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‘Chicago Fire’: Taylor Kinney Recalls Moment Filming Pilot When Cast Knew Show Was Special

Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney realized the magic the cast had since day one.

In a new interview, Kinney recalled the exact moment when they realized what they had was special.

The cast and crew filmed the pilot episode in March 2012. They felt like they were being inducted to the city. Following a long day’s work the cast and crew were together at their hotel around 4 AM. They wrapped working on the episode after two weeks and everyone is in good spirits.

Jesse was finishing house so that we’re all there and Eamonn had this little GoPro,” he recalled. “He said that someday we’ll all watch it [and realize how monumental the moment was]. I just remember Monica Raymund Lauren German, David Eigenberg [were there]. We all just it kind of gelled and Eamonn was coming off of a job and he said that this is really rare. And he was right! I really want to see some of those videos from that first episode!”

Obviously the cast had something special with the show’s 200th episode arriving soon. Most shows don’t make it to the 100 episode mark, let alone double that.

The Chicago Fire cast spoke about their disbelief to E! Online. Although this is new for actors, it isn’t new for producer Dick Wolf. Wolf has had this happen the majority of his shows and franchises, like Law & Order. However, Fire kicked off the One Chicago night and sparked Chicago Med and Chicago PD.

“There were 152 primetime broadcast cable pilots produced during the season we shot the Chicago Fire pilot,” Wolf shared. “Guess how many are left? Us! Nothing else.”

Kinney later added that this is monumental but that it speaks to their leadership.

‘Chicago Fire’ Takes the Heat

The Chicago Fire pilot episode wasn’t just brutal for the death of Darden, it was because it was so hot! Obviously on a Dick Clark production, he wants things as realistic as possible, this includes the costuming. The actors wear real firefighter jackets, complete with insulated quilting inside of it. And no, they can’t unzip it for breaks.

Joe Minoso, who portrays Cruz, revealed the first day that really made the team question how they were going to continue. They were finishing the pilot in reshoots when they had to shoot in 105 degree heat, without air conditioning. They had the full gear, tanks, and the whole deal.

Christian Stolte told Cinema Blend, “It was pass-out hot, and we were brand new at doing this so we didn’t have protocols in place. We had one man, Steve Chikerotis, looking at everybody’s face to see who looked like they were about to pass out. That’s how I remember it.”

Chikerotis ended up watching each person drink bottles of water to make sure they stayed hydrated. A true hero on and off the screen. Each person drank roughly eighteen bottles of water and their socks were wet from sweat. But the brutality paid off.