Ronen Rubinstein Reflects on the Final Season of 9-1-1: Lone Star

[00:00:10] Roden, thank you for joining me. Welcome back to the show actually, Pop Culture Unplugged.

[00:00:14] Thank you, thank you for having me back man, I always enjoy speaking with you.

[00:00:18] Exciting times, my friend, we have the last season of 9-1-1 Lone Star. Let's start with this,

[00:00:22] what's been going through your mind now, you know, now that you finished filming, have you

[00:00:25] finished filming this season? Yeah, yeah, a few months ago.

[00:00:28] And now, what's going through your mind now this is the last season and everything? How are you feeling

[00:00:32] all about this? It's, you know, it's kind of been just a total roller coaster of emotions.

[00:00:40] I, you know, I think we've had a lot of time to sort of process everything and I've had a lot of time to

[00:00:48] sort of make peace with it and reflect on it. And, you know, at first it was really, you know,

[00:00:54] it's stung and it's, it sucks because it was never because of creative reasons or obviously because

[00:01:03] it wasn't because the show wasn't doing well. It was, it was literally for,

[00:01:08] you know, for financial reasons and, and, and diplomatic reasons when it comes to,

[00:01:14] you know, the studio and the network, you know, being separated on this show. So

[00:01:20] that, that's what really stung that it wasn't even,

[00:01:24] it wasn't because of the actual work, you know, I would understand if the show wasn't doing well and

[00:01:29] people weren't resonating with it, then it's kind of like, okay, I get it. You know,

[00:01:32] I've been on a show that only lasted a season. I get it. But when it's five seasons and people are

[00:01:39] madly in love with it and it's global and it's, I think this final season is probably our best season.

[00:01:45] So it's not like we're going out on a low note. So that definitely stung. But, you know,

[00:01:52] doing the five months with everybody, that was really special. Especially because we all knew

[00:01:58] that there was a high chance that it could be the last time. And I think everybody really,

[00:02:03] really enjoyed this last season on a different level. It's, it probably bonded everybody even more,

[00:02:11] knowing that this was going to be it. So from that perspective, it was really beautiful,

[00:02:15] actually. And then just me personally speaking, you know, this, this show has,

[00:02:22] I mean, to say the least that it has changed my life, you know, it has changed my career. It's,

[00:02:29] it's, you know, it's given me blessings that I could have never imagined. It lets me live in a way that I

[00:02:36] didn't think I could get to in this, in this sort of career path. So from that sense, you know,

[00:02:45] I just feel only gratitude and, and it's, it's just been just the biggest blessing of my career.

[00:02:53] And it's hard to sort of be too upset about it. Cause you know, as soon as I zoom out and look

[00:02:59] around, it's like, wow, this, this show has given me such, such beautiful things and has created such

[00:03:06] beautiful opportunities and, and has led me to so many incredible people and lifelong friends. And

[00:03:14] so it's a very bittersweet double-edged sword situation. But man, am I glad that it's out in

[00:03:22] the world now and people get to see the work that we put into this final season. And I think you can

[00:03:28] feel everybody gave a little extra this season, knowing that it might've been the last one. So

[00:03:34] that's, that's been really special to watch.

[00:03:37] And what's huge is like, you know, like you mentioned, like, you know, you've been on the

[00:03:40] show five years, the fans love TK also. So you're like, for you, you might, you know,

[00:03:44] you're probably like emotionally attached to this character also.

[00:03:49] Yeah. You know, I always say that I love TK more than anybody and it's, he, um, you know,

[00:03:56] I've literally grown up with him. You know, I started this when I was 25, I'm now 30, you know,

[00:04:02] so much has changed in my personal life. So much has changed in TK's life. Um, it's also very bizarre

[00:04:09] how, how many things sort of were similar to TK and me in real life, you know, his history with

[00:04:18] opioids, um, him getting married on the show was the same year I got married. Um, you know,

[00:04:24] there's a lot of growth that has happened with TK that was very parallel with Ronan,

[00:04:30] which was just so bizarre and pretty fascinating at times. Um, but, uh, you know, I kind of always

[00:04:36] say that TK is, he's like everybody's big brother that you wish you had. Um, certainly that's how I

[00:04:43] feel. I wish I had a older brother like TK. That would be really, um, I think he's very admirable and,

[00:04:49] and, and a truly good person. And it's just been so, um, it's been such an honor and a gift to get

[00:04:57] to play him. Um, you know, I'll cherish him forever. And, um, you know, it's nice whenever I miss him,

[00:05:04] I could just go on Hulu and watch some of my favorite episodes and sort of reminisce, but, um,

[00:05:10] yeah, man, it's, he's, uh, he's, he's been special, very special to me.

