Olivia Thirlby discusses joining Fire Country season 5 as firefighter CJ Ryan

Centre · 1Olivia Thirlby has joined the CBS series Fire Country in its fifth season as CJ Ryan, a newcomer to the town of Edgewater who thought she had left firefighting behind. 1 Centre · 1Screen Rant describes Thirlby as the first brand-new actor added to the show's main cast since it began in 2022, and says she was told early on that CJ would stand out among the established characters. 2 Centre · 1In the season 5 premiere, Bode met CJ, a former firefighter from Pennsylvania, while she was camping near Edgewater; at Founders' Day she fell into a sinkhole and was caught in the line of fire when a gunman attacked the fire station. 2

Centre · 1In episode 2, "Fire Under Fire", CJ helped fight a large vegetation fire where firefighters were again attacked by the same gunman, and it emerged that she was on the run after reporting her battalion chief and crew for taking kickbacks, for which she nearly got killed in retaliation. The gunman turned out to be Bryce Moffat, a resident who blamed the town's firefighters for his mother's death. 2 Centre · 2CJ decides to stay for a while and help Bode launch a volunteer firefighter crew; Thirlby says the volunteer department appeals to CJ because it has "an innocence" and, in her words, "no nonsense and no politics". 1 2 Centre · 2Thirlby describes CJ as sarcastic and says the writers told her CJ's voice is unique on the show; she credits the writers but says she relates as a native New Yorker. 1 2

Centre · 1She says CJ finds in Bode her first safe place in a while, which is why she opens up to him about a betrayal and shame she is running from, and that CJ's season arc is about learning to trust others and herself again. 1 Centre · 2Thirlby says CJ and Jake (Jordan Calloway) form a "really sweet relationship", and that CJ has a rich social life in Edgewater, including enjoying the burgers and fries at Smokey's. 1 2 Centre · 2Both interviews stress the physical demands of the role: Thirlby says the firefighting gear is a solid percentage of her body weight, that filming an episode 5 fire incident during a heat wave was among her hardest days, and that scenes of hiking up a mountain with gear are real. 1 2

Centre · 2She says the cast welcomed her warmly; she was already a fan of the show, calls the set high-energy, and says the sinkhole scenes were shot on a studio-built set. Screen Rant lists her earlier flawed characters, in titles including Y: The Last Man, The L Word: Generation Q and Law & Order: Organized Crime. 1 2