Mark Consuelos is revealing what made him say yes to the role of evil tech billionaire Tripp Houser on 9-1-1.
During the season 9 premiere on October 9, Tripp found himself in a pickle when his kayak was swallowed by a whale — with him inside of it. When the 118 came to the rescue, Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) didn’t hesitate to throw himself into the ocean to come to Tripp’s rescue before Hen (Aisha Hinds) gave him CPR to revive him. But despite both paramedics saving his life, Tripp only chose to award Hen for her heroics. His reasoning? He didn’t see Eddie’s grand gesture, because at the time, “I was dead.”
“I gotta tell you, it was [Tripp’s] lines that I read in episode 1 that made me say yes [to the role],” Consuelos, 54, confessed exclusively to Us Weekly. “I’m like, ‘I’m done. I’m done. That’s amazing. That’s hilarious. This guy is so out of his mind.’ But Eddie jumped — and Ryan Guzman had to come get me!”
Consuelos said that he and Guzman weren’t even introduced until the actor, 38, was jumping in and being forced to “eat” the “filthy water” while coming to his rescue.
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“We hadn’t met each other yet. He’s like, ‘I’m gonna come get you.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, dude, what’s going on? Are you closing your mouth? You’re not gonna open your mouth in this water, right?’ He said, ‘No, I’m not. I’m not doing that,’” Consuelos recalled with a laugh.
The scene was shot in Long Beach Harbor, which Consuelos, a self-described “germaphobe,” was hesitant about at first.
“I’m like, the ships in the harbor, we know what ships do when they flush their toilets,” he quipped. “I don’t know about this!”
Luckily, the shoot ended up being a “great” experience for all involved. And while Consuelos wasn’t swallowed by an actual whale, he was asked to film the aftermath scenes from within a contraption that resembled the inside of a whale’s throat. It was another aspect of the role that gave Consuelos initial pause, but the crew was there to keep him comfortable at every turn.
“They did ask me if I was claustrophobic. And I said, ‘I am. I am claustrophobic.’ And they said, ‘Cool. Well, when you’re in the whale, it’s like a big pistachio shell, and it’s going to move back and forth. You’re going to be stuck inside there,’” he recalled. “I’m like, ‘Alright, cool, just as long as I can give you the heads-up to open it when I need you to open it so I get some fresh air. Just as long as you are comfortable with that, I’m comfortable with that, I know I’m not going to die.’”
When it came time for shooting day, Consuelos said that filming the whale scenes was even “easier” than he expected.
“Because the lining of it, I could open it up and just stick my head out,” he said. “And they filled the whale’s mouth with warm water. So when they were sloshing back and forth, it was nice and warm.”
He added: “It definitely was not on my bingo card as an actor, but I thought it was great. [9-1-1] is the show that takes big swings. I know that about the show, and they do it well.”
9-1-1, of course, has not seen the end of Tripp Houser. The character will be at the center of season 9’s opening disaster as Hen and Athena’s (Angela Bassett) space mission goes wrong at every turn thanks to Tripp’s selfishly bad calls. Consuelos teases that “anything that can go wrong, goes wrong,” and viewers should buckle in for a bumpy ride. He’s also aware that putting Hen and Athena in danger isn’t going to win him points with fans.
“I’m screwed, I know!” he told Us with a laugh.
But while Tripp became 118’s public enemy No. 1, it was nothing but love between Consuelos and the cast behind the scenes. Oliver Stark, who portrays Evan “Buck” Buckley, recently gushed over how “lovely” and “warm” Consuelos was, and Consuelos said he felt that same energy right back.
“When you come on a show that’s been established for so long, like this show is, it’s always a little challenging for a guest star to come on. It’s such a well-oiled machine, you don’t know what the relationships are like,” he explained. “I’ve learned that when I do this, I just want to keep my head down, come in and do my job. I’m so get in and get out. And they were so welcoming and so lovely and so warm. And to me, it kind of made me realize it’s no surprise why this show works, because it’s like a family. They made me feel so welcome.”
Consuelos noted that it wasn’t just the cast but the crew as well that embraced him with open arms.
“I’ve been on shows where they do outlandish things, and it’s fun to watch on TV, but the people behind the scenes are really working hard,” he said. “I mean, they’re taking big swings, and the crews are doing a lot. They’re also a nice family and they get along and they’re positive. So, to me, it’s no surprise this show has been so successful and why it’s been on the air for nine years.”
The actor may be beloved by all off camera, but in recent years he’s become increasingly known for his villainous roles on screen. Before taking on an evil tech bro, Consuelos portrayed Veronica Lodge’s (Camila Mendes) criminal father, Hiram Lodge, on The CW’s Riverdale, a character who ultimately grew to be one of the show’s biggest antagonists.
“I think I probably should talk to my therapist about it and see what this is about,” Consuelos joked. “And in my career, everything started coming a little bit closer, just a little bit douchier, a little bit jerkier. And then every character started moving towards the ultimate in Hiram Lodge, just a dastardly villain, the worst. And I don’t know, I love it!”
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Being the bad guy isn’t something Consuelos has been doing his entire career. In his early days — like on the hit ABC soap opera All My Children opposite wife Kelly Ripa — Consuelos was used to being the hero. The villain, it turns out, is way more fun.
Consuelos confessed that in reading the first 9-1-1 scenes with Tripp, he liked how “feisty” the character was.
“He’s a little bit out of his mind and such an egomaniac,” he told Us. “There’s some really delicious things coming up. I spoke to [showrunner] Tim Minear, and he kind of gave me the arc of the character and what we were going to do and what I would have the opportunity to do with this guy. I was like, ‘I love it. I think it’s great.’ And what I read in episode 1, I thought the writing was really strong and tight and specific for this guy. It kind of gave me the confidence that I could do this.”
9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