[00:05:16] What are you going to miss about this character? You think?

[00:05:23] It's hard to pinpoint, hard to pinpoint one thing, but I think the thing that sort of jumps

[00:05:28] out right away is how, you know, TK literally, even if it means sacrificing his own body,

[00:05:36] his own life, his own, his own soul, his own mind, he's always there for others, you know,

[00:05:42] and we've seen that in season one with his dad. And then we seen it, you know, progress into something

[00:05:48] so beautiful with Carlos. And then we saw it with his mom and we see it with his,

[00:05:54] you know, with his, with his comrades at the firehouse and now the paramedics, you know,

[00:05:59] I feel like this season, we're really going to get to see that dynamic grow of TK being the little

[00:06:04] brother to Brianna, to Nancy and TK being sort of like, you know, uh, a stepson to Tommy. And,

[00:06:13] you know, he's just such a selfless human being. And I think that's, you know, such a big reason of

[00:06:18] why he chose the career that he chose. And I just think that's so admirable. And, um, you know, he's,

[00:06:25] he's really, really is a heroic figure, um, whether that means out there on the job or in personal

[00:06:32] lives. And I think that's such a brilliant balance that our show just does in general. Um, but especially

[00:06:39] with TK, you know, the balance of him out there in the field and out there behind closed doors,

[00:06:45] it's just been really, really, really cool to play and really exciting to play. And, and,

[00:06:50] you know, there's some episodes this season where I think, again, we get to level up, um, TK's personal

[00:06:56] story and TK's personal drama. And, um, you know, I, I was saying earlier that there's a scene in episode

[00:07:03] five that it's definitely one of my top three favorite scenes of all time. Um, and I think

[00:07:10] people will know exactly why. So it's funny. Cause I wrote down, like, is there, is there going to be

[00:07:15] a specific moment this season that takes over from like a favorite moment from the last four seasons?

[00:07:21] So you'd make it sound like this is going to be it episode five, a hundred percent episode five. And

[00:07:26] then man, something happens in episode seven. That is just, it's something I've been praying for,

[00:07:33] for the last five years. And, um, you know, it's not really, it's not really a secret anymore,

[00:07:39] but, you know, we get visited by, uh, my, my stepbrother Jonah and my, my stepfather Enzo.

[00:07:46] And I think that takes TK's storyline to a whole different level. And, you know, we get to really

[00:07:53] see that dynamic of, of the man that actually raised TK when he was young, cause Owen wasn't around.

[00:07:58] Right. And then we get to see the dynamic of TK with his little stepbrother and see where that

[00:08:05] leads them. And that's something I've been asking for from the moment I learned about Jonah and season

[00:08:11] one, I've been asking about Enzo because I knew how important that dynamic was for him. You know,

[00:08:17] the fact that he had these sort of like dueling father figures in his life. And, um, even when it

[00:08:23] seems like Owen and TK are the most idyllic father, son, there's, there was so much stuff

[00:08:29] happening behind closed doors that we finally get to reveal. And, um, you know, it's, uh, you know,

[00:08:35] that, that leads to something between TK and Owen that I'm so proud of. It's sort of the ultimate,

[00:08:41] yeah. Um, climax of, of that relationship. And, um, yeah, I think those two coming in is going to

[00:08:47] change everything. Another, uh, fan favorite also, you know, you mentioned earlier, uh, Tarlos,

[00:08:52] you know, like the fans love that relationship. It's one of the highlights of the show. One of the

[00:08:57] highlights of the show. Uh, how would you, uh, describe that little bond now between you and,

[00:09:03] uh, you know, uh, Rafael Sova and what are you going to miss about that?

