9-1-1 star Aisha Hinds revealed that she met with real-life firefighters who appreciated her character.
In a new interview with Assignment X, Hinds revealed that she still continues to do ride alongs. Her character Henrietta Wilson is the sole female firefighter on the squad.
“I think it’s helpful, because each person, each individual, has their own individual experience and story and contribution to offer. So it’s helpful,” she shared. “It definitely is helpful to meet as many people, and to just continue to be exposed to it.”
When it comes to television vs. reality, the real-life female heroes have praised her depiction. She has often been stopped in public to be thanked.
“I’ve had a few favorable encounters with female firefighters who feel incredibly happy that they are being reflected and represented. I’ve met them,” she revealed. “And they come up to me and they are just like, ‘Thank you.’ And I’m like, ‘For what? Breakfast?’ And they are, ‘Just for your representation of us.’
Hinds hopes that her character will make people see firefighters in a new light.
“Because I think that the idea – when you say firefighter,’ you don’t particularly default to thinking about women and their presence. And so they are very happy and grateful, which makes me very happy,” she concluded.
The Season 5 premiere of the series had Henrietta helping the city deal with the cyber attack. Zoo animals were free, courts were having prisoners attempt escape, and Los Angeles was in chaos. The episode left off with the city still in disarray with planes even being grounded. However, it all ended with agent Lou being murdered by serial rapist Jeffrey Hudson’s attorney.
Why ‘9-1-1’ Did Not Do Their Research
While Hinds did her research, her fellow 9-1-1 co-star did not. Actor Rockmond Dunbar is no stranger to the big or small screens. He’s appeared on Earth 2, Soul Food, Prison Break, Sons of Anarchy, The Mentalist, and The Path. His character Michael Grant didn’t need to prepare and learn extensive knowledge about buildings.
“No, because I have a couple of architects in my family,” he said. “So, I’ve kind of grown up around architects. So I didn’t necessarily use it within the confines of this show within the first [several] episodes.”
However, he did have to research coming out gay at a late age. You’ll recall that his character came out to his wife and the mother of his two children. The two divorced but remained friends and co-parents.
“I talked to a few friends,” he shared. “My friend Chris gave me the law of the land in how everything really goes and what to expect, and how it happened within his situation. And I tapped into that a little bit and regurgitated it.”
