Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542297
you are in the trenches doing overnights and weekends, you build a trauma bond that's hard to explain because we are all going through it together—and the job security doesn't hurt." He knows the show is a blessing even on the hardest days. "I always used to ask to get on a long- running show and you should be careful what you ask for—just kidding. This has been one of the hardest shows I've ever worked on but also the most rewarding. I'm constantly having to challenge myself and beer myself so I can be prepared for whatever gets thrown our way, which literally can and will be anything." 9-1-1's Costume Department tries to keep it light because the subject maer can be so dark. During the various holidays, the entire department steps into the season in style with themed dress-up days. This year, the week leading up to Halloween was a different theme every day, even including the day players in their fun. During the December holiday season, the whole crew dresses up and takes an adorable group photo together as though to say, "Happy holidays from our family to yours," because at 9-1-1 they really do consider everyone family. It's that warm hug and kindness found in the costume crew that holds together this family. When reflecting on her work family, Mindy said, "One of the main reasons I wanted to answer these questions is to highlight how amazing it is to be part of such a diverse and inclusive team especially as a Latinx, trans woman. I've never felt more included, represented, and celebrated. I'm so honored to be working on this show." This sentiment of belonging and love in the hardest of work circumstances isn't just the flowery writing on the show, but also the lifeblood of its costume crew. When reflecting on all I've seen and heard from 9-1-1's costume crew—their long hours, early mornings, late nights, rush calls, last-minute changes, and all the hard work they put in—it is crystal clear that this crew is something special. Sometimes when working on a job, it can feel like you are a cog in a machine. And sometimes like for the 9-1-1 costume crew, you find yourself with a supportive and loving work family that reflects all the goodness the show and the characters themselves have. And when all is said and done, what they have there are people around them with the unified goal of making the work the best it can be. Which leads to the very obvious conclusion that at 9-1-1 there is without a doubt no emergency too big or too small that they can't handle, because they will handle it together. ABOVE PHOTO: © DISNEY/CHRISTOPHER WILLARD MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 27 Ryan Guzman, Oliver Stark, Kenneth Choi, Elijah M. Cooper, and Anirudh Pisharody on 9-1-1.