[00:09:08] Man, I'm going to miss TK and Carlos, you know, the talk about relationship goals,

[00:09:13] you know, and, um, and I don't want to just call it a queer relationship, you know, it's, it's,

[00:09:19] it's just relationship goals, period. Like their level of perseverance and communication and,

[00:09:26] and, and just the pure love and respect that they have for each other. Um, I think that's also such

[00:09:34] an admirable couple to, to, to look at. And maybe even like, you know, maybe it could be a shining

[00:09:42] light for somebody like a North star of, of, you know, that kind of silly thing, couple goals, but

[00:09:48] you know, it, it kind of is couple goals, you know, it's, I think, especially their communication

[00:09:54] levels. That's something that I've definitely been, uh, trying to take into my own personal life because

[00:09:59] man, they could, they can handle any situation. Um, because they've literally been dealt every

[00:10:07] single situation that you could imagine the most extreme to the most simple. Um, and, you know,

[00:10:14] just watching them bloom into this, into this giant movement that is now called Tarlos. It's been

[00:10:22] really, that's, I think for me, been the most like, holy shit, how did this happen moment? Um,

[00:10:30] because that's something you cannot predict, you know, you hope that people resonate with a

[00:10:37] character or relationship, but you can't imagine it becoming this thing where Raphael and I are going

[00:10:45] all over the world to meet fans and they're traveling from all over the world just to, just

[00:10:50] because of Tarlos and what Tarlos means to them. And, and, and to tell us, you know, whether it's,

[00:10:56] it's 30 seconds of, of just what Tarlos has meant to them and, and how many lives Tarlos has changed

[00:11:02] and how many lives Tarlos has saved, you know, and that gets really deep and, and, and really, um,

[00:11:09] sad at times, but it's true. You know, it's like this, this relationship and these characters

[00:11:14] has really affected people on such a deep visceral level. Um, so, you know, that's, that's,

[00:11:22] that's the biggest thing for me throughout these last five years that I've had to sort of like

[00:11:26] step back and be like, wow, this, this has really affected people on such a different level than just

[00:11:34] like a show that you like to, to watch. And it's sort of like a comfort show. This has been

[00:11:39] such a deep personal thing for people. And, um, the fact that we've been able to sort of

[00:11:45] do that for them is, is everything, you know, and it's something that you don't really, um,

[00:11:53] expect as an actor, you kind of just want to go out there and do a good job. But when it,

[00:11:57] when it goes to this other level, you just, I think it's just an added level of responsibility

[00:12:04] of like, uh, we really have to do a good job. Like it's so much more than just characters on a TV

[00:12:10] show at this, at this point, you know? So that's been really, really surreal and an incredible,

[00:12:16] incredible journey. Would you be on board for a Tarlos, uh, spinoff? People are talking about

[00:12:22] spinoffs, all these rumors and everything. Would you jump on? I think I've been the loudest

[00:12:26] component about this whole thing. You know, I'm, you know, I, I, I want the spinoff, um,

[00:12:33] obviously selfishly to, you know, continue the journey for TK. And, um, I think it's kind of

[00:12:39] like our showrunner said, he's like, I think we've just started to, you know, to, to, to,

[00:12:45] to scratch at the surface of what these characters, um, are and, and where they are in their lives.

[00:12:52] And, um, but also for the fans, you know, I, I know how devastated people are that it's ending and

[00:13:00] especially Tarlos, kind of like I was saying just earlier. Um, so I think, you know, on so many

[00:13:05] different levels, I would love to see this story continue. And, and, you know, of course it's,

[00:13:10] it's pretty bad-ass that they're even talking about it as a, as a possibility, you know, I think

[00:13:17] nothing is even close to being confirmed or in the works, but the fact that people are talking about

[00:13:22] it, um, truly shows that these two have connected with people and it's been such a, such an honor.

[00:13:31] And it's, it's just so cool that we're even discussing this, you know, because

[00:13:35] it could have just been two characters on a TV show. You're right. Was there a, like any, uh,

[00:13:42] you know, throughout like TK story, are you happy with the way his story has come to like full circle

[00:13:47] for the season? Are fans going to be happy with his story? Oh yeah. Yeah. I, you know, especially

[00:13:55] when Enzo and Jonah come and I think people will know exactly what I mean once that moment happens,

[00:14:02] but, um, I definitely have no, no regrets after 72 episodes of playing TK. I have no, um,

[00:14:16] not sure what the word is, but definitely no sort of, Oh, I wish we could have done this

[00:14:20] because between Tim and Rashad, they've personally surprised me multiple times on the show. They've

[00:14:28] gifted me with such incredible storylines that I couldn't even have, you know, imagined. Um, and

[00:14:34] they've also gifted me with storylines that I was deeply, deeply hoping for. Um, again, Enzo and Jonah,

[00:14:41] you'll see why. Um, but man, at the end of 72 episodes, I can sit here honestly and say it is a perfect

[00:14:53] end to, uh, an incredible journey, uh, for TK. And, um, yeah, I'm just, I'm so proud of, of,

[00:15:02] of the work that we've done and, and the stories that we've been able to tell. And, um, it's just 72

[00:15:09] episodes of, of just something that we could all be proud of. And, um, yeah, I think people will be

[00:15:16] very satisfied this season. And I know they're already super satisfied with the first three episodes.

