*On Wednesday nights she’s a paramedic.
Annie Ilonzeh plays Emily Foster on NBC‘s hit drama series “Chicago Fire.” Earlier this month, at “One Chicago Day” the Dallas native shared how she keeps a positive mindset and how her character is breaking ground.
Q: Your character is comfortable in her sexuality…What is it like playing
a fluid role?
AI: I was just saying, Ritter (played by Daniel Kyri) just came out too, he has a boyfriend. It’s so important now more than ever, especially in the black community [to have these characters] because we don’t talk about that. How you feel, what you like, what your sexual preference is or isn’t or what’s your figuring out…it’s not a fault. I remember when we were filming and they were like, ‘don’t make it a thing. Don’t make an announcement. It’s like blinking. This is just what you do, how you breathe.’
We already know we’re not represented on TV and film enough, we’re getting there though. The movement is definitely prevalent, but to already have us on TV and representing maybe taboo issues in our community is very important to tackle. I think it’s fine that a Black woman or man is kissing the same sex, having relationships, marriage, love. Who’s to say that’s wrong. It’s super important to represent that as honest and authentic as I can.
Q: What’s the story behind the tattoo on your finger?
AI: I don’t get to show my tattoos for work, I’m a little more buttoned-up … but this one says, “ready, fire, aim.” I was reading this book called “The Millionaire Mind” and it wasn’t necessarily geared around just solely being a millionaire, but success and the thought process of that. It was saying successful people or millionaires have this mindset, of have ready, fire, aim versus ready, aim, fire. Because when you get ready, that’s enough, and then you can fire. And if you miss, then aim. Instead of getting ready and then aiming and then maybe you don’t get to fire because you’re [self] sabotaging. We do that thing of, I don’t know if I’m ready. In getting ready, you’re ready! So just fire and see if you hit. And a lot of the times we do. So, I thought it was really cool! And at the time, I think I’d just finished “Charlie’s Angels” and my character dealt with a lot of guns, and going to the gun range, so I was like it’s going on my trigger finger.
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“Chicago Fire” airs Wednesdays 9/8c on NBC, for more details on click here.
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