Before he stole hearts as the strapping but loveable firefighter Evan Buckley on 9-1-1, Oliver Stark played Ryder in AMC’s post-apocalyptic drama Into the Badlands.
The series was set in a world decimated by war, and everything existed in factions. Each faction, called a Badland, was led by a baron, and Ryder was the son of one such baron.
Stark played the character for two seasons before the inevitable happened in a war-torn place, and Ryder died.
In an interview with Zach Sang on The Zach Sang Show, Stark revealed that originally, Ryder was written as a gay character.
In fact, funnily enough, when I first got the role, he was a closeted gay man. So yeah, so uh, these roles just keep fooling my way, apparently.
Oliver Stark
The second sentence references his 9-1-1 character coming out as bisexual in the show’s 100th episode.
Noticeably, Into the Badlands did not have a single gay character throughout its run and only introduced a main lesbian character towards the end.
Maybe It Was Okay To Change the Character
But hearing Stark reveal that the show could have had a gay character almost makes one happy that it didn’t happen.
One of the sticking points about Ryder was that he was a disappointment to his father.
Leadership in the Badlands was hereditary, but Ryder was never interested in becoming a baron. He spent most of his time indulging himself in simple pleasures.
Stark did not reveal why the character was changed, but maybe it was for the better.
The tale of fathers disappointed in their gay sons is as old as time, and maybe that was what the show wrought to explore with the character.
However, that might have been decent representation in 2015, but now, it doesn’t pass the vibe. It would have been stereotypical and shallow.
There have been significant strides made in Queer representation throughout the years.
If it had happened, it would have contributed to a pigeonholed depiction of queerness that might not have been as impactful.
In contrast, Stark plays a firefighter who just got a boyfriend in his thirties.
Fans had long shipped Buck with another firefighter, Eddie Diaz, but the writers decided to explore this aspect of Buck’s character.
The reception by other characters in the show has been positive, even if some 9-1-1 fans expressed their ire when the character first shared a same-sex kiss with Tommy.
9-1-1, now in Season 7, airs on Thursday on ABC.