Kara Killmer Found Out She'd Be Singing On Chicago Fire Just Days Before Filming
Working on a fast-paced network drama can definitely be a challenging process, especially when script details change at the last minute. It's not uncommon for shows and movies to undergo rewrites during crunch time, resulting in occasional spates of chaos as actors have to quickly acclimate themselves to new material. And things can get even more hectic when that material requires them to display a special skill.
So it was for Kara Killmer when she learned she would have to sing during "Chicago Fire" in Episode 5 of Season 4, "Regarding this Wedding." Apparently, the actress didn't have a bunch of time to prepare for her scene — and was even surprised to learn that Sylvie Brett would be delivering her version of "Sweethearts in Love" to serenade a displaced-by-fire bride and groom who use the firehouse as a locale for their wedding at Wallace Boden's (Eamonn Walker) insistence.
That leads to conflict between the crew and Chief Ray Riddle (Fredric Lehne), who disapproves of the crew's use of city property. Killmer had an even bigger conflict to deal with in real life — and no, it wasn't from Brettsey fans who were mad that Sylvie had moved on and started dating other people. No, Killmer was in a battle between herself and her nerves. But, as anyone who watches the show can see, she definitely mastered that.
Killmer described the hectic process of learning her music
During an interview with Kara Killmer and Dora Madison (who plays Jessica "Chili" Chilton on the show) conducted by TV Fanatic in November 2015, Killmer revealed she was told that she'd be singing on the show only days before the filming of "Regarding this Wedding" commenced.
"That was a surprise to me!" she said, making nervous noises which further explained how anxious the sudden request made her. "Two days before, they were like, 'you can sing, right?' And I was like, 'maybe'?" But everything turned out for the best; Killmer admits she had fun performing the tune and that it allowed her to show off skills onscreen that Sylvie rarely gets to display. Even better, as Madison noted, the song sounds nice on tape. "We recorded it in the studio first, made sure it sounded good, cut together all the good-sounding parts," Killmer said. "It's cool to be in one show and get to showcase a couple of different talents." She then added that most of the cast could sing and play an instrument.
Indeed, off the set, Kara Killmer is an accomplished songstress herself. She occasionally posts videos of herself singing to her Instagram, accompanied by a ukulele. Now that's what we call multifaceted!