‘Chicago Fire’: Here’s What Happened to Otis

Chicago Fire fans were shocked to see the events of the Season 8 premiere, in which something unexpected happened to fan-favorite character, Otis. Many were not sure what to expect after the cliffhanger ending of Season 7, but it maybe fair to say that this season opener definitely had viewers picking their jaws up off the floor.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Chicago Fire Season 8 premiere.

In the heartbreaking first episode of the season, Brian “Otis” Zvoneck, — played by actor Yuriy Sardarov — wound up being the casualty of a factory explosion.

Otis was attempting to get to safety, but, sadly did not make it.

Sardarov spoke with Tell Tale TV about the shocking development, telling them that he knew for a while where Otis’ story was going, and that he had had conversations with creator Derek Haas about it.

“I spoke to Derek Haas at the end of last season. Derek and I go way back. I actually did a film in college with him and Mike Brandt when I was still a senior at the University of Michigan, so we’ve been close for a long time,” Sardarov stated.

“We had a discussion about the character and where he was headed, and I was very upfront with him about the fact that it’s been eight years, and I started when I was 22, and now I’m 31. The communication was very open and honest, and we both walked away from it feeling really good,” he continued.

“Going into the eighth season, sometimes you need something that’s going to get the engines revved up a little bit, and what better way to do that than to kill someone so beloved and someone so warm and sweet and funny? I think in many ways, Otis is the one character that people don’t expect to die,” Sardarov added.

“It was difficult, but it was also necessary,” he went on to say. “It was a combination of me wanting to move on and them needing something akin to what’s going to happen. And I think those two things met at the perfect time.”

Regarding filming the tragic death of his character, Sardarov revealed, “It was incredibly difficult emotionally, not to mention physically, and the prosthetics and keeping it all a secret. It was tough — it was really tough. In that last scene, Joe Minoso does such an incredible job, and the tears in his eyes were real and the tears in my eyes were real.”

“I think it’s a morbid desire of every actor to die on stage or on screen,” he also said. “I was really excited about the prospect of doing that, and we did so many takes from so many different angles. It was hard because I was so emotional and I had to be catatonic, pretty much. And so to get those ten seconds of footage, it took quite a few starts and stops.”

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo Credit: NBC