“Chicago Fire” said goodbye to one of its longest running cast members as it celebrated 300 episodes on the air.
The NBC drama series celebrated the milestone Wednesday with some big investigations and firehouse 51 going through new squad photos. For firefighter Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso), the episode saw him push hard in physical therapy following a serious injury last season. He also welcomed twin girls with his wife Chloe (Kristen Gutoskie), which makes the character fans first met as a young member of the squad in the pilot into a father of four.
After introducing his sons to the new babies, the family is surprised with the news that Cruz could make a full recovery from his injury and return to the firehouse imminently. After Joe’s young son protested at his father going back to his risky job, the firefighter realized it was time to hang up his gear for the last time — but not before an emotional conversation with Severide (Taylor Kinney), a squad photo and a heart-to-heart with his late friend Otis.
“The moment that his son, who was named after his best friend who died in the line of duty, says, ‘Can’t someone else’s dad do it?’ I think the decision was made for him,” Miñoso told TheWrap. “It’s been an incredible journey. I think they wrote it so well, and I was honored to say every word.”
Below, Miñoso breaks down his farewell episode, returning as a director and starting a rewatch podcast with Otis fan-favorite Yuri Sardarov. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What an emotional episode, and a sweet sendoff for Cruz as the show celebrated 300 episodes. How was it to learn how things would wrap up for him in this episode?
Miñoso: I found out [about my exit] the last day of shooting Season 14. So we were literally in the building that I was going to eventually get trapped in, filming the entrance into that space. It was in the producer’s office, and I remember staring at all of the photos of the cast up on the wall, and just like seeing mine, my photo just being pulled off of it, like over and over and again. That was the image just flashing through my head. But I had been expressing wanting to direct for some time, and I found out like an hour later that, if I wanted it, they would be open to giving me a slot, so it was definitely a roller coaster of emotions.
But at the same time, I have to say towards the middle of the season, and especially when we started to get into the “Chloe’s pregnant” storyline last year, it sort of started to feel like this might be a moment. We sort of touched everything we can mine out of this guy in this position, you know? So I read the tea leaves a little bit. But how could it not be sad? I love these people. It’s been a glorious experience. They are my family and best friends, and I look forward to still being a part of it.
It’s why I want to direct, because I have no real interest in leaving this family, and whatever it means. Maybe next week I’ll just become a grip. It’s just a fun place to work with great people.
You’ve been shadowing directors this season before getting your own episode. When will we see you in that director’s credit?
There is an episode assigned right now, but a lot of these things can change. So we’re not divulging that yet, but right now it’s looking like towards the end of the season. Don’t worry, I’ll shout it from the rooftop.
Fans speculated that Cruz’s injury would sideline him from the squad forever, but this week’s episode reveals he has a path toward a full recovery and it’s Cruz who decides to walk away so he can stay safe for his family after welcoming twin girls. What drives him to do that?
I think you see it right in the episode. The moment that his son, who was named after his best friend who died in the line of duty, says, “Can’t someone else’s dad do it?” I think the decision was made for him.
In general, the thing about Cruz as a character from Season 1, his entire existence has been about putting himself in the line of fire for his family. The first real storyline we see about Cruz is all about saving his brother from a life of being in a gang, and really from a gang person extorting him and hunting him. Cruz does that by putting his life and his livelihood on the line and letting this man die in a burning building. For the audience to still accept that character as a viable firefighter is incredible, so for that, I am forever grateful to the audience and to everyone at Wolf Pictures.
So for him at the very end of his journey to have now grown into a position of leadership and being a father and being the head of his household. It’s been an incredible journey. I think they wrote it so well, and I was honored to say every word.
We got to see Cruz and Chloe with all his kids, and of course we got the emotional scene between Joe and Severide where he told him of his decision to walk away. How was that day on set?
It was, by far, the most gratifying scene I’ve ever had with Taylor Kinney. I think that the show, rightfully, put us in our place in terms of the hierarchy of him being a lieutenant and me being under him, and that line really was very rarely crossed. So to be able to see these two men sitting side by side as equals and opening up — especially for Severide, who is a man of few words — and for the writers to have the courage to write him really talking about his feelings was enormous. Frankly it’s a gift to the character of Cruz, because it really just shows what he’s meant to him. So it was incredibly emotional.
A lot of it felt like Joe and Taylor talking and not so much Cruz and Severai talking, because it felt like we were talking and reminiscing about the years we spent together in the cold, in the muck, in the dirt, in scuba suits, like all sorts of crazy conditions. It’s going to be one of my favorite memories with Taylor.
Before the episode ends, Cruz has an emotional moment where he bares his soul to his friend Otis at his memorial. How was it to shoot that scene?
That’s a scene I suggested to the writers, because up until that point we had done up through Episode 4, and in my bones I knew there needed to be a scene with Otis — I think the audience deserves it and I think they want it. His last words to me were, “I’ll be with you always, brother.” To be able to have those be the words that Cruz utters as one of the very last words he says on the show felt like the perfect thing to say, not only as a character but as an actor to the audience.
It’s been fun talking to Yuri, because we’ve been talking a lot ever since I stopped filming. We’re in the process of building up a rewatch podcast of the series from the very beginning. There’s a story that Dick Wolf pointed towards me and Yuri during the very first read through that we did for “Chicago Fire,” and was like, “those two right there.” I don’t know if that was him, like giving us some sort of incantation that gave us the a will and ability to be here for as long as we were, but if it felt like that from that moment we were linked to each other, and we luckily love each other and have become incredibly close, I look forward to take a look back and celebrate what we did all those years ago.
Fans had been speculating that Yuri Sardarov might return as Otis for your farewell after unearthing some names in production notes or something like that. These One Chicago fans don’t play lol. Was that ever a possibility for this milestone episode?
I think that’s a question more for [showrunner Victor Tehran]. I threw it out there. I kept throwing out Otis all the time. When I found out that I was going to be in a wheelchair — but then eventually we would start walking — I was like, “Well, guys, Otis’ cane is literally hanging in the briefing room. We might want to take advantage of that.” And they ran with that in a really awesome way, way better than anything I would have come up with. So to their credit, they took advantage of what I remember as like the heart and the history of the character, and really played to those moments. I’m so proud that they did.
What’s the timeline on this rewatch podcast?
We’re going to start buzzing it around on social media a little bit in the coming weeks. But early New Year, we hope to have something up and running.
This ending leaves the door open for Cruz to pop in every once in a while, along with coming back to direct an episode. Would you be open to that?
That’s a door that I’m very eager to go through as soon as they’re ready for me to.
What’s next for you outside of “One Chicago”?
Predominantly, building up [his company] Mass Epiphany Studios. We have had four years of successful run at short film production, and we’re hoping to move into the next step and see if we can get a feature off sooner than later. We have our most recent short film, which I wrote and directed called “Long Lost,” which is about two long lost brothers: one an ICE agent and the other an immigrant laborer, and the one and only time that they meet, and that was a real joy.
We look forward to “Long Lost” being out in the film festival circuit within the new year as well. Big 2027 coming your way.
What’s your message to the “One Chicago” fans?
Thank you so much for loving this character as much as you have, and giving him the opportunity to tell these many stories. For us to be able to live in this world has been the greatest gift of my life. It doesn’t escape me that so much of that has to do with how much time and love and attention the fans have given to every one of the characters on “Chicago Fire,” but specifically in this moment, personally, I couldn’t be more thankful to all of you. I truly am forever grateful and I love you all.
“Chicago Fire” airs Wednesdays on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
