‘Chicago Fire’ First-Look Photos of Eamonn Walker and Interview Tease

NBC‘s Chicago Fire fans are a week away from seeing the return of the beloved actor Eamonn Walker reprise the role of Wallace Boden, and Deadline has your exclusive first look at the action-packed episode with teasers from the actor below.

In “Post Mortem,” airing Wednesday, April 16, at 9/8c, Boden has been tasked by Commissioner Grissom to run a post-incident analysis following a house fire that collapses with a firefighter inside.

This will be Walker’s first time on the series back at 51 since he departed in the Season 12 finale following his promotion from Battalion Chief to First Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department.

“It’s a really intense episode,” Walker told Deadline during a recent chat. “I will give you this much: somebody got left behind in a fire, and that somebody was a firefighter. That is a no-no and should never, ever happen. And because they were left behind, possibly by the end of this episode, we may lose them. It’s one of your favorites.”

More on this and what it was like for him to revisit the character he played since the series premiered in 2012 in our Q&A below.

DEADLINE: What? Why are you guys always playing with us and scaring us into thinking our favorites might die?

EAMONN WALKER: We’re not playing with you. It’s not called playing. We love the fact that you are so emotionally involved and that you don’t want any more! [LAUGHS] Within the hour that a firefighter was left behind and that moment happens, an investigation starts. So, Deputy Commissioner Bowden has to turn up at Firehouse 51 and let all officers and the chief know they are being investigated, and we have to prep just in case we lose this person. Possibly, a head will roll.

DEADLINE: Who is the firefighter that was left behind?

EW: That’s what you want to know? Yeah, I can’t tell you. Nice try, though. [LAUGHS] It’s somebody you know and love. You might even freak out.

DEADLINE: Will Boden be able to swoop in and save the day?

EW: That’s not his job this time.

DEADLINE: What was it like for you getting back into character?

EW: Bowden lives inside of me. My problem is stopping Boden from popping out. [LAUGHS] It was amazing to go back. It was amazing to put the uniform on. I’d missed everybody terribly, and the welcome that I got was second to none. I feel very privileged as an actor to have a cast, a crew, and a production office step up and welcome you home. That’s what it was like, and then we went to work. And we went to work in the way that we always work. We knew that there was a very special episode. The writing in this episode is fantastic, and the filming of it is unusual for a Chicago Fire episode. I think you’ve got more of a movie here than an episode.

DEADLINE: Boden has been gone for a hot minute, and so many things have happened. Boden’s pick to succeed him was Hermann (David Eigenberg), who has now taken the chief exam. Will he be weighing in on any of that?

EW: With his situation as it stands, none of that stuff matters. You know, the immediacy of somebody possibly dying is what takes precedent, and so he’s come to find out whose fault it is. Whatever relationships, politics, or promotions going on before, this situation right now could change all of that for everyone—none of that matters. And you know, Bowden’s investigating his old favorite house, so he has got to tread very carefully. He’s been a chief who’s been on the line. We watched more than 15 to 20 episodes where somebody was turning around and giving Bowden a hard time for the way he was doing his job. It’s Pascal’s [Dermot Mulroney] time this time, and I’m the one coming in. In my case, it was always a deputy, a deputy chief, or somebody higher than the chief coming in. There’s only one person above me, and that’s the commissioner. I am the Deputy Commissioner coming in to find out why a firefighter is left behind in the fire. It doesn’t get more intense than that.

DEADLINE: Would you say he’s been aware of all that’s been going on, though? What has Boden been up to off-camera?

EW: You don’t think that as Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, I don’t know what’s going on in Firehouse 51? [LAUGHS] As far as what he’s been up to off-screen, he’s being deputy commissioner and learning what that job is and how different it is to being a chief. When you first met him, he had control of five fire houses, although you never saw them, or you might have seen one or two. Then, he went to Deputy District Chief, and then he had a whole district, and now he’s got the whole Chicago Fire Department, so all of Chicago is under his wing. He knows the reputation he received for having a favorite with Firehouse 51, and he can’t afford to have that as Deputy Commissioner. He’s coming in to do his job and not get caught up on the fact that somebody’s in hospital. If Bowden does his job properly and the right person is discovered to be at fault, you will lose them too because they’ll be fired.

DEADLINE: We haven’t even seen your episode yet, but we’re ready for you to secure a date for another appearance. Was this a one and done?

EW: The truth of the matter is, if they write it, I will always come back and do it if I can be here. It’s a wonderful thing to be part of the Chicago Fire family. We support each other in so many ways that people can’t even possibly imagine, on and off the screen. So I’m very grateful.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Deadline selected the two exclusive photos in this story after speaking to Walker. The one below may reveal the firefighter left behind and why Walker was so emphatic about how stressed fans should be about what’s ahead. Walker is right, we are shooketh.

Chicago Fire is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.