‘City on Fire’ Star Wyatt Oleff Opens Up About His ‘Interesting and Deep Character’ (Exclusive)

At just 19 years old, Wyatt Oleff has racked up an impressive list of film and TV roles, including with the Guardians of the Galaxy and IT franchises, as well as the critically acclaimed Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This. Now, Oleff is starring in City on Fire, an ensemble drama-thriller from Apple TV+. Recently, PopCulture.com had a chance to speak with the actor about his new show, and the “interesting and deep character” he gets to play. 

City on Fire was developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, from a book of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg. In the show, Oleff portrays Charlie, a teen whose life is forever changed when his friend Samantha (Chase Sui Wonders) is shot in Central Park, New York City on July 4, 2003. As Charlie seeks to learn who pulled the trigger, more mystery begins to unravel, revealing connections between many questionable characters who were connected to Sam, possibly even the person who pulled the trigger.

“I think Charlie’s such an interesting and deep character that we get to really explore throughout the show,” Oleff told us exclusively, speaking about what he enjoyed most about his role, “starting out as this awkward kid who doesn’t really know his place in the world, and then through Sam, finds someone who gives him a sense of purpose and belonging. Then losing her, he kind of loses the ground under his feet and is unable to find out what he needs to do next. He feels like if he loses her, then he loses everything.”

He continued, “That gives him the motivation to then become an active character and pursue the answer. That’s what I loved about Charlie is that he goes from this kind of fragile, insecure kid to this, I know my place. I’m going to do what I have to do, morals aside to figure out what happened to Sam. That is such a fun character arc to play.”

Offering some deeper insight into how Charlie changes in the aftermath of Sam’s shooting, Oleff said, “I think his initial reaction is to run away from everything. Even his mom. He doesn’t want to be around anyone who doesn’t feel like will understand him. His mom is he thinks the last person who will be there for him. What’s so great is that he finds these people, he finds solace in these people who knew Sam.”

He added, “Then through that, he’s like, ‘Oh, Sam didn’t tell me everything.’ Then he starts to discover more and maybe he’s like, ‘Oh, maybe these people aren’t even the people I should be with.’ He kind of gets to create his own angle on everything.”

Finally, Oleff concluded, “That’s another thing I love about him is he’s so fresh to everything. He’s almost like a surrogate for the audience to see this world through his eyes. I think that’s what Josh and Stephanie have brilliantly executed in their scripts.” The first three episodes of City on Fire are now streaming on Apple TV+, with new episodes debuting on Fridays.