‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Star LeAnn Rimes Unpacks Episode 11 Origin Story and Writing Dixie’s First Hit Song

Note: This story contains spoilers from “9-1-1: Nashville” Episode 11.

The “9-1-1: Nashville” crew might have come together to support Don as he revisited his tragic past, but star LeAnn Rimes warned that her character’s good streak won’t last very long.

Episode 11, titled “Don Begins,” followed as Capt. Don Hart (Chris O’Donnell) geared up to testify in a parole hearing for the man responsible for killing his family when he was a boy — which also set the stage for an examination into his relationships with ex and baby mama Dixie (Rimes) and wife Blythe (Jessica Capshaw). Through flashbacks, viewers learned how Dixie was a part of Don’s life from the moment he lost his parents and little sister, and how their relationship helped push each to pursue their professional dreams, firefighting for him and singing for her.

The episode also showed how the pursuit of those dreams led to them drifting apart, which allowed for Don to meet Blythe and marry her, only to then return to Dixie during a momentary separation and lead to the conception of their son Blue (Hunter McVey).

“[Episode 11] gives the audience such a different view of Dixie … I think people will have more of an open heart toward her and her situation,” Rimes told TheWrap. “She’ll quickly unravel that as we go along with the rest of the season. But for just a moment, there’s a breath of, ‘I feel for her.’ ”

Though “9-1-1: Nashville” has painted Dixie in more of a villainous light this season, a look into her history with Don showed the nuances behind the dysfunctional dynamic that’s been established between the fire captain and the women in his life. And in the present-day, it was Dixie who helped Don find the strength to push past his resentment and forgive the man for his crimes, though he maintained that he should not be freed from prison by the episode’s end.

Beyond the emotionally charged storyline, Episode 11 also gave Rimes the opportunity to showcase her songwriting prowess by contributing an original song for the younger Dixie to sing as she was discovered for the first time.

Below, Rimes talks about taking on her first series regular role on the Nashville-set ABC spinoff, and teases the wild twists to come.

TheWrap: What’s been the most exciting part about taking on this role of Dixie so far?

Rimes: It’s such a new thing for me. After three decades in this business, to have a first is very, very rare. For this to be the first series that I’ve been on, it’s been a blast.

I love playing Dixie, she’s so layered. I get to bring out all the dark sides of me, and tap into these pieces that I don’t normally tap into. She’s so manipulative, but at the same time, I think that’s a survival mechanism for someone like her who’s a single mom. I think underneath it all she has a really good heart, but it’s fun to play those darker sides, too.

This episode unveiled a big part of the history between Dixie and Don, particularly how she’s been in his life since he lost his family and the start of their relationship. How much of that history did you know when you took on the part?

I didn’t know any of it, which is so crazy. But it’s great to now know the origin stories of these characters, because it so much informs how we play them out in the future. I think it gives the audience such a different view of Dixie too.

I love my character because, depending on the episode, either you love me or you hate me, or love to hate me. But I think now people will have even more of an open heart toward her and her situation. She’ll quickly unravel that as we go along with the rest of the reason. But for just a moment, there’s a breath of like, “I feel for her.”

Definitely! This episode shows how both Don and Dixie played a part in establishing the lives and dynamic that they have with each other today. Dixie encouraged Don to become a firefighter, and Don pushed Dixie to get over her stage fright. What did you take from learning those bits of their past together?

I think that really shows how there is so much history between them that Blythe and Don don’t have. Though they have a beautiful love story themselves, there’s this deeper history that Don and Dixie have. And like you said, they’ve been a part of such pivotal moments for one another. And you see that in this episode, too, in the scene between Dixie and Don where she’s helping him get out this pain and anger, and she’s kind of the catalyst that helps him unlock that door [to speak at the parole hearing].

You really see that, in a way, it takes these two women to make this man whole. In a lot of ways they both play their part in his life. For me as an actress, it’s wonderful to have this backstory now, because you really see the depth of their connection and why it isn’t just something easy for them to give up.

As we went through these early years of Dixie and Don’s history, we hear some bits of “Wild Things Run,” a new song you wrote for the show. How did contributing a song to the show come about?

When I learned they were looking for a song for Dixie, and that it would be the song that catapulted her career, I approached Rashad [Raisani], our showrunner and I was like, “I really want to take a stab at this.” I understand her world and her emotional point of view and this relationship.

He sent me a really rough draft of the beginning of the montage — I think it was the very first draft — just to give me an idea, and I was sitting with it for a while and the title, “Wild Things Run” came to me. I thought it was such a great representation of these two wild souls that ran toward each other, then away from each other. And as Dixie so famously says many times in the series, the universe always brings us back together.

So I told Rashad, “Look, this is what I do for a living, normally. So just use me.” And Rashad said “Absolutely.” I had a blast writing for her, and it was just nice to be able to have another layer of her in me. I feel so connected to the song and the music and the character. It’s another way for me as an actress to embed myself into Dixie.

How long did it take you from the moment you got the montage script to delivering the song?

Obviously, when I write for myself it can be very free-flowing, but we had deadlines. They had to have the song to shoot with and the whole deal. So I think I sat with it for maybe like four or five days when the title came to me. And Darrel Brown, who created the song with me, we got on a Zoom and wrote it in a few hours.

I love the way [the song] speaks to these characters. For the montage, Rashad was very clear he wanted tempo, like a power ballad with a bit of tempo. It was a pretty seamless process. But it is stressful because you’re like, wait, all these other people depending on me to write this song that encompasses all this emotion and we are on a timeline. And also it needs to sound like a hit, because it’s the song that got her discovered.

I think we really nailed it, and I’m super happy with it.

Through the years, Dixie and Don have been brought back together over and over again, which keeps her feelings for Don alive as well as her rivalry with Blythe. How is it playing those dynamics with Chris and Jessica?

Oh, it’s great. I love them both so much, and Jess and I have the best time together. We love each other outside of the show. There’s a certain type of intimacy I have to have with both of them to create these worlds, and it felt really easy. It’s interesting, because like I said, I don’t do this all the time, so it’s not like I’m coming in like a seasoned veteran. They both have been very, very, protective and collaborative, and I just learn something new every time I go on set.

What are you excited for fans to see from Dixie as the season continues?

I’m excited for them to see all her complexities [emerge] from this story that unfolds. Just when you think things could get better for her, it twists in a way that’s like, “Oh!”

I remember reading one of the scripts and I called Rashad and was like, “Is this the right direction? Can I come back from this?” And he’s like, “Oh, absolutely, it’s great.” And I was like, “OK, we’re going to roll with it.”

That’s what I think is so great about Dixie. You see her fall apart and just ruin her life, and then she redeems herself in the next episode. So it’s this back and forth. I think it’ll always be that way with her. Trust me, from here on out, the season definitely keeps you on your toes. It’s wild.

“9-1-1: Nashville” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

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