LOS ANGELES -- Peter Krause plays a fearless firefighter in Fox's "9-1-1," but in real life, he's kind of a softie. Krause admits he got a little emotional when his siblings recently decided it was time to sell the Roseville home they all grew up in.
"I was angry about it at first," said the Emmy-nominated actor, grazing on whatever appetizers came his way during a Fox network party last week.
Krause's parents, both Twin Cities teachers, have both passed away, so the sale made sense. But it's still hard for the actor to come back to Minnesota and know the house is no longer in the Krause name. Not that he gets much time to return to visit his brother and sister.
The hit series, "9-1-1," is one of the most demanding roles in the 53-year-old actor's career, which has included "The Truman Show," "Six Feet Under" and "Parenthood."
"It's a hard show to make," he said. "'Just carrying people on body boards over and over again, jumping off fire trucks. In one episode from last season, a plane lands in the ocean and we had to shoot in 27-degree temperatures. But it was a childhood fantasy of mine to be a firefighter, so it's all right."
Krause admits the sometimes chilly shooting conditions are nothing like what's been going on in Minnesota -- his brother has been updating him with cell pics -- but he said he'd love to come back and do something on a Twin Cities stage, especially if he could find a comedy. (He and writer Aaron Sorkin chatted a few years ago about a revival of the under-appreciated sitcom "Sports Night," but both got busy with other projects).
One Minnesota connection that seemed to catch Krause by surprise: For nine years, he's been dating "Gilmore Girls" star Lauren Graham; Minneapolis native Vincent Kartheiser got married to Graham's former co-star Alexis Bledel in 2014.
"I never really put that together," said Krause, who has only met the "Mad Men" star once. "Two Minnesotans, two Gilmore Girls. Cool."
"9-1-1" is expected to return with new episodes in mid-March.
