911: Jennifer Love Hewitt on Maddie’s Return to Chimney, Baby Jee-Yun

SPOLER ALERT: Don’t learn when you’ve got not but watched “Boston,” the March 28 episode of “9-1-1.”

“9-1-1” made its long-awaited return from its midseason hiatus final Monday, and this week’s installment included the even longer-awaited return of Jennifer Love Hewitt to the Fox first-responder drama’s Season 5. Through the episode, viewers realized the place Maddie (Hewitt) has been all this time, and why she wouldn’t come dwelling to Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and their child lady Jee-Yun.

It seems Maddie tried to die by suicide by drowning herself within the ocean amid her postpartum despair, which had been exacerbated by Jee nearly drowning within the bathtub when Maddie dozed off. Whereas within the waves, one thing stops Maddie from going by way of along with her try, and he or she finally ends up going to Boston to be admitted into the hospital the place she educated as a nurse. After a number of days of exams, it’s found Maddie really has postpartum thyroiditis, and with hormone remedies and outpatient remedy, she is anticipated to heal. Reduce to 6 months later, Maddie is in a significantly better place and nearly able to go dwelling to L.A., although nonetheless very afraid to take action, when she runs into Chimney — who has spent months on the highway with Jee on the lookout for Maddie — whereas they’re each making an attempt to assist injured individuals on the streets of Boston on St. Patrick’s Day.

Selection spoke with Hewitt about returning to the present following her real-life maternity depart, Maddie’s reunion with Chimney and their daughter Jee-Yun, and what the long run holds for Maddie within the again half of “9-1-1” Season 5.

What was the method for taking pictures the suicide try scene within the ocean, together with Maddie’s determination to alter her thoughts, which she later says she did for Chimney and Jee-Yun, and the way that will be depicted on display?

I’ve this bizarre little pocket in my physique the place Maddie sits emotionally, and it’s a really full place due to all that she’s been by way of. So I simply form of needed to concentrate on that place. For me, I simply wished to visually look actually horrible. And I believe I pulled that off. However I wished it to look that method. I didn’t need it to appear like the TV-show model of any person who’s about to do this. Even within the storyline in Large Bear, the place she fought for her life towards her ex-husband, there was a dedication in her and a feistiness in her that I’ve at all times tried to maintain. And on this, I wished that to not be there anymore. So the one factor we talked about was really seeing any person that was drained and exhausted from being themselves and taking part in out their very own life story. And the concept I’d simply type of stroll on the market as rapidly as doable and as decided as doable to not have her be right here anymore. We didn’t actually discuss in regards to the half the place she alters her thoughts. I knew that that was a part of it, however we don’t actually talk about that.

After which we obtained out into the water, and since filming takes some time, as we have been getting on the market, the waves began getting larger and larger and larger. And I like to take a look at the ocean, however I’m not a giant, “Hey, let me soar within the waves and have them beat me to a bloody pulp in the course of the day” particular person. In order it was getting stronger, it began getting scarier for me personally. And I had a security man with me who would decide me up or duck me beneath the large waves. And the concept was that I’d sink beneath the water and I’d simply keep there for a second. And I did after which one thing occurred in type of the approaching up of it, and the digital camera man stored going, so I stored going. And we simply type of performed that altering your thoughts second. I really haven’t seen the ultimate lower, so I don’t even know if that’s nonetheless in there the place you see her change her thoughts. However that’s form of what we did. And we solely did two takes of the entire thing. Nevertheless it was actually bizarre. It was daunting for me to know that I used to be going on the market that day to do this, after which to consider the place persons are after they attain that second. And understanding that there are such a lot of individuals on the market that do, I actually took that very severely and absolutely considered them in that second after which discovered energy in her altering her thoughts.

In Maddie’s first interplay with Jee-Yun since she left, she bursts into tears realizing how a lot time has passed by and the way she is going to by no means get these six months again. What was it like taking pictures that portion, versus the top the place Maddie is ready to join with Jee by singing to her and it reveals Jee does bear in mind her mom and goes to her?

