Based on the book by Garth Risk Hallberg comes Apple TV+’s new “who done it” drama, City on Fire. The first three episodes of the series are now available to watch exclusively on the streaming platform, with a new installment releasing every Friday. City on Fire centers around the relationship between an NYU student and her best friend, who becomes desperate to uncover the mystery that develops when she is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July.
The show stars Chase Sui Wonders and Wyatt Oleff as best friend duo, Samantha and Charlie. Wonders is most notably known for playing Emma in the 2022 film, Bodies Bodies Bodies, while Oleff can be seen as Stanley Uris in It and It Chapter Two. Jemima Kirke, Nico Tortorella, Ashley Zukerman, Xavier Clyde, Max Milner, Alexandra Doke, Omid Abtahi, Kathleen Munroe and John Cameron Mitchell are also included in the main cast.
Wyatt Oleff and Chase Sui Wonders chat exclusively with Screen Rant about Sam and Charlie’s relationship and what draws them to one another in City on Fire.
Wyatt Oleff & Chase Sui Wonders Talk City On Fire
Screen Rant: What is the first word that comes to mind when you each think of your characters in this show?
Chase Sui Wonders: Chaos. Chaotic.
Wyatt Oleff: I want to say complex, but that’s so broad. It works, but it’s very broad.
The pilot begins when Charlie and Sam meet, and you can tell that she pushes him out of his comfort zone. What do you think she brings to his life that it may have been lacking beforehand?
Wyatt Oleff: I think the number one thing that she brings is just a companionship and trust of another person. I think that’s what Charlie was missing. He’s kind of floating in his life at that point, and he’s not really trying to talk to new people or expand his horizons at all. He’s just kind of stuck and stagnant, and what she brings is this sense of direction and somewhere to move forward. That’s so pivotal for him at that moment in his life.
On the other hand, Chase, what is it about Charlie that you think immediately attracts Sam to him?
Chase Sui Wonders: She’s a natural teacher and guide, but I do think part of that mentorship and companionship comes with her needing a home too. I think she’s kind of a lost child. Even though she’s super confident and knows the city like the back of her hand and is shepherding Charles along, I think she needs him too. She needs him as much as he needs her. And even though she’s not as forthcoming about admitting that, I think her acting as a mentor to him is, in turn, a way for her to feel taken care of.
There are so many intricacies within this show, but what aspect do you feel is the biggest draw?
Chase Sui Wonders: I feel like the suspense paired with the setting is an unbelievable kind of combination. I think the fact that the tension is so raw and visceral and the setting is these rock and roll, underground environments and these super elite wealthy worlds and how they clashed together—it’s impossible not to be gripped. I feel like each character is a suspect. Each character you love, and then hate. And the twists and turns it takes in the best setting ever.
Wyatt Oleff: Couldn’t agree more. I’ve got nothing to say after that.
About City On Fire
Inspired by the international best-selling novel of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg, “City on Fire,” follows a NYU student who is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July, 2003. Samantha (Wonders) is alone; there are no witnesses and very little physical evidence. Her friends’ band is playing her favorite downtown club but she leaves to meet someone, promising to return. She never does.
As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she’s revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep. Charlie (Wyatt) is a friend of Samantha’s who is struggling to cope with the death of his father on 9/11 two years earlier. After she is shot, he stops at nothing to unravel the mystery of what happened.
Check out our other City on Fire interviews here:
The first three episodes of City on Fire are currently available to stream on Apple TV+.
