Joe Minoso is Joe Cruz Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC
Cruz and Chloe aren’t just taking care of son Otis these days. In Chicago Fire‘s “Keep You Safe,” which airs on Wednesday, April 6, the couple tries to adjust after temporarily taking in a 10-year-old immigrant boy named Javi who Cruz saved from an apartment fire.
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“I think what you’re going to notice is how easy it is to fall in love with this kid and how much Cruz and Chloe are falling in love with this kid. And how quickly he just sort of ingratiates himself into the family dynamic,” Minoso, 43, exclusively told Us WeeklyThe episode will be broadcast in two parts. “The problem is that it seems that there is a family member in the United States for Javi and, of course, their priority in the foster system is that they reunite him with an immediate family member. So that’s gonna be what we’re gonna have to see Cruz and Chloe navigate throughout the episode.”
Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz, Christian Stolte as Mouch in ‘Chicago Fire.’ Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC
For Minoso, the latest story line has been “pretty phenomenal” for him to dive into “from an actor’s perspective.” Working with Kristen GutoskieThe past few years have also been a highlight.
“[She’s] an incredible talent and I’m so happy that we have an opportunity to let her shine a little more and give her some more room to show off what she can do,” he gushed. “And Carlos S. SanchezJavi is played by Jeremy, who is a 30-year old in a 10-year old’s body. He’s just so aware and so in tune and such a good character. I mean it. You are ahead of me. It has been nothing but a joy.”
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He added: “The show has been blessed this season with some pretty great guests. But I believe I have the best of the crop. These two are such a joy to work with and I really hope you get to see them over and over and over again.”
Minoso is a regular on the NBC drama, which debuted in 2012. And over the years, he’s found that Cruz and him have a lot in common.
Anthony Ferraris as Tony, Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz in ‘Chicago Fire.’ Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC
“It’s weird because in a lot of ways it mirrors my life. This is what I was thinking about the other day. I started season 1 with this person. Yuriy Sardarov Charlie BarnettI was in my early thirties, and I was out at all hours of night with random people and doing stupid things. And fast forward to 10 years later, I’m a very happily married man who is living in the suburbs and in bed by 9:30. I think in a lot of ways, Cruz, that sort of has evolved in the same way,” he explained to Use. “We got to see him be kind of a goofball with Otis and grow into a more established role in the firehouse becoming a member of Squad 3 and being kind of a more elite firefighter.”
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He believes that Cruz became a father because of his professional foundation. “That is what built the confidence in him that was seen by Chloe and brought them together. The love he received from Chloe was what made him a more secure person and prepared to accept the idea of fatherhood. And now it seems like he just wants to be everybody’s father,” he told Us. “He just wants to take on as many responsibilities as he can, because I think he feels ready to be that kind of leader and that kind of figure in somebody else’s life. Because he’s moved through so much. That’s really the joy of playing someone this long. It’s amazing to see how a character develops. And that’s a lot of fun for me.”
Chicago FireAirs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC ET.