We lastly obtained to the purpose that what will get Maddie to go house is the forgiveness from her daughter. And in that scene the place she form of remembers her and walks to her, that was actually necessary for us as a result of, in the end, Maddie’s story was about her coping with years and years and years of all types of trauma. And her needing to really take away herself from her personal life so as to heal. Nevertheless it was additionally about, how do you, as a grown girl, make a mistake as a mom after which get an individual, who doesn’t know find out how to forgive, to forgive you for it with the intention to transfer ahead. That’s a extremely difficult factor that occurs in relationships with mother and father and kids on a regular basis. I’ve checked out my children a thousand instances as infants and gone, “Oh my gosh, I used to be not as nice as I wished to be right now,” or, “You bought the stitches and I couldn’t assist it.” And also you search them for, simply please inform me you’re going to forgive me otherwise you’re not going to speak about this remedy while you’re 35. And the reality is, they’ll’t provide you with that as a result of they’re not sufficiently old. However what they can provide you is love you unconditionally and that makes me wish to cry. That’s what mothers and youngsters and fathers and youngsters and fogeys and kids do fantastically. It’s unconditional love. It simply is. It’s what we seek for our complete lives that we get in that second with these little individuals. Once we did that scene the place Maddie has to only form of get out of there, there was no preparation for that for me. I actually simply stood there and thought, “God, if I had missed six months with both of my children, I must develop a brand new coronary heart so as to even make it, really.” And I felt for her in that second, and I believe that was her turning level of, no matter I’ve been working from and no matter I nonetheless have to repair, I’ve to do it whereas I’m being a mother as a result of if I’ve misplaced an excessive amount of time, I’ve simply misplaced an excessive amount of. After which in the long run, when she forgives her, in the best way that infants and youngsters can do, it’s lovely. And naturally she goes dwelling, after all, which is so good.

Together with her prepared to go again to Los Angeles after that second with Jee and Chimney, what are you able to tease about Maddie’s arc the remainder of the season?

The one factor that’s what it’s, from the top of the Boston episode by way of the season, is that Maddie is effectively sufficient and 100% able to be a mother. And so she goes into that. She is there, she is concentrated. It’s not about whether or not or not she’s going to return to work, or whether or not or not she goes to sit down in a bunch of rooms with individuals and clarify the place she’s been or no matter. She is hyper-focused on being a mother, making up for misplaced time and proving to herself and to Chimney that she may be the mother that she began out to be, regardless that she obtained detoured by loads of trauma and psychological well being struggles. So that’s by way of the remainder of the season and an ongoing. So far as Maddie and Chimney are involved, it’s sophisticated. And I believe we have now to maintain it sophisticated as a result of if we didn’t, it could really feel like the whole lot we put everybody by way of was for nothing as a result of then we might have mounted all of it immediately. And that wouldn’t be actual.

Actually, with individuals who have as a lot trauma as Maddie has had and as a lot trauma as Chimney has had in his personal proper, two individuals coming again collectively that simply and all of it simply being wrapped up in a bow would really feel like, sooner or later once more, considered one of them goes to interrupt. What we wish is at any time when Maddie and Chimney discover their method again collectively, in the event that they discover their method again collectively, that it’s for good. We’re not going to nonetheless have life points, however hopefully the entire massive loopy stuff is behind them. They are going to have performed the best work to get it again in the best place. So it’s sophisticated. The factor that I prefer to say about Maddie and Chimney is the whole lot else obtained tousled however their love and the whole lot modified for them when she left, however the love didn’t. And that received’t. So it’s simply find out how to get it again to feeling regular once more, or new and completely different, or under no circumstances. However the love is the one by way of line for the 2 of them, that nothing will break that.

I really need them really again collectively quickly, although!

I promise you’ll get your reply sooner somewhat than later.

This interview has been edited and condensed.