Find out how the actor perfected his Chicago accent over the years.

After twelve seasons of Chicago Fire, sometimes it slips our minds that Eamonn Walker, who plays Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden, Jr., is… British!

The actor is so comfortable playing a born-and-bred Chicagoan, you’d never guess that he’s actually from halfway around the world. Read on for more about his transformation from Londoner to resident of the Windy City.

Chicago Fire’s Eamonn Walker is from the U.K.
“I’m from London, but my true heritage is, my parents were born in Grenada,” Walker revealed during a “Fast Chat” with NBC.

Grenada is an island nation in the Caribbean, and Walker fondly remembered a recent visit he took with his family. “Food in Grenada is amazing… I can’t get Roti here in America, but I had Roti, I had stewed chicken, rice and peas. Oh my god, it was so good, I want to go back, actually.”

Determined not to lose his “Englishness,” Walker revealed that he only speaks in Boden’s voice “between action and cut,” so, while the camera is rolling. Otherwise, he’s using his natural accent. And it’s not just that he has to sound “American” on the show. He has to sound, specifically, like he’s from Chicago.

In an interview with NBC 10 in Philadelphia, Walker explained that the Boden voice was developed over time in a hotel room, listening to tapes of actual fire chiefs from the area.

He also explained that, thankfully, by the time he got the role of Chief Boden, the actor had been working and living in the United States for quite some time, and wasn’t exactly starting from scratch with learning the dialect. He moved stateside in 1997 for a role on HBO’s gritty, critically acclaimed prison series Oz, and continued to find work in Hollywood with roles in movies like Lord of War and Cadillac Records. But Boden is by far his longest-running role, and he’s portrayed the character across the One Chicago franchise, including episodes of Chicago Justice, Chiccago P.D. and Chicago Med.

What Boden is up to on Chicago Fire

The stalwart leader of Firehouse 51, Chief Boden was the perfect person to officiate the “Brettsey” wedding between paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and her longtime love Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer).

The episode also served as a send-off to Killmer, who may have to do some accent work of her own as she moves on to other projects. In the Season 12 premiere, the show also bid goodbye to firefighter Blake Gallo (Alberto Rosende), so Boden’s steady presence steering the ship is more important than ever.

This season, Boden is also reconnecting with his ex-stepson, James, now that James’ mother Shonda, Boden’s ex-wife, is headed to prison.