On screen and off, Station 19’s Barrett Doss (Victoria “Vic” Hughes) and Jay Hayden (Travis Montgomery) are great friends.
As the show neared the airing of its last original episodes (the finale airs May 30), in separate interviews, the actors talked about their surprise at the unexpected cancellation, proudly playing firefighters, their most difficult, dangerous and favorite scenes, and what’s it like for Montgomery working with a costar who’s also a romantic partner (Jaina Lee Ortiz).
What was your reaction when Station 19 was canceled as the seventh season was starting?
Jay Hayden: I was surprised. We have a very strong fan base and when I did an RV trip across the country with my kids one summer, I learned how many people watched this show, which was really nice. I did think that we would be on air for a little longer, but I guess the small blessing is at least we got a final season to finish the story because this will be the first show I’ve ever been on that got a chance to do that.
Barrett Doss: When I learned Station 19 wasn’t going into season eight; I was a little devastated to be honest. I think it was my second day of shooting this season when they announced it. Carlos Miranda [who plays Theo Ruiz] and I had to shoot the last scene that day and everyone on was in such a sad mood including the two of us, the crew, and our director Paris Barclay, who had been with us since the beginning. We really had to pull it together. But I came to understand that we actually had a unique opportunity to finish the show with the knowledge that it wasn’t going to be moving forward and we would get to see some stories that we hadn’t gotten to explore in earlier seasons. Of course, it’s really sad, but thanks to the fans and Disney and ABC and, obviously, Shondaland and all of the work of our crew and our cast and our showrunners, we got to have seven seasons.
Was it special in any way playing a firefighter?
Hayden: We all gained an appreciation for what those guys do. If I see [a firefighter], say in a coffee shop, I try to buy them a coffee because now we kind of know what they do every day, how hard that job is, and what real heroes look like on daily basis. But what’s funny is there have been times where I’ve been in Starbucks choosing a muffin and someone says “Hey, I really appreciate your service, I’d like to buy that for you.” And I’m like, “I’m not a real firefighter. I play one but I’m not one. I can’t let you do that.” It’s also special when a firefighter gives you a good handshake and tells you they appreciate the way you tell the story and personify their hard work. There’s a little bit of mutual respect there and I feel very lucky.
Doss: It was always interesting for me because our show has so many female firefighters in one station on the same shift. We represented a very diverse station, and we wanted to represent women in the fire service responsibly and truthfully. For my character, one of the most important things was showing her empathy for the people that she helps. That was Vic’s calling, wanting to help people. There was no interest in rising up in the ranks or seeking power.
Speaking of diversity, Jay, you’ve played an openly gay firefighter since the show began. And you kissed a number of men on the show.
Hayden: It’s a huge honor and blessing to play this character and represent that community. I will miss Travis very much. He was such fun to play. My parents were laughing so hard when I told them about the role and they were like, “Well, at least your girlfriend won’t mind.” And I said, “That’s true, I guess there won’t be any jealousy.” [Laughs]
So what’s it like working all day with a castmate you’re dating in real life, especially if you see her in love scenes?
Hayden: It’s a very interesting dynamic. I enjoy working with a loved one because usually we go to work every day and kiss the person at home and then we’d spend eight hours with coworkers. But to be able to see someone that you really care about and spend time with them through the workday, I don’t know if everybody agrees with this, but I like it.
What have been some of your physically difficult moments on Station 19? And did you do any chancy stunts?
Hayden: When we portrayed Seattle in the fall, we were actually shooting late summer in Pomona [California] with the full fire suits, oxygen tanks, hose lines… doing take after take. There was a heat wave at the time and it was a nightmare. Because we were sweating so much, it was so hard to keep water weight on. There’s never enough water that could go into our bodies in between takes and it was just kind of running off of us. But we all looked very trim, because we had no water weight!
Doss: I always loved doing my own stunts and I begged our stunt coordinator to let me hang upside down at the top of a ladder between 15 and 20 feet high for a scene [Season 5’s “Things We Lost in the Fire”] where Vic is electrocuted and passed out. And in our 100th episode [Season 7’s “My Way”], with Vic and Travis helping to rescue folks stuck on Seattle’s super high outdoor Space Needle Elevator, I got to do all of that harness work hanging from the ceiling of our infinity stage. That was awesome!
Do you each have a favorite scene you can talk about?
Doss: There are three now. The finale has one of the most emotional and important moments of my time on Station 19. I won’t say more but the tears were absolutely real when we shot it.
The first scene that I loved was towards the end of Season 2, [“Always Ready,”] when after [her fiancé ] Lucas Ripley’s death, Vic is surrounded by her team on top of the fire engine. [Note: That scene was closely replicated in the series’ penultimate episode.] I felt so connected to that cast in that moment. They were so giving.
Then there’s a seven-minute scene with Jay in Season 4 [“No One is Alone”] when we got into an enormous fight. It was absolutely one of the most fun scenes to shoot because it was so long and had so many different colors in it. Jay and I had pitched the story for an episode pretty much devoted to Vic and Travis’s friendship. I had seen a documentary about people struggling with drug addiction and how when they go into a hospital, sometimes they come out and relapse within an hour or two, and then end up getting picked up again the same night. I wondered what would happen if we saw the team respond to the same person several times in one shift. And it turned into a story about two best friends who were struggling with addiction together. And at the same time, we got to see Vic and Travis struggling with the different ways that they handle the addiction to their own grief over the deaths of Ripley and Travis’s firefighter husband Michael. The scene was silly and dramatic and emotional.
Hayden: I remember doing a scene with Vic where we were picking up addicts from the street and trying to help them. Then we got into a fight in the aid car and Travis pulled over for them to have it out with each other. It turned to be this wonderfully beautiful, sad hilarious almost like a play we put on, on the sidewalk. We had rehearsed it in front of the entire crew and they clapped at the end.
That was one of Barrett’s favorite scenes as well.
Hayden: That’s what she said too? I have to say that it will be very hard for me as this job ends not to be doing scenes with her. She’s just a wonderful actress.
Doss: I don’t know what I would have done without Jay over the past seven seasons. He’s like my big brother.
