Rob Lowe and Liv Tyler Discuss their Characters in CTV’s Highly-Anticipated New Series 9-1-1: LONE STAR, Premiering Jan. 19

9-1-1: LONE STAR follows progressive New York City firefighter Owen Strand played by Rob Lowe. In the series debut, Owen relocates to a firehouse in Austin, Texas to help them rebuild after a tragedy. Faced with a tough challenge, he works to assemble his new team and meets wry chief paramedic, Michelle (Liv Tyler). In advance of the two-night premiere event beginning this weekend on CTV, Lowe and Tyler share their experiences working on the highly-anticipated series: Q: Did you train specially for your role as a firefighter? Rob Lowe: We’ve done a lot of training, (including) with the Los Angeles Fire Department. I also, just in my personal life, have friends who are first responders and sheriffs, and I spend a lot of time with them going on rides… so, I know sort of what makes those real heroes tick. And I love – in an entertainment landscape that is increasingly about superheroes – that I get to play a human being who is a hero. Q: In the pilot, your character Owen Strand is seen pushing for diversity. With 9-1-1: LONE STAR set in Austin, Texas, how do you see that coming into play? RL: Well, there’s a couple things. One, (co-creator) Ryan Murphy has always been the leader in the entertainment business in giving underrepresented people a chance. He has a whole program with directors and mentorship, but also in terms of the stories he tells. We do the same in this show… because it makes it current, contemporary. And you know, we have… Brian (Michael Smith), who plays our transgender firefighter, Paul, who is a transgender man, awesome actor, awesome guy – and that story isn’t really ever told. And it’s real. It’s based on a character in Chicago, apparently. But we tell it in a way that it’s not about, “Oh, look at how woke we are,” because I find that so tedious and that’s prevalent. He’s (Ryan Murphy) an interesting man with great stories. And because transgender people have been unrepresented, as have a lot of people, their stories are new and that’s what you want on TV. We’ve seen everything on TV. This injects new storytelling blood into the show. Q: How was working with Liv Tyler? RL: I mean, she’s the most gentle soul… And it’s interesting because Liv has been in our consciousness. You know, Liv’s been acting for a long time and been in iconic works… It’s really hard to find a role that shows you in a different light when you’ve been shown so much. And Liv Tyler badass is something I have not seen before, because she’s always so ethereal. Q: Your co-star, Rob Lowe, describes you as ethereal; however, Michelle comes off as quite the badass. Where did you have to go to create this character? Liv Tyler: It’s funny because I actually think Michelle’s more like me than any character ever. I’m loving playing her… I think because I have a soft voice or something, people always see me in that light. But I see myself as quite a resilient, strong person, in just my life experiences. I like that she’s very good at her job and that that’s what…her whole life is sort of based on – what happens when she goes into that moment and how she’s saving those people. Q: For you, what’s the biggest difference doing television over film? LT: They’re so different. I’m still trying to understand this… I mean, this is like a lifestyle. If you’re doing a show for many years, you get to know your character and this team of people. It’s a different kind of lifestyle kind of commitment…there’s more security in it. Where in a film, you get the script in advance, you’re preparing, you’re studying. There’s one director, occasionally two sometimes, but you know, there’s one particular sort of single vision. Whereas in television, that’s ever-changing. Every episode is directed by someone else. There’s multiple writers, there’s a writers room, there’s multiple producers. So, it’s a very different sort of experience because you have to sort of trust in yourself in a different kind of way. You get to know your character, yet they write new things for you every week; and you have no idea what’s going to happen. So, it’s always very exciting, but it is very different. 9-1-1: LONE STAR premieres with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 19 directly following the NFC Championship Game, with the second episode airing Jan. 20 to kick-off the series regular Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT timeslot on CTV and everywhere CTV content can be found.