Fans had been waiting for it with trepidation, and now it has arrived: the farewell of Joe Minoso from Chicago Fire, after 14 years spent playing firefighter Joe Cruz. Following weeks of hardship for the character, the US-broadcast episode last night, the 300th of the series, gave form to the anticipated exit of one of the most beloved faces of Firehouse 51. A moment the actor described as an emotional rollercoaster, to the point of bringing him to tears.
Chicago Fire 15: Joe Minoso reflects on the farewell of Joe Cruz
The fifteenth season of Chicago Fire, which in Italy we will be able to watch later this year on Sky and streaming on NOW – so, beware of spoilers! -, opened with the consequences of a grave warehouse fire that the Firefighters of Station 51 had reached at the end of the previous cycle. Paying the highest price was Joe Cruz, who, overwhelmed by a collapse while trying to reach the last trapped people, sustained a serious spinal injury and was left paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair. From that moment, a harrowing struggle began as he attempted to stand up again, but it was clear from the start that, even if he succeeded, he would no longer be able to work as a firefighter.
In episode 300, the audience could rejoice as Cruz finally managed to walk on his own legs, though with the aid of a cane. This rekindled his colleagues’ hope for a return to the firehouse, perhaps after a bit more specialized treatment. However, the harsh reality did not take long to surface. When Chloe, Cruz’s wife, went into premature labor and gave birth to twins while they were at the hospital, Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) of Chicago Med shared his optimism about a return to the team sooner than Cruz thought. But in what was probably the most heartbreaking moment of the episode, Otis, Cruz’s first son whose name honors his best friend who died tragically years ago, asked: “Why can’t another dad do it?”
A “truly brutal” question, as Minoso revealed to Entertainment Weekly, which helped Cruz realize that he would no longer be returning to Squad 3. For him, “it was an easy decision to make. I think he understood that, at that point, there was a need for him in another way. I think telling Severide about his choice was harder than making the decision itself.”
That conversation between Cruz and Severide (Taylor Kinney) was a scene of great impact that left Minoso “bent over in tears” once the cameras were off. The actor, who will return later in the season to direct an episode, said that this “was the last scene I shot ever. I don’t think we’ve ever had the chance to see these two men confront each other on such a level of equality, in such an intimate and emotional way. Especially considering that Severide, normally a man of few words and not exactly one to express his feelings. Cruz, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.” Shooting that scene with Kinney was “really special,” and “in many moments it seemed that it was Joe and Taylor speaking, rather than Cruz and Severide,” the actor continued. “It will forever remain my favorite scene among those I shot with Taylor. It was fantastic to share that moment with him, at that depth.”
The memory of Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek
Another very moving moment was when Cruz spoke with the late Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek in front of the statue erected in his memory. “Actually, I was the one who suggested that scene,” Minoso revealed. “I felt the need for a kind of closure in their relationship. I kept thinking about how Otis’s last words to Cruz – ‘I’ll always be with you, brother’ – could also be the last words Cruz would have to say to the world.” For both characters it was a “circle closing,” the actor added. “It was necessary to close that chapter, because their stories have always been tightly linked. Something was needed. And credit must be given to the production for doing a job even better than I could have imagined.”
Thanks to Chicago Fire, Minoso made television history by becoming the Latino actor with the most episodes in a single primetime role, totaling 299. “It’s a milestone I can be incredibly proud of,” he concluded. “I sincerely hope that in the future many other Latino actors will manage to surpass this number.”
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