Since Chicago Fire introduced Darren Ritter in Season 7, audiences have watched him grow by leaps and bounds. Ritter has gone from a young firefighter struggling on the job to a reliable member of Firehouse 51. And while his story started with his being lifted up and mentored by Mouch, Season 11 ended with him lifting up and encouraging aspiring firefighter Kylie Estevez. Ritter has been on an incredible journey, made all the more endearing by the actor who plays him.
Daniel Kyri spoke with CBR about Ritter’s character arc now that he’s finished his fifth season on the show and his third as a series regular. He also discussed further exploring Ritter’s sexuality as the first LGBTQIA+ character in the series’ main ensemble since Lauren German portrayed Leslie Shay in Seasons 1-2. Kyri also discussed his role in a One Chicago series before Chicago Fire.
Daniel Kyri: I’ve been a part of the show now… In July, it’ll be five years. That’s a significant amount of time, especially with Ritter [being in] active service as a first responder. Those things that happen on the calls come at you fast. You have to think on your toes, and it shapes you. Now, when I’m approaching an incident [on the show], it’s enlightening and illuminating to take into account who he was — learning on the job, trying to figure it out — to now being someone in command of his skill set as a firefighter.
It’s fun to play because I’ve been in a lot of similar situations, but also, there’s so much that’s different about the life he leads. The ways in which we, as actors, draw parallels between ourselves and our worlds and what we observe to what our character is going through that’s the most fun challenge. And there have been plenty of full-circle moments. We’ve seen Ritter lifting up Mouch, his mentor. We’ve seen Ritter making decisions in the firehouse to help take care of his lieutenant, Herrmann [played by David Eigenberg]. We see now this relationship with Kylie beginning to take off as well. He is growing up before our eyes, and he’s becoming the man that, when he first got on the show, was just an idea, just a dream and aspiration.
