LeAnn Rimes hopes viewers keep an open mind about her 9-1-1: Nashville character — the scene-stealing Dixie Bennings.
In NewsPlop‘s cover story ahead of 9-1-1: Nashville‘s premiere on Thursday, October 9, Rimes, 43, teased her role, saying, “I think people will love to hate her — and they’ll really love her too.”
Rimes recalled how she “just fell in love with” Dixie during her audition. “She’s a villain but she’s also really lovable,” she added. “There’s still so many lovable qualities about her but she’s so manipulative and she will exploit her son’s love for all it’s worth.”
For the country singer, the work started before she even booked the role.
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“I was asked to come read — and I had not read for a role since I was 17. I went and I was like, ‘If I blow it, whatever, it’s not a big deal,’” she shared. “For my audition scene, Dixie smokes and so I went and bought a pack of cigarettes. I sat around the house and — without lighting it since I’ve never smoked in my life — I was messing with the cigarette. I took them to the audition and I was like, ‘I’m gonna use these.’”
Rimes continued: “My hand was so shaking at the very first read and once I got through with that, I was like, ‘OK, can we do it again? Like, now that I’ve gotten through it.’ I wasn’t even home yet before they called and offered me the job.”
Amid the chaos that follows Dixie, Rimes is excited for the story to evolve — especially through her relationship with onscreen son Blue (Hunter McVey).
“I am so protective of Hunter in real life. This is his first acting gig and so he got thrown into the fire,” she told Us. “So I’ll DM him and I’m like, ‘Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. This is from your mother.’ He’s such a sweet kid and I really have just had this maternal feeling toward him.”
Set in the Tennessee capital, 9-1-1: Nashville follows the lives of emergency responders — including firefighters, paramedics and police officers — as they face life-threatening situations. The obstacles aren’t just in their work lives but outside of the job as well.
At the center of the show is Chris O’Donnell‘s Captain Don Hart, who runs a team of emergency responders with his son, Ryan (Michael Provost). Nashville is full of secrets, and the Hart family is in for a surprise when a chance encounter with McVey’s Blue exposes his connection to Don, who turns out to be his father.
Blue’s mother, Dixie (Rimes), has ulterior motives when convincing him to join the Hart family. Don’s wife, Blythe (Jessica Capshaw), meanwhile, quickly picks up on Dixie’s plan. 9-1-1: Nashville is the latest installment in Ryan Murphy’s expansive TV universe.
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“The things that I’ve done in the past have been just like an extension of who I am. This is an extension of me but way more than I could have ever imagined,” Rimes shared. “Hunter and I were talking about how we yell a lot on set and so we were like, ‘Can you imagine if we talk like this live?’ We’re both so calm and chill and so opposite.”
She continued: “To let the rage and the anger and the things out on set [while in character], it’s fun. It was such a juxtaposition of who I am normally and what I’ve been offered before.”
The best part of 9-1-1: Nashville is the show not taking itself too seriously.
“You’re right about how it is kitschy and there are some real Dynasty-like moments,” Rimes noted. “It’s not just all about the high-stakes rescues. There’s definitely some drama and there’s a nighttime soapy vibe to the show. We get to have a lot of fun with that and nothing is taken too seriously, which I love.”
9-1-1: Nashville premieres on ABC Thursday, October 8, at 9 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.