[00:15:20] Right. Um, so just, just, you just wait and see. Yeah. Was there ever, uh, like any ideas thrown at

[00:15:28] you for certain stories and you were all excited about, but it never made it on TV or on the set

[00:15:33] that kind of like bummed you out a little bit? No, I'm not really. You know, I think,

[00:15:39] I think Tim and Rashad won't bring up a storyline for me. Um, I mean, to me, if they're not going to do

[00:15:46] it, you know, and that's what I love about them so much is, uh, I'll never forget when Tim called me

[00:15:52] to tell me that we were going to do the heroin flashback and the mom storyline. And he called me,

[00:15:58] I think it was a week in advance because he knew I was going to probably need time to prep

[00:16:05] physically and mentally. And I'll never forget. He called me and he said, I have a gift for you.

[00:16:10] And I was like, what? He's like, we're doing a, a TK flashback episode. He's like, this is your

[00:16:17] episode. You get to really, really go in on this one. And from that moment on, I started, you know,

[00:16:25] not treating my body well, but you know, I think it was worth it. And that helped with the mental

[00:16:31] aspect of the episode. And so when it was moments like that, it's just like, it was just such a gift,

[00:16:38] you know, and it really was a gift. And, um, we have so much of that this season and, um,

[00:16:45] yeah, it's everything that they, they promised they, they have, they have, uh, they had delivered

[00:16:53] on a whole different level. How many, uh, how many episodes are we expecting for this season?

[00:16:58] So it's 12 episodes and they're all incredible. Last question on a Lone Star. Uh, what do you hope

[00:17:06] the fans were mostly about like TK and his journey throughout the series and about your performance?

[00:17:12] Of course, man, you know, I think TK has hit people on so many different levels. And I think

[00:17:19] that's, what's really special is that, you know, he's resonated with people for so many different

[00:17:25] reasons. And it's kind of hard to pinpoint just a few things. I think he's just, he's met so much

[00:17:33] to people for so many different reasons. And I think that's why, you know, one of the biggest

[00:17:37] reasons I love him so much is that he's such a layered complex character, you know, and all

[00:17:44] people are layered and complex, but it was just so cool to actually show it on network television,

[00:17:49] on a network procedural, which we don't, we don't always get the chance to do that. You know, a lot

[00:17:55] of characters, you know, a lot of time they could be really surface or they could be, you know,

[00:18:00] we show a couple layers or we show a couple storylines, but I think with TK, he's probably

[00:18:05] had the most complex journey in the entire show. I mean, it would be kind of hard to

[00:18:13] compare it to anybody else. You know, it's been the things that this kid has gone through from the

[00:18:18] moment we meet him in the pilot, it's bonkers, you know, to the moment we leave him in episode 12,

[00:18:25] season five. I mean, that journey is just unreal. And it's just been the, I feel so fortunate to be

[00:18:34] able to, to have, you know, experienced that and to have played that. And, and again, just all the

[00:18:42] praise goes to Tim and Rashad and Ryan for trusting me with these kinds of storylines and trusting me

[00:18:48] with this kind of, you know, tremendous responsibility. Cause TK storylines are very

[00:18:54] difficult topics and very difficult subject matter that you can't, you can't take lightly. And, um,

[00:19:01] I've just made sure I'm, I've, I was able to give my everything, literally my sweat, blood and tears and

[00:19:10] right. And lack of sleep and all of it. And I hope people can see that and, and, and know that

[00:19:16] I, I, I did that because I love TK as much as they do, if not more. Um, and I just wanted to give

[00:19:24] the fans my absolute everything. And I hope, I hope they, I hope they feel that by the time the season

[00:19:30] ends. When you finished filming, uh, did you take anything from set? You know, I I've taken stuff

[00:19:37] throughout the seasons. Um, I have a really, really, really, really special thing where

[00:19:45] they made, um, like a, like a token. Um, and it was only a few people have been here for all 72 episodes.

