It’s always so powerful to see great LGBTQ+ representation on television, and Fire Country is included on this list that keeps getting better and better. On the CBS procedural, one of the core characters, Eve, is a queer Black woman, and in Season 2 of Fire Country, she gets promoted to being the captain of Three Rock. When I had the opportunity to chat with Jules Latimer, who plays the firefighter, she explained the power of playing Eve and the positive impact it has had on fans.
While we spent a lot of time talking about shooting incidents for the show – like mudslides and massive fires – and the upcoming storylines for the characters following the Season 1 cliffhanger, Latimer also spoke to CinemaBlend about what it means to her to play a queer Black woman on such a massive TV show on the 2024 TV schedule. Recalling a sweet moment with a fan that really impacted her, Latimer told me:
"I was talking to my partner about this, I didn't really realize the impact until after the first season came out. There was this one moment, I was going to pick up a tux in New York, and this Black woman stopped me. And she was like, ‘Are you on Fire Country?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I play Eve.’ She said, ‘I'm a Black queer woman, and I work as an EMT. And so to see you be so good at what you do, to be such a badass at what you do, it's so empowering to me.’ And that just made it all worth it."
In Season 2 of Fire Country, we see Eve get a promotion, and she becomes the captain at Three Rock. In the second episode of the new season, we see her tell Bode that being a female captain of an all-male crew is difficult. However, Latimer told me that she can’t wait to see her character grow into her power.
Part of the reason why she loves seeing Eve grow is because she knows that viewers who look like her and identify with her will feel seen and validated, like that EMT did. The actress said:
"Like, it's great to shoot. It's great to do all this stuff. And I also get messages from other Black queer folks around the country, like Middle America, and the world actually. And I think that's the most humbling thing is that they get to see themselves mirrored back, and I don't even really have the words for it. Because I always wanted to see that when I was growing up. And the fact that I am that now is a bit surreal. And so I'm just grateful. So freakin grateful."
Reiterating the importance of representation on television, Latimer told me that she is very moved by the fact that she’s playing someone she always wanted to see:
"I never thought that I was going to be in a position like this. So I'm grateful to have such a great team that sees me, and they're willing to represent let us represent. So it's beautiful."
It’s true, seeing a queer Black woman of power in the Fire Country cast is powerful, and she helps so many folks feel validated and seen. Personally, I can’t wait to see Eve grow into the leader we all know she can be, and Jules Latimer made it clear to me that she can’t wait to portray it.
To see Eve’s story so far, you can stream Fire Country with a Paramount+ subscription.
