Photo: ABC
One of the first scenes Hunter McVey ever filmed in 9-1-1: Nashville was with Grammy-winning artist LeAnn Rimes.
McVey plays Blue Bennings in his breakout role on the show, and Rimes plays his mother, Dixie Bennings. The two of them star in the newest 9-1-1 installment alongside Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Hailey Kilgore, Michael Provost and Juani Feliz. ABC describes the action-drama — created by Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear and Rashad Raisani — as “a high-octane procedural about heroic first responders, as well as their family saga of power and glamour set in one of America’s most diverse and dynamic cities.”
McVey said in a recent interview with iHeartCountry that he’s “very blessed” to work with and learn from the rest of the cast. “They bring nothing but a nothing but a great energy to all of those emotional scenes.” He said “LeAnn is an incredible example of that,” as the two 9-1-1: Nashville stars portray the “incredibly complex dynamic” between the mother and son, in addition to other family members (including McVey’s onscreen father, played by O’Donnell). McVey recalled feeling “extremely nervous” to meet Rimes, but quickly felt comfortable and confident.
“One of my first scenes ever that I shot, (my) first scene with dialogue was at Dixie's house, and I was extremely nervous to meet her, obviously, to be in her presence — you know how talented she is — and she made me feel like I was her son,” McVey told iHeartCountry of working with Rimes. “She brought the motherly energy. She brought the supportive energy between takes, making sure that I'm okay, that she doesn't need to do anything different to make me feel more comfortable. And so, the amount of support that I've had from not only my fellow co-stars and actors, but from the entire production team and everybody, I've just felt nothing but supported. That has a really large part in giving me the confidence to come in every single day and just kind of do what I know I need to do without overthinking it too much because I can feel from everybody that they want me to do well. So, I'm very blessed in the fact with the people that I work with.”
McVey added that “it feels like I should be paying when (Rimes) sings” on set. “It feels like we're getting free concerts and it's a super cool thing to be a part of, not only with LeAnn, but with Hailey (Kilgore, who plays Taylor Thompson) as well, and with the other singers that we've had make appearances and the ones that are coming on in the future episodes. It's surreal,” he said. “And it's so good that you think it's almost a recording, but it's a live concert from LeAnn Rimes, 10 feet in front of you, and then multiple times because of all the takes that we're doing. So, it's just like, ‘I should be paying for this!’ It's incredible. She and all the other cast members, it's a dream come true.”
The fall finale of 9-1-1: Nashville aired on Thursday evening (November 13). The show's first season returns on Thursday, January 8. 9-1-1: Nashville airs on ABC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, and is available to stream the following day on Hulu.