Chicago fire gay character

“We get to see them try to keep things from each other and they become sleuths in each other’s love lives in a way that’s really indicative of the closeness they have.”

It’s unclear whether Monroe could appear as a character on Chicago Fire‘s police spinoff, Chicago P.D., however, it would be the perfect opportunity for a crossover romance.

Now, Kyri is starring in a six-episode audio adaptation of Hamlet; the work was made possible through the Make-Believe Association, the Chicago company behind the award-winning audio drama Lake Song.

Recently, Kyri provided a full-circle moment, talking with Windy City Times about his work (past, present and future) as well as several other topics.

Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.

Windy City Times: Before we talk about anything else, what do you remember about your night as a 30 Under 30 honoree?

Daniel Kyri: I remember that it was on the South Side [at the Polo Cafe].

Relegating these characters to the sidelines, only to put them out front because they’re dark-skinned or visibly queer and to make jokes of them—that’s what I would call visibility, which is not the same as representation. All I can say is to say what worked for me. But could his next fling be with a future Chicago P.D. officer? How did you react when you found out?

DK: I think, as someone who brought the character to life for seven years, there’s a wealth of experience there—and I always feel that there’s more to do, in terms of representation for us.

“His name is Officer Dwayne Monroe [Samuel B. Jackson], and he gets embroiled in this mystery when he’s called in to investigate what happened at Firehouse 51 and help the team track down the missing truck and Severide,” Daniel Kyri, who plays Ritter, told TV Insider in May 2024. I kept it that way, not intentionally, but mostly because it was one of my first experiences on set,” Daniel Kyri, who plays Ritter, told TV Insider in May 2024 about Ritter’s sexuality.

Windy City Times’ relationship with local LGBTQ+ actor Daniel Kyri extends back several years, when he was named one of this news outlet’s 30 Under 30. “I’m the first one—definitely the first one to stick around. That all contributed to a sense of authenticity on the show.

WCT: Unfortunately, your character’s run has ended.

There are book bans and cell phones that prevent us from engaging with other ideas or [potentially helpful] reflections of ourselves. Doing it this way has changed me as an artist.

WCT: I saw photos from the Chicago launch of this Hamlet, and the audience was really focused and immersed.

I got to record at Tightrope Recording, in Ravenswood, and there were other actors in the space with me—although there were other times in which I just recorded through Zoom or another livestream element with people in New York. I was in a Gift Theatre production of Hamlet in Jefferson Park when I was cast in the show and, now, I’m doing this version as I’m exiting the show.

There’s some fun to be had.”

Kyri also told TV Insider about why Ritter kept his romance with Monroe a secret, even from his best friend, Violet Mikami. It’s a surprisingly immersive experience when you’re listening on your headphones and listening to the story. [Laughs] People are just interpreting music on their own terms.

DK: Yes!

It’s really funny that you say that because that’s kind of how I’ve been describing it: “It’s Hamlet in a silent disco.” I hope that we get to do more productions like that; I’ve been talking with Jeremy McCarter of Make-Believe Association, who directed the project, about doing some more pop-up satellite events like that. When representation is wielded properly, it can be this wonderful tool that we can use to elicit empathy—which is the whole point of all of this.

WCT: I also want to talk with you about Hamlet.

That happens in my second season on the show. So getting to retread those tracks is a blessing, really, because I’ve been forced to encounter the ways I’ve changed in relation to the world around me. [Sound designer] Mikhail Fiksel designed this way of recording that’s akin to motion capture. The technical skills you gain in being able to tell a cohesive story and arc [are invaluable].

That’s my vision of representation.

There are distinctions between tokenism, visibility and representation, and the North Star is authenticity. Once you cultivate that, just keep going.

WCT: Do you have other projects going on?

DK: You’ll be able to hear me in a different context soon.