INTERVIEW: CHICAGO FIRE’s Joe Minoso talks Cruz’s journey, ONE CHICAGO family, Nice Boys and more

NBC’s CHICAGO FIRE  and the rest of the ONE CHICAGO franchise returns tonight after a few weeks off air – what better way to celebrate than catching up with a cast member? We had a chat with Joe Minoso, who plays Joe Cruz, to discuss what’s in store for the second half of this season, the show’s longevity, his character’s evolution, what he gets up to outside of the franchise’s busy schedule and much more!

Minoso in a recent crossover episode of CHICAGO P.D. (Image: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

Nice Girls TV: Hi Joe. Between the recent crossover with CHICAGO P.D., Cruz finding love with Chloe and his brother Leon returning to town, it’s been quite a first half of a season for your character! What’s in store for Cruz in the later half of this season?

Joe Minoso: It’s been a hell of a year for Cruz. After helping the guys over on P.D. with an important case Cruz is on a real hot streak. Things are going well for him at work, his love life is finally looking up, and he’s just happy to be in his prime. That actually ends up turning on its head a little bit in an episode later in the season where maybe Cruz is starting to feel a little too cocky!

NGTV: CHICAGO FIRE has been going strong for seven seasons and is already renewed for an eighth – that is such a milestone in television these days! More impressively, many of the original cast members are still on the show, including yourself. Did you ever see yourself lasting that long when you first booked the show and what do you think is the secret to the show’s success?
JM: Never. You can never anticipate having this kind of longevity on television. Especially in the current climate. We’ve been one of the lucky few. When we first started up we just knew how much we liked one another. We actually went out of our way to find each other after we shot the pilot. I threw a party before we got the pick up in the event it would be the last time we saw each other. I think the success of the show lies in the fact that we play very salt of the earth people. In my experience firefighters are some of the most charismatic, interesting, down-to-earth, humorous people I’ve ever met. And when you have an opportunity to show all of that on television it’s captivating. It always feels like you’re watching family. It’s a very inviting show.

Minoso with fellow ONE CHICAGO stars Yuri Sardarov AKA Otis on CHICAGO FIRE and Marlyne Barrett AKA Maggie on CHICAGO MED. (Image: Parrish Lewis/NBC)

NGTV: How do you think Cruz has grown since we first met him?
JM: Well definitely as a firefighter. Cruz was driving truck 81 and mostly doing venting on roofs when the show started. He is now one of the elite firefighters in firehouse 51. He also is just more sure of himself as a man. I think his placement on squad provided a lot of opportunity for growth and that manifested itself in his personal life as well. He’s a more self-assured man which is fun to play.

NGTV: What do you admire most about him?
JM: His capacity for love. It’s endless. And he wears his heart on his sleeve. When you’re a Latinx man on television you tend to either be very machismo or someone who doesn’t express feelings very well. I love the fact that Cruz is neither of those things. I think it’s important that we show Latin men who are capable of expressing emotion.

NGTV: What has been your favourite storyline that you’ve been involved in?
JM: Different storylines for different reasons. The storyline where Chloe got in a terrible accident this season was particularly difficult on a technical level. We attempted one of the most ambitious shots in our entire run. And having to work through something like that was thrilling for me. Obviously the Zumba episode which has gotten a lot of attention and was great fun to film is a favorite memory. I will never ever forget the entire cast trying to follow along to the routine. It was one of the funniest moments of my life.

NGTV: Are there any storylines that you would like to see explored that the show hasn’t done yet, whether it be for your own character or the show in general?
JM: Great question. Quite honestly I leave that kind of thing up to the writers. As it is, I’m shocked that they’ve managed to come up with over 150 hours of television. They are far better at coming up with plots and storylines and I ever will be.

(Image: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

NGTV: The ONE CHICAGO franchise is known for seamlessly weaving characters in and out of its shows, even when it’s not an epic crossover. Who do you enjoy working with from the other shows the most and is there anyone that you would love to work with that you haven’t had a chance to yet?
JM: I love our crossovers. I am also always impressed at how seamless they seem. My favorite is when we roll from one show to another without a commercial break and you don’t realize we’ve changed shows until like five minutes into the episode. It is a ton of fun to go work on those shows. The actors are also like family. It’s very much like going to your favorite cousins house to play with all their cool toys. And actually, I think I’ve had the opportunity to work with everyone on all three shows.

NGTV: Aww! What do you like to do in your downtime? Do you have any hobbies?
JM: I play a lot of Mario with my wife on our Nintendo Switch. I also like to play golf whenever the weather allows. I currently am spending a lot of my time either developing a script that I’m going to be directing next summer or writing a script with a friend that we hope to produce in the future.

NGTV: You support a lot of different causes, what are some of the ones that you’re quite passionate about?
JM: Anything with children. I’ve worked closely with Shriners hospitals for children and their Be Burn Aware campaign. I recently lost my mother to a battle with cancer so I have become increasingly supportive of any events that help bring awareness to cancer warriors. Cycle for survival is one of my favorite events of the year. It is a great time and they raise tremendous amounts of money. I also do what I can with the 100 club of Chicago which supports families of fallen first responders.

Image: Brant Brogan

NGTV: The ONE CHICAGO world obviously keeps you busy for most of the year but what’s next for you?
JM: Like I said, I’m hoping to direct a film in the summer of 2020. And I’m in the process of developing a potential film or miniseries about two young Latinx altar boys in the lower east side of New York City circa 1995.

NGTV: Before we wrap up, we have a section on our site called ‘Nice Boy of the Week’. If it came down to Joe Minoso and Joe Cruz, who would get it and why?
JM: Hilarious! I think we’re both pretty nice dudes. If it came down to the wire, I’d have to give it to Cruz. I mean he’s a hero. Way more noble and definitely nicer than being an actor.

NGTV: And if you could nominate any male TV star to be our Nice Boy of the Week, who would you pick?
JM: Henry Winkler. I hear he is the quintessential nice guy.

CHICAGO FIRE returns tonight at 9/8c on NBC.

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ONE CHICAGO: CHICAGO MED “Can’t Unring That Bell”, CHICAGO FIRE “It Wasn’t About Hockey” and CHICAGO P.D. “Ties That Bind” Episode Round-up
ONE CHICAGO: CHICAGO MED “Who Can You Trust”, CHICAGO FIRE “You Choose” and CHICAGO P.D. “Trust” Episode Round-up
ONE CHICAGO: CHICAGO MED “All the Lonely People”, CHICAGO FIRE “Inside These Walls” and CHICAGO P.D. “Brotherhood” Episode Round-up