The 32-year-old actor is also an accomplished musician.
Is it getting hot in here? Because there’s a new firefighter on the block you definitely want to meet. Yes, Rome Flynn is officially joining Chicago Fire.
The actor first hinted at his casting in December. He posted a picture from his trailer to his Instagram Stories in which a firefighter jacket is draped over the back of a chair labeled “Chicago” and “Gibson,” a nod to the new character’s name. A month later, the star shared a now-viral TikTok in which a member of production helps him put on his firefighter gear.
“Help on the way , im coming to #chicagofire jan 24th 👨🏾🚒🥵,” he captioned the post.
Who is Rome Flynn playing on Chicago Fire?
Flynn will appear as a recurring character named Jake Gibson, an ex-boxer with a troubled past. Confident and fearless, Jake performs a heroic deed that gets the attention of Truck 51.
What to know about Rome Flynn
The new gig will be something of a homecoming for Flynn, who is originally from Chicago. Flynn is also passionate about basketball and music and has released a handful of songs via his YouTube channel. He’s active on TikTok, where he’s amassed more than 2 million followers.
He has one daughter, Kimiko, and recently told Ebony, “Parenthood is the ultimate equalizer when it comes to our lives. No matter who you are, it vehemently affects you when you have a kid… It unites us, no matter what race we are. It’s one of the few things that connects us, and it’s definitely one of the most important roles I’ll ever play.”
Flynn began his career on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful and in 2018 won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series. He was the first Afro-Latino Daytime Emmy winner in history, an accomplishment that both humbles and motivates him, as he reflected in a 2022 conversation with PopSugar.
“It’s crazy we’re still having a lot of firsts,” he said. “To be a part of that is amazing. It’s humbling… But it also just tells me we still need a lot to at least give equal representation to Artists on these platforms, so that they get the congratulations that they deserve and the right affirmation they deserve.”
Following his history-making win, he quickly broke into primetime with roles on How to Get Away With Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, and the streaming series Dear White People and Raising Dion.
In March 2023, he told Latina.com that his career goal is to play a Marvel character. “I would love to be in the MCU universe… to play a superhero as an Afro-Latino, or include my identity in any project would be a huge accomplishment for me,” he said, adding that he also wants to try darker genres: “I would love to be in a psychological thriller where I get to play with the lines of reality, because I do think that’s the hardest thing to do in order to get people to buy into outrageous concepts.”
