Chicago Fire's Daniel Kyri talks the 'joy' of playing an out hero on TV

This interview is part of Out's March/April fashion spread, in which out actors Joel Kim Booster, Daniel Kyri, Mark Indelicato, and Satya Bhabha talked TV and modeled menswear on the Universal Studios Lot’s Courthouse Square.

How would you describe your personal style?
I love outfits that can play with texture and silhouette. I am also not afraid of color. I’m a little all over the place, [which] I also love to reference in my style. So a lot of things that I end up wearing and also falling in love with are usually thrifted or antique in some way.

It’s a beautiful spring day. What clothing essentials do you reach for?
Something that is maybe versatile, but also I might lean a little utilitarian — because I’m a Chicago boy, and you never know what you are going to get in Chicago in the spring. I have this sick pair of Carhartt pants that are tailored, fitted...but also they’re Carhartt, so they’re durable. They can also keep you warm. I have this Nike throwback…windbreaker that I might pair with that.

AMI PARIS Light Heather Grey Wool Donegal Ami Embroidery Crewneck Sweater, White Cotton Poplin Tonal Ami de Coeur Classic Shirt, Taupe Wool Gabardine Shorts, Men’s White Ami De Coeur Knee High socks, Black Cow Skin Square Toe Loafers; OPENED JESUS Sterling Silver Plaster Ring; EMANUELE BICOCCHI Sterling Silver Dagger-Cross and Rose NecklaceANTHONY BARRIOS

What have you learned about your Chicago Fire character Darren Ritterfrom his clothes?
Oftentimes, I am in station gear or bunker gear, which is kind of the heavier, more protective equipment that a firefighter might wear. I think for me, it shifts the way I embody my character, Ritter. Just because something as simple as the weight and the heft, both sort of physically and otherwise, of the costuming that I wear, it just changes the way that I move, the way that I walk.

He is someone who is kind of chest-forward, and there’s something about the weight of even the station boots that I think can make me feel a little more grounded at times, a little more stoic than I normally am.

How has your character resonated with LGBTQ+ fans?
[The response has been:] “It’s a breath of fresh air. I’m so glad to see your character on a show like this, a character who is a hero, being represented in the full breadth of his humanity.”

[After Ritter came out,] this guy came up to me and he was like, “Hey, I just want you to know that we’ve always been here.” Meaning like him as a firefighter. And it wasn’t anything so grandiose as like a “thank you” or whatever, but it was a real moment of, I feel seen, and I see you. And whenever I hear anything like that, it lets me know that I am doing my job.

What does it mean for you to be an out actor on TV today?
I think it means an expansion of possibility for…little queer kids, as I once was, to see a version of themselves being represented and reflected back to them. It’s all about possibility. And when I think of the content or the media that I was met with when I was younger, it left a lot to be desired….

But those moments that I did come across, representation of queerness, positive representation specifically, it was like oxygen. It was like these little breadcrumbs of joy and of affirmation. And that is a goal of mine — if I can impact the world in that way, or if I can do a service to the little queer kid that still lives in me. I’m very happy to take up space and to tell the stories that I do on a platform like the one that I have. It’s something that feels really rewarding. It’s like the cherry on top for the work that I do on TV.

DOLCE & GABBANA “Stile” Pure White Milk Stretch Wool Long Double-Breasted Jacket and Trousers, Pure White Milk Tank Top, Beige Calfskin Loafer; SUBJECT’S OWN JewelryANTHONY BARRIOS

What TV show changed your life?
Will & Grace. It was funny, and it was refreshing, and it was lively and energetic, and I laughed — my God, I laughed at these characters that were so unlike me, but were just like me in a lot of ways. And it just was something that spoke joy into my life.

ANTHONY BARRIOS

This story is part of the Out March/April issue, which hits newsstands on April 2. Support queer media and subscribe— or download the issue through Apple News, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader starting March 18.

photographer: ANTHONY BARRIOS @anthony__giovanni
photographer’s assistant: JORDAN FRAME @_jordanframe
photographer’s assistant: ANDREW BARRIOS @andrewbarrios1
stylist: EDWIN ORTEGA @edwin.j.ortega
stylist assistant: KAREN VELIZ
grooming for Satya and Mark: JOSÉ FIGUEROA @josefigz
grooming for Joel and Daniel: TRACY RAFFELSON @tracyraffelsonmakeup
videographer: ROBERT MARRERO @itsrobertmarrero
location: COURTHOUSE SQUARE, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS BACK LOT @unistudios
All TV shows — HACKS, LOOT, CHICAGO FIRE, and SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF — are produced by Universal Studio Group. Interviews are condensed.