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Julian Works was cast as Mateo Chavez on 9-1-1: Lone Star even though he had already played Marvin on 9-1-1 because showrunner Tim Minear and casting director Liz Paulson wanted him for the role. Rather than ignore the resemblance, Minear proposed that Mateo and Marvin be cousins—a connection the shows introduced in a 2021 crossover and later explored when Works played both characters in the Lone Star episode “Double Trouble.”
Why Julian Works was cast as Mateo
When Works was submitted for the role of Mateo, Minear recognized him from the original 9-1-1, where he had played Marvin. Minear recalled: “When they first sent me Julian for Mateo, I was like, guys, I’ve already cast this guy. He was in 9-1-1.”
Casting director Liz Paulson argued that Works was right for the part. Minear remembered her saying, “Yeah, but he’s so good,” and added, “I couldn’t disagree with that.” Instead of treating the earlier appearance as a reason not to cast him, Minear suggested connecting the characters in the story: “You know what? We can just later say that Mateo and Marvin are cousins.” Minear described the casting decision and the cousin idea in an April 2023 interview.
How the shows explained the double casting
The cousin connection was planted in the 2021 crossover between 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Minear said, “We set it up there, which was a wink to the fans who were familiar with both franchises.” What began as a way to account for Works appearing as two characters became part of the shows’ canon: Marvin and Mateo are cousins, not twins or unrelated lookalikes. The interview with Minear explains how the crossover established the link.
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What “Double Trouble” added to their relationship
In 9-1-1: Lone Star season four’s “Double Trouble,” Works performed both Mateo and Marvin, bringing the cousins together on screen. In an April 4, 2023 interview, Works said he had already considered their relationship when he was cast as Mateo: “When I was cast as Mateo, just as an actor, you have to have it in your head, if Marvin is my cousin, why are we different and why are we close?”
The episode gave that difference a more specific shape. Works described a reversal of expectations in their past: Mateo was the one who had done wrong as a young person, while Marvin took responsibility and later struggled. That is the characters’ fictional backstory, as discussed by Works in relation to the episode—not a statement about the actor’s life. Works discussed playing both cousins and their history with TV Insider.
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Where the series stands now
9-1-1: Lone Star ran for five seasons. FOX’s official press release identified the episode airing February 3, 2025, as the series finale and listed Julian Works as Mateo Chavez. FOX’s announcement names the finale date and Works’s role; its series page lists the show’s seasons.
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