Chris O'Donnell is about to get some serious competition in the upcoming second season of 9-1-1: Nashville.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to PEOPLE, Ryan Philippe is joining the cast of the hit ABC procedural drama. Best known for his role in the film Cruel Intentions, the actor plays a "charismatic troublemaker with a mysterious past" and a "sharp, unconventional detective who relocates to Nashville from New York."
Is the Actor Part of a Bigger "9-1-1: Nashville" Storyline?
Philippe's character will reportedly "stir up drama," leading to "an investigation into a mysterious criminal tormenting Nashville on a biblical scale."
This is the actor's first television role since 2025. Previously, he appeared in Prime Video's series Motorheads as a former NASCAR mechanic. His credits also include the comedy MacGruber on Peacock, based on the movie and the popular Saturday Night Live skit, as well as the USA Network show Shooter, where he played the title role from 2016 to 2018.
There Was Already Plenty of Eye Candy on "9-1-1 Nashville" Before Ryan Phillippe Was Announced
It's true. In addition to O'Donnell, former fitness influencer Hunter McVey made his acting debut on the weekly drama. He plays "bad boy" Blue Bennings, a former stripper who joins the 113. The character the son of O'Donnell's character Don Hart and LeAnn Rimes' Dixie Bennings.
Not only is 9-1-1: Nashville McVey's first acting role, but it's also the first time he stripped on camera. Though he's been shirtless plenty of times on Instagram, he was nervous about it.
He had a coach to help him learn the technical aspects of undressing, but that didn't mean it was a breeze.
"That threw me for a loop," he said on an Instagram post. "I do two choreography lessons. We do it to this song, work with [choreographer] Jase, I memorize some moves, I'm practicing the entire weekend."
But when McVey arrived on set to perform, the sequence timing had to be changed.
"They said string with instinct," he said with a laugh. "I'm like, 'I don't have any instinct!'"
Here's hoping after hearing this story, Philippe knows what he's getting into.
