Yuriy Sardarov Steps Into the Spotlight With Daddy — And Reflects on the Death That Still Haunts Chicago Fire Fans
“Sometimes we have to walk away from the thing that gives us the most pleasure… to humble ourselves a little.” — Yuriy Sardarov
For Chicago Fire fans, the name Brian “Otis” Zvonecek still stirs up emotion. The lovable, quick-witted firefighter from Truck 81 was a fan favorite for seven seasons — until his shocking death in the Season 8 premiere left audiences devastated. The explosion at the mattress factory wasn’t just the end of a character. For many, it marked the end of an era.
Now, over five years later, actor Yuriy Sardarov is returning to the screen in a very different role — one that trades turnout gear for isolation, camaraderie for confrontation, and heroism for deeply buried trauma. In Daddy, a dystopian dark comedy-meets-social satire hitting VOD on April 15, Sardarov plays Sebastian — one of four men participating in a bizarre, state-run retreat that will determine whether or not they’re “fit” to become fathers.
Directed by Jono Sherman and Neal Kelley (who also star as Jeremy and Andrew, respectively), Daddy also features Pomme Koch as Mo and Jacqueline Toboni (The L Word: Generation Q) as a mysterious interloper named Ally who upends an already-tense situation. With no facilitator, no instructions, and no real rules, the men are forced to confront not only each other but the very nature of their identities, insecurities, and ideas of masculinity.
“This is a movie about abandonment,” Sardarov says. “And about how men respond to being left behind — emotionally, psychologically, and socially. There’s something deeply primal in that.”
A Brotherhood Reimagined
The concept of Daddy is deceptively simple — a group of men, plucked from society, placed in the wilderness, and told that their future as potential fathers depends on what unfolds. But what begins as a social experiment slowly mutates into something much darker.
“We got the script right before COVID hit,” Sardarov recalls. “We had time to sit with it, develop it. And I just remember laughing so hard. The comedy was dark, sharp — but it was grounded. These guys weren’t caricatures. They were extreme, yes, but still real.”
That familiarity is no coincidence. The cast — Sherman, Kelley, Koch, and Sardarov — all attended college together and brought years of offscreen chemistry to the set. That sense of shared history helped fuel the authenticity of the film’s interpersonal dynamics. But the arrival of Toboni’s Ally — both in the story and on set — changed the energy entirely.
“Jacqueline is so prepared, so alpha,” Sardarov says. “Her presence completely shifted the alchemy — not just in the story, but in our performances. It was like tossing a new element into a fragile ecosystem.”
The Weight of Purpose
For longtime fans, seeing Sardarov shed Otis’s warmth and optimism for Sebastian’s quiet rage is a striking transformation. But underneath the differences lies a throughline: the need for purpose.
“Otis had a positive outlet for his emotions. He had a mission — saving lives,” Sardarov explains. “Sebastian, on the other hand, is someone suffering without a sense of purpose. He’s imploding.”
That question — of what defines a man’s value, and who gets to judge his worth — is at the core of Daddy. Sardarov sees it as a reflection of society’s evolving expectations around masculinity and parenthood.
“Why do these men get sent to this posh retreat to be evaluated?” he asks. “What are the women going through? Who’s making these decisions? And why is it always men at the center?”
It’s a film that refuses easy answers. Frustration is part of the design.
“I know some people might feel unsettled by the ending — or the lack of resolution,” he says. “But I think that’s the point. The creators wanted people to sit with that discomfort. To ask themselves, ‘What would I do in that situation?’”
Saying Goodbye to Otis — And Finding What’s Next
Of course, for many fans, it’s impossible to separate Sardarov from Otis, the bright-eyed, big-hearted firefighter who met a hero’s end in the Chicago Fire Season 8 opener. His final scene — whispering “Brother, I love you” to Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso) on his deathbed — remains one of the show’s most gut-wrenching moments.
“It was the last scene I shot,” Sardarov reveals. “That emotion — that grief — it was real. I was saying goodbye. Not just to the character, but to the family we’d built.”
Though he made the decision to leave, the finality of being killed off hit hard. And so did the abrupt shift in routine.
“When you’re on a show like that, it becomes your identity,” he says. “You wake up at 5 a.m., it’s -20 degrees, you’re on set with your brothers and sisters, sweating through your suit. There’s purpose in that. And when it’s gone… it’s a shock to the system.”
Still, he looks back on his time with gratitude.
“It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” Sardarov says. “The community, the friendships. Any time I’m in Chicago, I see Joe, I see Miranda [Rae Mayo]. Monica Raymund even let me stay at her place during COVID — I ended up moving to that area.”
He also weighed in on creator Derek Haas once revealing that another character — Ritter (Daniel Kyri) — was initially considered for the big death.
“Daniel had just joined, and he’s such a Chicago guy. A theater actor. A real artist,” he says. “It would’ve been too soon. I do think Otis’s death had more impact. It shook people.”
Looking Ahead
These days, Sardarov is channeling his energy into new creative ventures. He’s writing, teaching acting, and preparing to direct his first feature in the next year or two. Teaching, in particular, has been a lifeline.
“After COVID, the strikes, the fires — all of it — I felt lost,” he says. “But teaching… it reconnected me to the craft. It reminded me why I love this.”
While he doesn’t keep up with Chicago Fire weekly, he does catch reruns and occasionally finds himself surprised by how much he forgot.
“I’ll see an episode and go, ‘Wow, I completely forgot filming that,’” he laughs. “But I watch it now, and I’m proud. We really did something.”
And what does he miss most?
“Those scenes around the coffee table. Me, Cruz, Mouch, and Herrmann. Just four guys talking nonsense with food and coffee. That’s the stuff I treasure most.”
Daddy premieres April 15 on VOD.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC and streams next day on Peacock