[00:19:56] And that was really something special. That means TK has never missed a single episode. And,

[00:20:01] you know, I was there since day one in New York with Rob and that's something that, you know,

[00:20:07] only a few people know. And also being out in Austin season one, not a lot of people remember that,

[00:20:13] but that was something that only Rob Jim and myself, um, have experienced. And I'll cherish those two

[00:20:19] moments, um, very, very dearly. And, um, so that's here in my office to the right next to my fight club,

[00:20:27] uh, action figures. Um, and then I have the original Texas flag from the very first trailer

[00:20:35] of the fire truck, um, driving through Austin that, that was gifted to me by our fire firefighters

[00:20:42] on the show. Um, I have TK's, um, sobriety token, the one year one. Okay. That one's extra special to

[00:20:51] me because heading to work that day, uh, I actually got into a really bad car accident, totaled my car.

[00:20:59] Everybody was safe, but, um, I knew I had this five page monologue with literally 12, 12 actors,

[00:21:07] like every character we've ever had. And I didn't want to disappoint anybody. So I still managed to

[00:21:13] get to work somehow. And everybody was like, you're insane. You need to go home. And I was like,

[00:21:17] I can't miss this scene. It's so important to me on so many different levels. I have everybody

[00:21:22] waiting for me. They're like, trust me, if there was ever a time to like take a day off, it's,

[00:21:27] it's today. And I was stubborn and luckily showed up to work. And, uh, I think, I think that's actually

[00:21:33] one of my best scenes maybe because I had so much adrenaline from getting into a car accident, but,

[00:21:39] um, so holding onto that has been really special. And, um, you know, I got a couple other things,

[00:21:44] but I think those three are really, really, really symbolic for me and, and TK and just my journey on

[00:21:50] the show. Amazing. What's next for you now? Any other projects you'll allow us to tell us about,

[00:21:55] or are you just, just doing stuff with the band for now? So the band is priority, you know,

[00:22:00] we're finishing our EP. We're going to have five brand new songs. We're going to release a music

[00:22:04] video. We're going to release vinyl. We're going to release merchandise, um, and then eventually play

[00:22:10] live. Um, so that's been, you know, that's actually been one of the big, um, sort of, uh,

[00:22:16] bright spots of, of having time is, is being able to dedicate my time and focus to music because it's

[00:22:23] been really hard to try to balance nine months of shooting a show with also trying to write and

[00:22:31] record music. And, um, my band is just so patient and I just love those guys so much for understanding

[00:22:38] the situation and it doesn't hurt that they're also my best friends. So they get it on a whole

[00:22:44] different level. Um, and, um, so that's been amazing. And then, you know, again, this,

[00:22:49] these five seasons have sort of gifted me the luxury of for the first time ever being able to be patient

[00:22:57] and, you know, somewhat, um, meticulous about what the next job will be. And, um, I think that's,

[00:23:04] that's something that I always sort of fantasized about, but didn't know if it could actually happen.

[00:23:11] Um, so the next job is going to be, you know, it has to be something really special and

[00:23:16] it'd be nice to do something different. Um, I kind of have been, you know, putting out into the

[00:23:22] universe, a movie, I really miss doing film. Um, that's where my career started. That's where I've,

[00:23:28] you know, sort of, um, you know, that's, that's sort of where I've done most of my stuff and, um,

[00:23:37] it would be nice to get back to a film and have a very clear beginning, middle end. Um, I also miss

[00:23:43] the movie theater experience. There's nothing like that. Um, so right now we're just searching for the

[00:23:49] next project and, uh, we're going to be meticulous and we're going to be patient. And, um, in the

[00:23:54] meantime, I'm just going to enjoy my beautiful wife and our dogs and our home. And, um, you know,

[00:24:01] it's nice to have a creative outlet with music. And, um, so yeah, man, we're just going to enjoy life

[00:24:08] and enjoy the fruits of, of, of this crazy labor these last five years and just sort of, you know,

[00:24:14] really enjoy it, you know, cause for five years, you're kind of in tunnel vision work mode and you

[00:24:23] don't really get a moment to sit back and be like, wow, you know, look at, look at the life

[00:24:28] I've created around me. So, um, that's been really beautiful to sort of sit back and actually enjoy,

[00:24:34] enjoy the life that I've created. That's amazing. So yeah, we'll have to get you back on with the

[00:24:38] next project and we'll keep me in every time. I enjoy talking to you. I want to thank you, uh,

[00:24:44] for giving me a few minutes today. Um, pop culture unplugged. Like I said, let's get you back on.

[00:24:48] Of course, always man.