‘Fire Country’s Newest Star Teases What’s Next for CJ in Season 5

Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Fire Country Season 5, Episode 2. Summary In 'Fire Country' Season 5, CJ arrives in Edgewater as a spunky, sarcastic new firefighter, adding fresh humor. Bode sees CJ's talent as a firefighter and asks her to help out with the volunteer crew he wants to establish. Olivia Thirlby is enjoying the physically intense challenges of wearing the heavy fire gear and being a part of the tough stunts that come with the emergency incidents. Season 5 of the CBS series Fire Country has seen the addition of a newcomer to Edgewater, CJ Ryan (Olivia Thirlby), who thought she’d left being a firefighter behind until she realizes that she just needed to rediscover her love for it. The passion and commitment to his community radiates from Bode (Max Thieriot), and it also is what ultimately makes CJ want to help with the volunteer firefighter crew. But before any of that can happen, Station 42 and Three Rock had to battle a fast-moving wildfire threatening the town as the dangerous conditions worsened. Being part of a crew and a town reignites CJ’s purpose, and she decides to stick around, at least for a while. Collider recently got the opportunity to chat with Thirlby about joining the hit TV series in its fifth season and why she loves her characters. During the interview, she discussed the fun of CJ’s sarcasm, what it was like to join a show she was already a fan of, the challenge of wearing all the firefighter gear, why CJ trusts Bode, the bond she forms with Jake (Jordan Calloway), CJ’s journey to trusting herself and her choices again, and the memorable incidents that are still to come this season. Olivia Thirlby Is Having So Much Fun Finding CJ’s Voice in the ‘Fire Country’ World "They haven’t had a character, especially a female character, like her before, who is a little bit more spunky and a little bit more humorous." COLLIDER: You’ve described CJ as sassy, salty, and sarcastic. Was that always in the character? Is that something you brought to her? Are you like her in that way? OLIVIA THIRLBY: I really have to credit the amazing writers of this show. They wrote me such a fun character, and I have simply had the pleasure of saying their words. I can definitely relate. As a native New Yorker, I feel like I came out of the womb with sarcasm, which, of course, as Shakespeare says, is the lowest form of wit. That may be true, but I embrace it wholeheartedly. I can be a master of sarcasm myself, so it’s been really fun to put that on its feet and bring that aspect of myself into CJ, and then, to have the writers just continue to give me these zingers. I’ve gotten feedback from them that CJ’s voice is unique in the world of this show. They haven’t had a character, especially a female character, like her before, who is a little bit more spunky and a little bit more humorous. It’s just been so fun to embody that. You’re also joining this show in Season 5 and you’re joining a show that hasn’t added regular characters, so this cast is super tight with each other. What is it like to join this group? How did you feel about being the new one on the first day, or even just the first episode? When did it start to feel like you were finding your groove? THIRLBY: Everyone has been so welcoming and so enthusiastic from the start. It’s only been a pleasure to be able to join such a beautifully established community of artists and creators. I’m a fan of the show, so it was really cool to actually just be able to enter this world that I already adored and admired. Everyone has been incredibly lovely. Your character is also deeply flawed and messy, which means she fits right in with everybody in Edgewater. Is she someone who prefers to be around other flawed and messy people, or does she prefer not to be a part of other people’s messes? THIRLBY: I think that CJ has a pretty large capacity for the messiness of human existence. It’s something that she actually respects and appreciates in the people around her. How was it to put on the full gear and the helmet the first time and do scenes while wearing all of that? THIRLBY: It’s quite physically demanding, which is actually something that is very fun. It’s a fun challenge for me. The gear is very heavy. It definitely is a solid percentage of my overall body weight, so it’s really hard to run, jump, squat, climb, and pretend to do all the things that firefighters really do in the gear that they’re wearing. It’s given me a tremendous amount of awe and appreciation and humility. I have so much respect for people that do this, and a whole new recognition of their physical and emotional strength. CJ Finds a Safe Place in Bode When It Comes to Sharing Her Past in ‘Fire Country’ Season 5 "He's the first person that she's opened up to about what she is running from because she has a lot of shame." Image via CBS Your character comes to town with some secrets, but secrets don’t stay hidden in this town for very long. By Episode 2, Bode already has CJ spilling some of hers. How hard is it for her to put this horrible experience that she had at her previous fire station into words and voice that to someone else? THIRLBY: In Bode, CJ finds her first safe place that she has felt in a while and because of that she’s compelled to open up. He’s the first person that she’s opened up to about what she is running from because she has a lot of