Max Thieriot Says Camden's Fire Country Feathers 'Always Smooth'

Max ThieriotBode Leone isn't the only fly-by-the-seat firefighter in Edgewater anymore Jared PadaleckiCamden Casey is in town.

Warning: Spoilers below from Fire Country season 3, episode 5.

Friday, November 15, episode of Land of Fireviewers got a taste of who Camden (Padalecki) is when he shows up in the Smokies wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey, shorts and flip flops.

“That was intentional,” Thieriot, who plays Bode in addition to being the show's producer, told Exclusive. Us Weekly on Wednesday, November 13, in Camden's cabin Southern California. “[We] see the difference between a SoCal firefighter versus a NorCal firefighter.”

The actress — who said Camden was written for her longtime friend Padalecki — noted that even though they all have the same job — firefighting — Camden is unlike the other Edgewater workers Bode grew up with.

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Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic; Sergei Bachlakov/CBS Jared Padalecki's Fire Country is just the beginning with a possible spinoff series right around the corner. After Padalecki, 42, was cast in Season 3 of the CBS series, showrunner Tia Napolitano teased what fans can expect from the new character. “We're introducing Camden Casey in a real way […]

Thieriot, 36, called Camden “a square peg in a round hole,” making it clear from day one that there was an unspoken rivalry between the north and the south — a rivalry made clear by his Dodger loyalty over his team's love for the North. California's very own San Francisco Giants.

“I always joke that North Cal is like brawlers and Ben Davis shirts and SoCal is like tank tops and flip flops,” Thieriot said with a laugh, noting, “Giants and Dodgers. That's the rivalry.”

Camden may be rooting for the wrong baseball team, but he's a firefighter through and through. In his first episode in the Smokies, Camden hits a guy with his flip flops and throws salt and pepper in another's eyes during a bar fight after the men try to fight Bode.

After a while, he realizes that he is Bode's new training officer. Viewers quickly learn that Camden and Bode have a lot in common.

“They both have the same feelings and a little bit of that wild side. They both like to jump into the fire in different ways,” said Thieriot in pairs. “They have mutual respect and understanding. They see each other better than anyone else.”

While Bode and Camden fuel each other's need to take big risks – Camden allows Bode to climb aboard a crashed plane to save the passengers despite the danger – not everyone in Bode's life is okay with the new guy's tactics.

“He always ruffles everyone's feathers, including Jake,” Thieriot said Us of Camden, noting that Bode's BFF and fire captain Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) is worried about the indifference of his new boss.

Thieriot explained, “It's work and it's personal for Jake. There are many different layers to it.”

Related: 'Fireland' Season 3 New Arrivals: Which Actors Have Joined, Who Are Starring

As the success of Fire Country continues to grow on CBS, so does the cast. The drama series, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he gets a chance to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering at the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode was assigned to his hometown, where he reconnected with his family […]

He also teased that throughout Padalecki's three-episode arc, fans will see Camden and Bode “head a little bit,” noting, “It's not always going to be easy.”

Over time, viewers will also be able to see how Camden became a firefighter as he becomes “a big part of shaping Bode” in his career.

“At the end of this kind of arc, these two are going to leave a lasting impression on each other, which I think is one thing Camden didn't expect,” added Thieriot.

Land of Fire airs on CBS Fridays at 9 pm ET.