Hold onto your hats, “9-1-1” fans, because even Angela Bassett isn’t over that shocking death! Weeks after Peter Krause’s beloved character, Captain Bobby Nash, made the ultimate sacrifice, Bassett, who plays his on-screen wife, Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash, is still reeling.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the Met Gala just a few days ago, the iconic actress admitted she’s still in mourning over Bobby’s heartbreaking exit.
“I’m in mourning,” she confessed, her voice filled with genuine emotion. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my choice. I don’t know.” It’s clear this loss wasn’t just tough for viewers; it blindsided the cast too.
For eight seasons, Bobby Nash was the steady heart of the 118, so his heroic death in the April 17th episode, using the final antidote to save Chimney from the deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, hit hard. The tearful goodbye scene between Bobby and Athena? Gut-wrenching! And now, as Athena, Chimney, and the rest of the crew grapple with the aftermath, the real-life emotions seem just as raw.
Bassett had previously hinted at her disbelief that Krause’s time on the show had come to an end, especially considering he’d been a central figure since “9-1-1” premiered in 2018. She revealed that showrunner Tim Minear gave both her and Peter a heads-up about a major character’s death. But even then, the idea of it being Bobby never crossed her mind!
“Tim did pull Peter first and let him know. Then he pulled me and he gave me a call and was like, ‘OK, Angela, this is a big change in the season. We gotta do something really dramatic, and someone’s going to die,'” Bassett told The Hollywood Reporter. Her first thought was that her character, Athena, was on the chopping block. When Minear assured her it wasn’t, Bassett ran through a list of other possibilities, but Bobby’s name didn’t even register.
“I think finally, after about three or four names, I was like, ‘What?!’ — because it was inconceivable to me that it was Bobby,” she said. “It was incredulous to me that it was Bobby, so it was just very surprising. Sometimes, you’re just struck dumb, and that’s one of those moments because their bond has been so wonderful and strong these past four or five years. I didn’t see that coming. None of us saw that coming.”
Are you still reaching for the tissues every time Bobby is mentioned? Share your feelings below!
