What you know Taylor Kinney from depends on what you watch more: NBC's Chicago Fire or your Lady Gaga Google alert (he's Mother Monster's beau of almost three years—they met on the set of her "You and I" music video). And now we all know him as Leslie Mann, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Upton's costar in the ultimate girl-blockbuster, The Other Woman. (Mann teams up with Diaz and Upton to take gleeful revenge on a skeevy guy they all have in common, and Kinney plays the sane-guy sounding board.) The 32-year-old Vampire Diaries alum told us about portraying one of Chitown's finest, working with the funniest blonds in the biz, and the hazards of hiking with Gaga.
GLAMOUR: How has taking on such a heroic role in Chicago Fire changed you? Firefighters are pretty much the bravest people on earth.
TAYLOR KINNEY: I've always looked up to them, and that grew even more after 9/11. But going on ride-alongs with real Chicago firefighters and wearing the heavy suits they wear [to prep for the role] raises your appreciation. It's a selfless job.
GLAMOUR: What's been your craziest fire-related experience?
TK: I once lived in a cottage made entirely of wood, and there was an electrical fire. We all ran outside, and no one got hurt, but the house was demolished.
GLAMOUR: That's so scary. Did you take anything with you?
TK: I think I grabbed a record player and a phone charger. Your mind doesn't operate like you think it will—it just goes blank.
GLAMOUR: You had a big part on Vampire Diaries. Do you get recognized more for that or Chicago Fire?
TK: People still fan out on [my character] Mason Lockwood. That show did a lot for me.
