Monica Raymund was once best known in television for her role as Gabby Dawson on Chicago Fire, and she was one of the most recognizable faces of NBC's One Chicago. The actress left her longtime home on Chicago Fire after Season 6 in 2018, and it became the first time in years that she didn't already have a steady job lined up. Now, as the star of Hightown in its final season on Starz in the 2024 TV schedule, Raymund spoke with CinemaBlend about that decision to move on from Fire.
I spoke with Raymund and Hightown showrunner Rebecca Cutter together at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta, and with the Starz drama currently in its third and final season, I asked the two to look back to when the actress landed the lead role. Cutter explained when she knew that Raymund was the right person for the lead role even though she was then best known for a network TV drama:
I knew because she auditioned and she killed it! But I couldn't even have dreamt how much she became the heart and soul of the show. Jackie drives the whole thing, and Monica has been beyond the beyond of what I could have prayed for in terms of bringing that character to life.
While Hightown and Chicago Fire are both certainly dramas, Jackie Quiñones and Gabby Dawson's stories definitely are not interchangeable. According to the Starz showrunner, Monica Raymund showed her mettle for playing Jackie from the audition and went on to exceed her expectations.
For Raymund, coming off of playing Dawson for more than 150 episodes across three different Chicago-set shows meant stepping out of a very safe zone. It was a bold step that then-Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas didn't initially think would happen, and it led the actress to Starz.
But why did she know that Hightown was the right fit after Fire? After thanking Cutter for her kind words on the SCAD TVfest red carpet, Monica Raymund explained:
It worked out after Fire because I needed a job. [laughs] I needed a job, and then I read the script and I was so excited to audition for it because it was the best thing I'd read in years.
Anybody who has watched an episode of both Chicago Fire and Hightown can surely understand why the pilot would have been very different from anything Raymund had read for One Chicago! What happens on Starz and what happens on NBC can be very different. I went on to ask the actress if it was nerve-wracking to audition after having a steady series regular gig for so long, and she shared:
It was very nerve-wracking! Good question. It's an insider question. Yeah, it's scary when you leave something. Leaving job security is scary in any industry. As an actor, it's particularly scary because we're gig workers. So whenever I was reading Hightown, I was so excited to be considered for it, because it was a world that I hadn't had an opportunity to play on television before.
Fortunately, Monica Raymund conquering any nerves paid off, and she landed the lead role in her own show as her very first post-Fire acting gig. She did return to One Chicago a couple of times after leaving as a series regular, though; first to give a bit of closure to fans for a proper Dawsey goodbye, and then a guest appearance in Season 8.
For now, her Hightown journey is still ongoing. New episodes of the third and final season air on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz. You can also revisit earlier episodes (or start from the beginning) with the full series so far streaming via Hulu subscription. If you're now in the mood to revisit her days as Dawson, you can also find Monica Raymund's full run of Chicago Fire streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
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