In the beginning was the fire. Well, at least that’s how it happened in the series of the “Chicago One” franchise, created by producer Dick Wolf during the past decade. First was Chicago Firein 2012, two years later he continued Chicago P.D. and in 2015 the trilogy was completed with Chicago Med. Obviously, the creator of the saga of Law and order found in “the windy city” the space for stories that cover the entire range of public servants: firefighters, police officers and doctors (he also tried it with judges and lawyers in Chicago Justicebut that didn’t work). On Mondays from 9:00 p.m., Universal TV brings the new seasons of the three series of “Chicago One”, with the one of doctors, nurses and paramedics in the first place of the grid.
“In the history of television there are quite a few medical shows and each one has its own niche: some focus more on behind-the-scenes love stories, others just medical, others just one doctor,” he says via Zoom. actress Jessy Schram, who plays OB/GYN Hanna Asher from the fifth season of Chicago Med. “I think what’s different about our show is that it has a lot of characters that are important to each other and to the show, and while there are also individual personal stories, we have between three and five medical cases in every episode. On a show that mixes a lot of things, but It’s medically focused.”
Among the things that mixes Chicago Med are the lives of the protagonists beyond the emergency room at Gaffney Medical Center, which in Dr. Asher’s case implies a past heroin addiction. “What we’re showing with her is different, because usually when you portray an addict it either ends badly or you just ignore that it happened,” says Schram, who began playing her as a recurring character until she became part of the regular cast. “And in the Dick Wolf universe we have the opportunity to show someone moving forward and flourishing instead of just surviving. So I realize that there is a story here of female empowerment but also human empowerment, because everyone is affected because of the way she handles her cases, and I also think we have endless stories of childbirth, women giving birth, and women’s issues, so Dr. Hanna Asher is someone who is specifically dedicated to this field. .. Since we are not going to stop giving birth, there will always be work for her (laughs)”.
-It’s true, but in addition to her addiction past, she has to deal with very hard stories, such as assisting victims of sexual abuse. Has your view of doctors changed since you were part of the program?
Yes, it has changed. While I’ve always had respect for doctors and nurses, I’d say it increased tenfold by having different medical advisors and people we work closely with on set. I think surgeons are like superheroes, people who have a different understanding of what that world is. It is interesting to think that when you arrive at a hospital you are going through what is surely one of the worst days of your life, but for people who work in medicine that is everyday. And it happens in all levels of that work. You have to understand that their reality is very different and that sometimes coming across a doctor, a nurse or even someone from the staff can make you feel comfortable in a scenario that is horrible for almost everyone. Yes, making the series changed my vision about the people who work in that field, I feel them… extra special.
-And you have people in your family who also give you advice…
-(Series) My sister-in-law is an ER nurse and my brother is a fire lieutenant, so he also works as an EMT, so when I have questions about the scenes or need to practice something I ask them. Sometimes it’s good to practice before when you’re going to do a scene with a medical procedure. They love when I send them questions but they also ask me why I did things a certain way or just say “you did it in the wrong order”. They criticize me a lotseries), but they also help me to be better.
-When you arrived at the series, everyone already had medical training. What was it like adjusting to that?
-I arrived in the fifth season and I remember chatting with Torrey DeVitto, who plays Dr. Natalie Manning, she asked me how the training had turned out. And I replied: “What are you talking about?” She then she immediately she called and said “Jessy didn’t do the training!” I know they had some kind of learning camp, but in my case I went to Rush Hospital, learned how to do sutures, and because of my character’s specialty, I learned some “birthing exercises” with dolls. There is literally a dummy and you are trained to deliver a baby dummy. So I had to do that and she blew my mind. Plus we have people on set and also in my private life, whenever we have a question, professionals help us see how it’s done. Of course, I always practice my sutures, I love it and I have the idea that if something happens, maybe I can help! But we better leave it to the real medical professionals, not the actors. I don’t like life or death situations, I just prefer life (laughs).
-Most of the actors who work in Dick Wolf productions say that it is a special experience. What’s different?
-I think that a family is really armed. I know it’s something that is said a lot in this industry, but this is a unique universe in itself, especially Chicago Med and the Chicago programs. The actors, the technicians and even the office workers are people in the first place; and everyone is there to do the best job they can. And that only happens if it spills from the head: we are all human beings and we are going to be treated professionally and in a good way. It’s a formula that has worked and I feel very lucky to be a part of it.
-And regarding the scripts and the way in which the program is put together?
-What I learned from the writers is that every scenario we portray is at least partially inspired by something that was on the news. It could be a medical study, a set… We have this crazy episode that we just filmed… Crazy in the sense of “my god, did that really happen in real life?” And yes, there is always a seed of reality, even if it is later molded into entertainment.
-In recent years, streaming platforms have been talked about all the time, but the success of the “Chicago One” franchise shows that there is still room for procedural dramas and the narrative associated with network series (in the United States it is broadcast NBC).
-That’s true, but he’s also like the last of his kind. There aren’t many shows that do 22 or 23 episodes a season, which used to be the norm. Wolf basically invented procedural dramas with what he did. There is a formula that works and everyone gets hooked on it. And I know from personal experience: every time I’m in a hotel room, I put on a Wolf show because I can grab it at any point and I’m still going to enjoy that episode. It’s really unique in that sense, because there’s a story that runs through the whole series but you can also grab it at any time and you don’t miss a thing.
-Fans of the Chicago One franchise always celebrate when characters from one series cross over with those of another. Is it like that for actors too?
-I adore him! We just did that in that crazy episode I mentioned earlier and it was so much fun. It’s good because we all filmed in the same studio but we never crossed paths, so it’s really fun when there’s a crossover because there are people from the same universe that you don’t see yourself with and those people take their stories so that they mix with yours without that it looks forced. So it’s fun when worlds collide, at least for me. I love it!
