Jennifer Love Hewitt Makes a Full-Circle Return to Fox in "9-1-1"

When Fox’s breakout hit 9-1-1 returns this weekend Jennifer Love Hewitt will be donning the headset vacated by Connie Britton at the end of season one, playing new emergency operator Maddie Buckley, the sister of firefighter Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark, interviewed here).  It’s almost 20 years since Hewitt has had a recurring role on a Fox series – her last was in the Party of Five spin-off Time of Your Life (which found her PoF character Sarah Reeves trying to make it on her own in New York).  She’s thrilled to be back.  “I'm really excited to be back at Fox,” Hewitt recently told MediaVillage while promoting 9-1-1.  “It's been a part of what has made this so heartwarming for me.  Fox really started my career with Party of Five.  It was a beautiful place to be then and it’s a beautiful place to be now. 

“I just feel really grateful, she continued.  “When we were at [the Fox] Upfront I got to look around and see so many faces that I hadn't seen in forever.  They were still so incredibly welcoming and kind, even though older.  I was afraid half of them wouldn't even recognize me.  But it was really nice, and it's great to be back.”

Jennifer described Maddie as “complicated” and said she is looking forward to exploring the many facets of her new character.  “I know she was in a very tumultuous and abusive relationship,” she revealed.  “[So] she kind of came to her brother [Buck] for the first time, to tell the truth and be open about where she is.  She's really finding herself as a 9-1-1 operator, but she's also hiding out.  We’ll learn a lot more about her as the season progresses.

“Maddie has a great relationship with her brother,” she continued.  “It's a lot like Oliver (Stark) and me; we love to give each other trouble and the love is there and the kindness is there.  I think it's hard for the Buck character to not want to just protect her, but she's his older sister, so it's about finding her a safe place and dealing with the rest later.”

 

Steve Gidlow

Steve Gidlow, a long-time columnist for MediaVillage ("Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"), has written about television and pop culture since 1994, beginning in Australia.  Since moving to Hollywood in 1997, Steve has focused on celebrity interv… read more