Chicago Fire’s Darren Ritter and Christopher Herrmann are the “odd couple” we didn’t know we needed — and the actors who play them are just as quirky and fun.
“It is a sort of tightly corralled chaos,” Daniel Kyri, who plays Ritter, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, October 7, of working with David Eigenberg, who portrays Herrmann, on the NBC show. “I have so much respect and admiration for David Eigenberg.”
Kyri, 29, called Eigenberg, 60, and Christian Stolte, who plays Randall McHolland, “wonderful friends” who have guided him during his time on Fire.
Since joining the show in 2018, Kyri’s Ritter has formed a close bond with Eigenberg’s Herrmann while working under him on Engine 51. (Herrmann is the Lieutenant on Engine, while Ritter is his right-hand firefighter.)
Because of that connection, Kyri has had the “honor” of working with Eigenberg in nearly every episode — and he’s learned a lot along the way.
“It can be a little bit like acting across from a tightly leashed tornado, when I’m working with him,” Kyri said with a laugh. “But there’s so much specificity and skill and just kind of utter magic in working across from him that if you’re lucky and observant and patient and focused enough, I believe that you can then take notes from [him].”
David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann and Daniel Kyri as Darren Ritter Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC
The actor gushed that Eigenberg has been “one of my greatest teachers in this process,” adding that while he “keeps me on my toes,” he “really loves” working with him.
Kyri revealed that the “quirks” fans see with Herrmann were “birthed from this fam’s creative process,” sharing it’s a “real peek into these little gems of his spirit.”
When it comes to how their dynamic will progress during season 13, Kyri told Us there’s “always hijinks going on” at Firehouse 51 and Ritter and Herrmann are usually part of it. “There are a few odd couples on the show, but ours is one of my favorites,” he confessed.
Kyri, however, explained that the Wednesday, October 9, episode will be more serious after Ritter gets hurt during a call.
“He’s down for a bit and we get to see, I think, some of the changes that are a ripple effect of that,” Kyri teased. “It’s not all doom and gloom, but change is — there’s some bittersweet stuff that comes along with it.”
He noted that after Ritter’s accident viewers will see an “incredibly human” side to all his firefighters.
David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann and Daniel Kyri as Darren Ritter Peter Gordon/NBC
“What Ritter brings to the firehouse, his value there, how people see him, how they relate to him and his value as a firefighter as well. All of those things are thrown into sharp relief with this episode,” Kyri told Us. “You see the ways I think in which folks really care about him and the ways in which seeing one of their own takes a hit affects them.”
While fans are holding their breaths to see what transpires on Wednesday’s episode, Kyri is bracing for another big moment. He is releasing his second single, “Maybe,” on Friday, October 11.
“I’m an actor and I love my job and I’m also an artist and I have a voice that exists in tandem with the work that I do on the show and also outside of the work that I do on the show,” Kyri told Us of his foray into music. “It’s really important for me to be well-rounded in my career and the impact that I wanna make.”
Earlier this year, Kyri released his debut single, “Dreamland Ave,” which was upbeat and a fun summer jam. “Maybe” is a much more “personal” track that details the “pitfalls of being in a relationship,” according to the star.
“I affectionately call it my ‘crying in the club’ song,” Kyri told Us. “Because you can actually dance to it. You can kind of get a couple of moves in there and then when you [pause and] listen to the lyrics, I think you go, ‘Wait, what?’”
He called the track “cathartic” and a “release” after being in a bad relationship that make him “feel small.” The song is Kyri’s way of “reclaiming the narrative” and telling himself that it’s OK to “make mistakes” in love and life.
Chicago Fire airs on NBC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can also listen to Kyri’s song “Maybe” when it comes out on Friday, October 11.