Joe Miñoso has been a cornerstone of NBC’s Chicago Fire since its inception, bringing depth, humor, and heart to the character of Joe Cruz.
Over the years, Cruz has evolved from a lighthearted, Zumba-loving firefighter to a dedicated family man and seasoned Squad member with profound stakes at play.
Miñoso’s portrayal has consistently captured the balance between Cruz’s vulnerability and his fierce loyalty, making him a fan favorite in the One Chicago universe.
In this exclusive interview, Miñoso reflects on the unique opportunity of revisiting a storyline from the show’s very first season.
The Flaco arc, initially a defining moment for Cruz, comes full circle in Chicago Fire Season 13, offering a deeper exploration of his character’s psyche.
With Cruz now a husband and father, the stakes have never been higher, as his protective instincts lead him into dangerous territory.
Beyond the gripping storylines, Miñoso highlights how Cruz mirrors his own life journey, from personal growth to evolving responsibilities. For Miñoso, playing a noble, expressive Latino male in a lead role is not just a career highlight but also a profound responsibility.
As he gears up for a monumental crossover event, Miñoso’s passion for Cruz and the show’s legacy shines through, promising fans an unforgettable season ahead.
One of the coolest things about this series being on for so long is that you get to revisit storylines. What was your reaction to the Flaco storyline sort of coming back around? That was Season 1, I believe.
It was indeed Season 1. I was blown away, frankly. I was really impressed and proud of the writers for taking on the challenge of trying to figure out how to reinvestigate a story from a dozen years ago and try and do that in a new and interesting way.
And I really feel like they pulled it off. So I hope that we did it justice. I was so happy to open up probably Cruz’s largest plot hole and lingering unanswered question for him.
So yeah, it was awesome. And it was so awesome to do. It was great to finally put it on its feet.
Yeah. I love Richard Cabral. He’s fantastic. I enjoyed seeing the two of you together onscreen.
No, that dude. And he was on the show in Season 1. And he technically did not play the same character.
But in my mind, feasibly, he could be playing the same character in my mind. He’s the guy who ended up holding a knife to Hermann’s throat in the finale of Season 1. And he’s just sort of a generic guy there.
To be able to say, no, that was actually Flaco’s cousin from season one, who got arrested, like, right after that fire. And he’s been in there for a dozen years. Makes a lot of sense to me.
But he’s an incredible, incredible actor. And it was everything I could do to just keep up with him. He was really amazing.
So Cruz, of course, has far greater stakes this time around. He’s married now, has a child, and he’s in a different point in his career. Can you touch on his mindset and how he handles this new, scary development moving forward?
You know, drastically.
First and foremost, above anything, Cruz is a person who will protect his family at any risk, at any cost, really, especially for his own life. He’s far more concerned about taking care of the people he loves than he is about taking care of himself.
I think you’ll see him make a bunch of unsmart decisions for him personally, all in the effort to keep his family safe.
Yes, I know the synopsis teases that he makes a “devil’s bargain,” which I thought was a really great turn of phrase there. How much trouble can we anticipate Cruz getting into and how long before the others start noticing?
I think he gets himself into the most amount of trouble he possibly could. And there will be no way that the rest of the firehouse won’t find out.
You’ll learn very quickly at the end of Episode 9, beginning of Episode 10, there will be no hiding this secret anymore.
And so that’s going to kind of develop more intensely. And you’re going to get to see what happens when that Pandora’s box gets opened at 51.
Right. And there’s a different energy now with Pascal instead of Boden.
You know, I don’t think that Boden would be much better. This is pretty big. Steve Chikerotis, who is our head technical advisor, has a story that he loves to tell about when they first pitched him the idea of killing off Flaco.
It was like Michael Brandt and Derek Haas had to flip a coin to see who was going to tell him because they were so afraid that Chik was going to hate the idea because of how it would make a firefighter look at the end of the day.
But he was like, “No, are you kidding me? It’s like this will be like such a conversation starter.”
And I don’t know anybody who, if they really had to face that moment where they’re like, OK, well, here’s an opportunity to save my family’s life. Who wouldn’t do it, you know? And so I think it was such an exciting step for them to take.
It was such a bold move and decision to make in our first season and to come back around in Season 13 and be able to put an exclamation point on it, to say the least. It was one of the best gifts you can have as an actor.
Speaking of, how do you feel your character has evolved from the beginning until now? And what are you most proud of?
In general, I’m most proud about having the opportunity to play a Latino male who does not have a problem expressing his feelings and is in every way a noble human being looking out for the best interests of his family.
I think that we rarely get to see this in TV and film.
And to be able to kind of take on that character has been by far the greatest joy and responsibility of my life.
And how has Cruz evolved over time?
In a lot of ways, the same way I have, you know, like it’s like we’re the same age pretty much.
In my ten years, I’ve gotten married. I have a mortgage. I have four dogs. I have far more people to think about and take care of than I ever did when I first started this job.
I think it’s the same for Cruz. I’ve loved seeing him evolve. Cruz was like a Zumba instructor, goofball firefighter for the first three years. And then he joined squad, and that was a big glow-up. And then he got married.
I tell people I have the best role in the One Chicago universe because I’ve gotten to do so many different things and play so many sides of this character. I don’t know what else to ask for, frankly.
What can you tease about the big crossover coming up and the rest of the season?
What I can tease is that I don’t think it’s a crossover. I think it is a three-hour film. It’s not something that’s jumping from show to show.
This is like a one-arc storyline with three hours of your favorite One Chicago characters intertwined.
Wow! So bigger than the infection one? Because that was massive.
Yes. One hundred percent. It is by far the largest thing we’ve ever done. It was an enormous feat for all three production crews to even figure out how to get it done.
And so, yeah, it’s incredible. It’s the biggest crossover you’ve ever seen, but it’s not a crossover. It’s a One Chicago movie of the week.
Chicago Fire returns tonight at 9/8c on NBC.
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Source: TV Fanatic
