Angela Bassett Says 9-1-1's Athena Won't Grieve Bobby's Loss All Season

The cast of 9-1-1 is still getting used to Peter Krause’s absence on set, but Angela Bassett doesn’t think the aftermath of Bobby’s death will linger much longer.

“I don’t think it’s going to be, you know, that real sad, sad grieving sort of process that we’re used to seeing,” Bassett, 67, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, August 20, of her character, Athena Grant’s grieving process during the upcoming season 9 of the ABC series.

The actress, who was promoting her partnership with GSK for their Sideline RSV campaign, noted that the way Athena “handles” the death of husband Bobby Nash (Krause), might be a little unorthodox.

“[She’ll be] throwing herself back into work,” Bassett said. “You can’t catch her. She won’t land somewhere. She keeps moving. Keeps distracting herself.”

Angela Bassett in ‘9-1-1’. Disney/Christopher Willard

Bassett noted that even when people try to “hold her still,” Athena will break free. “It’s like, ‘Put me out there, [Captain]. Put me on the field,’” she said.

During season 8, ABC shocked fans when they killed off Fire Captain Bobby, who was the leader at Firehouse 118 in Los Angeles. After saving firefighter Chimney (Kenneth Choi) from a deadly virus by procuring the anecdote, Bobby locked himself in the infected lab, telling Athena that his protective suit was compromised and he wouldn’t survive.

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The season ended after a funeral for Bobby, which Athena dragged her feet to organize as she was in complete denial. However, she eventually moved past the heartbreak and got back to work during the finale, assisting the 118 in saving victims in a building collapse.

Looking back at Bobby’s tragic ending, Bassett told Us that she did have some heads up about his fate, but it didn’t make filming any easier.

Peter Krause in ‘9-1-1’. Disney/Christopher Willard

“The first time that you see one another [after the script news], it’s like, ‘Oh, this is odd.’ And we still have, like, another week or two of scenes,” she recalled.

The actress noted that when the cast returned to start season 9, which premieres in October, the reality of Krause’s absence set in. “It’s not out of the ordinary to do scenes that each other is not in, but you have this awareness that he won’t be in any of these scenes,” she said.

Bassett teased, “Maybe we’ll bring it back in memory some kind of way,” adding, “We’re gonna sort of massage you a little bit through and massage us through it.”

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Bassett proceeded to gush over Krause, calling him the “kindest most gentle of people.”

As the “elder statesmen of the group,” Bassett said she and her TV husband were bonded.

“We’ve been around a while. We had a great run together, and I think we’ve all died a couple of times in these various shows, projects that we loved,” she said with a laugh. “They go for the heart. Peter, I can dig it. I understand. I’ve been there.”

Jack Zeman/Fox/Everett Collection

While fans wait to see how Athena moves on without Bobby on season 9, Bassett is focused on her partnership with GSK’s Sideline RSV campaign. The campaign is aimed at helping older adults become educated on the risks associated with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which is a common, contagious virus that can become life threatening for people with underlying conditions.

“Older adults are a vulnerable population, just like our young babies and our infants,” Bassett told Us of her decision to team up with GSK. “And once I heard the numbers that 177,000 [people] 65 years and older were hospitalized because of severe RSV, and 14,000 estimated resulted in death, [I] was like, ‘Oh, this is very important.’”

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She explained that the solution is to speak with your healthcare provider if you are of age and know your risks.

“My loved ones, my late mother, had these underlying health issues that made their health journey that much more complex and complicated,” Bassett said, noting, “There’s power in prevention.”

For more information on GSK’s Sideline RSV campaign, check out their official website.

Season 9 of 9-1-1 premieres on ABC Thursday, October 9, at 8 p.m. ET.