shame. She’s living with a betrayal that is so massive that it’s really hard to reconcile, so it’s a big deal for her to open up. I think that she is a really loyal person. When she chooses somebody and she decides that she’s going to open up to them and that she is going to let them in a little bit, it means something to her. It’s not something that she does casually. Is CJ going to have to always look over her shoulder, not knowing what might happen, or can she grow to trust and respect this new crew without always wondering what any of them could do? THIRLBY: I think that is the question. Throughout the season, we’ll see CJ grapple with her trust issues. Trusting people emotionally is as hard for her as trusting that people will have her back physically. It doesn’t take a lot to retrigger her fears that she isn’t actually safe in Edgewater or with her newfound community. Does the fact that it’s hard for her to ask for help and trust that someone won’t have other motives help her understand Jake in a way that she might not have before? THIRLBY: Yeah. Throughout the season, CJ and Jake form a really sweet relationship. The audience can look forward to seeing a lot of sweet moments between them. Similarly to Bode, there’s just something that she clocks in him that she recognizes and that she resonates with. I think that it’s mutual. They end up having a lot of fun together. Olivia Thirlby Thinks CJ Is Inspired by Bode’s Passion and Commitment in ‘Fire Country’ "She also simply enjoys firefighting. She enjoys the whole world of it." Image via CBS We know that Bode wants CJ to help him launch a volunteer firefighter crew. Why is that something that appeals to her? How does that feel most different from what she’s leaving behind? THIRLBY: I think there’s something about the volunteer fire department that has an innocence that she feels really drawn to. It’s people who are genuinely just there to serve and support. There’s no nonsense and no politics. I think she’s also really compelled by what she sees in Bode. She’s inspired by his passion and his commitment to his community. It’s something that, despite herself, she feels really drawn to. She also simply enjoys firefighting. She enjoys the whole world of it. And so, getting to participate in the world of firefighting without having to really commit at that point, is a perfect stepping stone for her at this moment in her life. What can you say to tease what’s to come after Episode 2? How will life be for CJ in Edgewater? She’s already dealt with a sinkhole and learned that woodland wildfires are a whole different beast. How are things going to be for her this season? THIRLBY: That’s a great question. CJ’s journey this season is very much about learning how to open up and trust people again, and trust that people might make mistakes and they might be misguided sometimes, but that she can actually trust the truth of the connection that she feels with them. She has to learn to trust in herself and trust in her choices again. The longer a character is on a show, the more we get to see them interact with the other characters. What can tease about fun dynamics that we’ll see coming up? THIRLBY: There’s a lot of really fun social dynamics that happen in the rest of the season. Like the fans, I’m still on the edge of my seat waiting to read the next episodes. I don’t know how this season is going to end. But CJ has a lot of really sweet relationship-building with a variety of characters on the show, some old and some new. You’ll have to tune in and find out. She definitely makes some new friends. She really loves it at Smokey’s. Smokey’s is the social hub of Edgewater, and she loves the burgers and fries. Just from spending time there, I think she ends up having some fun interactions. Stay Tuned for Some Memorable ‘Fire Country’ Incidents in Season 5 "Big shout out to the incredible advisors and stunt team that we have on this show." Image via CBS What would you say has been the biggest challenge in doing this season so far? What has been the craziest thing you've found yourself doing? THIRLBY: I believe it’s Episode 5, there’s quite a significant fire incident and CJ plays a big role in it. Just for me personally, that was one of the more physically demanding days, being in the full turnouts and the SCBA and all of the things, along with the climbing. That day that we were filming that stuff, it was also a bit of a heat wave, so that was an extra fun time bonus. The incident in Episode 5 was very physically demanding. We also just filmed another rescue that was really fun and really challenging. It was another day where, after work, I came home bruised and sore and exhausted and happy. I was like, “That was so cool! They let me do that. I want to do it again.” It’s really fun. I’ve been having a blast. Big shout out to the incredible advisors and stunt team that we have on this show. The people who put all of these things together, teach us how to do it, and are our advisors that are on set are such a talented, dedicated, and really just all-around lovely group of people. The audience sees the actors doing it in the final product, but there is so much that goes into filming these sequences and it requires really high-level expertise from a huge community of people. Fire Country airs on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+. Release Date October 7, 2022 Network CBS Showrunner Tia Napolitano, Eric Guggenheim