When Chicago Fire Season 14 premieres Wednesday, there will be more big changes at Firehouse 51. The NBC series has said goodbye to two main characters—Darren Ritter and Sam Carver—and is welcoming another new arrival. The shift is particularly impactful for Mouch, who was responsible for bringing Ritter to the firehouse in the first place, and who finds himself still adjusting to being a lieutenant.

In an interview ahead of the season premiere, actor Christian Stolte and executive producer Andrea Newman reflected on the latest moves in the world of Chicago Fire. They also shared some details about new firefighter Sal Vasquez, played by On Call star Brandon Larracuente. And how will Mouch’s longstanding friendship with Christopher Herrmann be affected by the duo’s move up the ranks?

Chicago Fire fans were surprised by the departures of Carver and Ritter, but we know Ritter will return in Season 14 to wrap up his story. What can be said about his goodbye? And what was it like for both of you, especially considering Mouch’s mentorship of Ritter?

Andrea Newman: I think the gift of having 14 years and having the scope of the show that we have is getting to see characters evolve and grow and where that takes them… [Mouch] being the guy who’s on the ropes and might not make it much further to becoming a lieutenant. And for Ritter, he was the guy clinging to the banister, certainly not expecting he was going to be a firefighter from there, just wanting to survive in that moment. And it was Mouch that pulled him off the banister and brought him into the firehouse. Watching Ritter become the firefighter that he was, become the friend that he became to so many people in that firehouse, with Mouch as a mentor all along the way.

But at the end of the day, what he was looking for the most in his life was a relationship, and was finding love. And so when that happened, it felt like the right way to send to send him off. I feel like he’s certainly always going to be a part of this firehouse, and we’ll see him again. But that story has been set up and put on that track for a while now. And the thing about 51 is all the friendships are so profound, and nobody wants anybody else to leave. [Everyone is] always like don’t go, don’t go, but underneath it is we’re your platform to go wherever you want. And that’s been true for so many of the characters on the show. We send them off with all the support and wind at their back that they could ever, ever want. But it’s bittersweet. It’s always, always hard.

Christian Stolte: [Daniel Kyri]’s one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with. He’s phenomenal, and what he brought to the show is self-evident, but what you don’t see who he was to us between the takes, behind the scenes. One of the most thoughtful and lovable and funniest and smartest and insightful and mature young men I’ve ever worked with.

Newman: whenever you’re in post and there’s a moment happening and you want reactions from the group, it was always Daniel that you’d go to, because he was always in the scene 1,000 percent. He could do so much with just one look and you’re crying, you’re laughing. He’s really a true talent and beloved, both as a character and an actor.

Mouch’s other close relationship is with his best friend Christopher Herrmann. Last season saw both of them get promoted, and Herrmann is taking further steps up the ladder in Season 14. Will that affect their friendship?

Stolte: There is a feeling that Herrmann might have gotten a little ahead of himself with that offer he made, and that maybe he didn’t think it all the way through. But here we are. We are playing the hand we’ve been dealt and it is complicated, and that’s kind of what I love about it, is the transition. In some sense, it’s an easy transition for a 40-year veteran of the CFD to find himself an officer. He’s been paying attention over the years to some excellent officers who really knew what they were doing. And it turns out, whether he thinks so or not, he has gleaned what he has needed to to serve that role.

But externally, what had to happen for him to get there is not going to resolve itself easily. There is a sort of weird pas de deux going on between Herrmann and Mouch that results in some scenes that have a tension or a vibe that we’ve never seen between those two characters before, and it’s been a lot of fun to play.

Newman: Certainly as writers, but even just as viewers, you want to see a whole new version. You want to see something new. The perfect example is Mouch-Herrmann. They’re so close; they’re best friends. And how do we mess that up?

That’s part of the Kidd-Severide family stuff too, is what can we do that really puts them in a whole new position, something they didn’t expect, something they didn’t see coming. So it’s looking ahead, but it’s using what we are so lucky to have—which is this deep, deep foundation of 14 seasons to propel us into what’s going to come next and what’s something we haven’t seen before.

We were realizing a couple years ago [that] Violet and Severide had never had a scene together. They’ve got a scene together, and so that’s a dynamic. There’s always a new, fresh note to play with, which is to see what these two characters will do when they’re together in this kind of situation.

Chicago Fire is adding Brandon Larracuente as Sal Vasquez in Season 14. How do you describe Vasquez as a character and what he brings to Firehouse 51 that is new and fresh?

Newman: Vasquez is a very interesting character, and is going to really do some turning the house upside down. He’s got a backstory that we hint at in the first episode. He’s got some first responder family that is going to come in and kind of mess with the firehouse, and he’s going to mess with the firehouse.

His dynamic with Kidd is going to be kind of the center of the first bunch of episodes, because she’s had her hands full before, but this is a different kind of challenge. He’s not the guy who goes along, gets along. As we learn early, he’s had some trouble before, and he’s gotten bounced out of a lot of firehouses, and now Kidd may be just the lieutenant he needs, but only if they can both handle each other.

The last few seasons have been rough on Mouch, whether it’s contemplating retirement or being dead for a short period of time. Will Chicago Fire Season 14 give him a break in that respect?

Newman: Well, everybody can only hold a certain amount of blood. [Mouch has] lost a lot. I think we were at a pint and a half, so we’ve got to keep him under a pint and a half. He can lose a pint this year. But then he’s gone, then he’s dead, so we’re going to try to keep it at a pint. [Laughs.]

Chicago Fire Season 14 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.

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