Ryan Guzman didn’t know Mark Consuelos was on ‘9-1-1’ until this moment (Exclusive)

Ryan Guzman got quite the surprise while filming the Season 9 premiere of 9-1-1.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Guzman, 38, revealed that he had no idea Mark Consuelos was on the show until he showed up to film a key scene at the premiere.

9-1-1 began season 9 with billionaire Tripp Hauser, played by Consuelos, being swallowed by a whale. Thanks to Station 118’s quick thinking, the whale spits Tripp out, but Guzman’s Eddie has to jump into the water to save Tripp.

That’s what was interesting for Guzman. He didn’t know that co-host Kelly and Mark was guest-starring on the show until he spotted him in the water.

“Actually, the funny thing is, I didn’t know the role was going to be Mark Consuelos until the day I jumped into the water and saved him,” Guzman tells PEOPLE. “I happened to be on the pier, looking down, and I thought, ‘Oh, I recognize that guy.'”

The Boy Next Door actor continued, “I started looking around and I was like, ‘Does anyone know why that guy looks so familiar?'” And then, finally, it clicked and I thought, “Oh my god–!” I’m saving Mark Consuelos. ” ”

In a separate interview with PEOPLE, Consuelos, 54, recalled the surreal moment he met his scene partner just before jumping into the water.

“It was really cool, because we were both looking at each other. He’s on the shore, I’m in this kayak, I have to get in the water — I won’t say it’s the cleanest water in the harbor in Long Beach — and we’re both looking at each other and we’re like, ‘Hey, I’m Mark.'” He said, “Hi, I’m Ryan.” “Okay, are you going to get in this water?” he says.

Consuelos added: “I went into the water and he came and dragged me and we laughed. I thought it was a really funny way to meet.”

As for Guzmán, he had nothing but good things to say about working with Consuelos, noting that Consuelos was “a very down-to-earth person and really fun to work with.”

9-1-1 starts the season by going into space, but Guzman is looking forward to viewers seeing a new side of Eddie as the season continues. It’s been a rocky road for the firefighter so far, but it looks like Eddie is finally taking a breather this year as he partners with Aisha Hinds’ paramedic Hen and begins a new chapter in his journey.

“I love my time with Aisha,” Guzman says with a laugh. “I’m Hen’s new job husband. It’s a new role for Eddie. He’s not the action guy in the background anymore. Now he’s a paramedic and does a lot more medical stuff, which I love. … I asked[showrunner]Tim Minear for a little more responsibility this year, but hey, he’s given me all the medical terminology, you know.”

Guzman is also looking forward to showing a “brighter side” to Eddie, who has dealt with mental health issues and grief in recent seasons. “I really enjoy that it’s not so dark,” he says.

“We’ve got more scenes with Aisha, we’ve got more scenes with Kenny (Kenneth Choi)…and it brings a lightness to certain settings on the show. So yeah, we’re really excited to be able to show off Eddie’s fun side this year.”

Never miss a news. Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to human interest stories.

“9-1-1” airs every Thursday at 8pm ET on ABC. Episodes will be available to stream on Hulu starting the next day.