It’s nice to have another Latin actor on the show, and she’s from Miami, so we got to connect about that, because I lived in Florida for a while.
She’s coming off of Cross [and] she’s lovely. She’s honestly a ray of sunshine any time that we get to work with her. She’s always so positive, and always so happy to be working… She was incredible to have, and I really hope to have her back next season.
When we had our last conversation, you were just starting on the show. Now that you’ve spent some time with Sal Vasquez, what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned? How would you say you’ve grown as an actor from this experience?
One of the biggest challenges that I faced this year as an actor is, honestly, how physically demanding this role is. It’s one thing to prep your mind as an actor, to show up prepared, to learn your lines. It’s a whole other thing when you’re doing that simultaneously while climbing a burning building.
That’s been one of the biggest challenges, but also one of the most rewarding things, because it’s taught me a lot about myself I didn’t even know that I was capable of. For instance, I have a slight fear of heights, so this show kind of threw me in the deep end. It’s required me to step out of my comfort zone. So I’ve definitely grown not just as an actor, but as a human being throughout the process.
Have you had a favorite moment playing Vasquez so far? What stands out to you?
Anytime that I was able to work with Gonzalo Menendez, who is the gentleman who plays Ray Vasquez, it was a real treat. He’s an intense dude; wonderful, lovely guy. But when it comes time to work… I never felt so locked in with him. [It] didn’t matter if we were on my coverage or his. He brought it every single take.
Being able to work alongside him was was great. I hope to have him back next season as well, because I know that the writers really liked having him. I liked him. He was great. He forced me to show up and to bring 100 percent of myself every single day.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.