Fiona Gubelmann – The Good Doctor

By starrymag | September 24, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Q) We left off this past season with Richard Schiff’s character, Dr. Glassman, revealing that his tumor is inoperable. Where do pick up when season two begins?

 

A) I can’t give away any spoilers for that storyline, but I will definitely tell you that we will be continuing with it.

 

Q) Congrats on becoming a regular this season! 

 

A) Thank you so much. It’s definitely very exciting.

 

Q) How will we see Morgan developing over Season Two and what kind of character arc can you tease for her?

 

I think we’re going to see definitely more of what we saw last season, but we’re definitely going to get to know her better. We’re going to see more of who she is and why she does things, understand kind of where she comes from and what drives her to be the way she is. Also, we’ll continue to see her be a brilliant surgeon.

 

Q) Morgan is brought in and becomes healthy competition for Shaun. Will this continue in Season Two or will she become more of a team player?

 

A) I think we’ll definitely see both. Morgan is definitely competition for everyone there. She’s brilliant, she’s driven, she’s extremely hardworking and I think that’s a quality that definitely inspires other people to work hard. I also think that the good thing about Morgan and her interactions with the other characters is that they all have a lot to learn from one another. They all have room to grow and areas to explore and that’s a really fun thing. I love the Morgan and Claire (Antonia Thomas) scenes and storylines where they both come to affect one another and I love the way that Morgan and Shaun (Freddie Highmore) relate. It’s always very interesting to see what the writers give us and how we get to play in the world and in those relationships.

 

Q) How do you approach playing Morgan compared to your other characters?

 

A) I love playing Morgan. She is the most stimulating and accomplished character that I’ve ever had the opportunity to play. She’s just a brilliant, driven, unapologetic woman who is strong and confident. I tend to play very bubbly and energetic characters and definitely have worked a lot more in comedy. So, when it came to playing Morgan, it was just a completely different energy than one I’ve normally worked with. When I play her, I have to think about it. There’s so much physicality that’s different than my own. Morgan has a fantastic posture and she has a stillness and confidence and directness that is different than my own. She does everything with extreme intention and precision and doesn’t feel the need to make other people feel happy or comfortable. She just exists with a confidence and a pride that is really interesting. I love playing her because I’ve never played someone like that and it’s a challenge and it’s a lot of fun and I have to do a lot of work for every episode. I like the challenge personally, and it’s fun to do.

 

Q) What has been your favorite The Good Doctor episode to film so far and why?

 

A) I would say my favorite episode to film so far was definitely my first episode, “She.” I loved it because I was such a fan of the show and getting to come aboard was kind of surreal. It was very exciting to get to step on set and get my lab coat and do my first surgery and get to meet all of these incredible actors that I was such a fan of. I also got to do so much with Morgan and show all these different colors and sides to her.

 

Q) What do you think is the biggest contributing factor to the show’s popularity?

 

A) I think what’s so incredible about the show is that it’s all about inclusion. It’s something that inspires people to overcome boundaries and to educate people as well about very important subject matter and start conversations about things that can be seemingly controversial.

 

Q) With an extensive career, we have seen your characters push boundaries and turn their pain into power. What is it about these fierce, but flawed females that we relate to and need to see more of?

 

A) For a long time as a woman, I would get frustrated with the roles that I’d be auditioning for in Hollywood. Over the past few years, I’ve definitely seen and experienced a change in that and I have had the opportunity to be a part of some incredible shows where they have a lot of strong versatile women and female characters that I’ve had the opportunity to play. Morgan is brilliant and it’s so interesting to see how people react to her, how people call her a bitch for being this unapologetic, driven woman. Then, you see other people getting very upset with that, saying she’s not a bitch, she’s just smart. She’s just great at what she does. I’m very fascinated by the discussions I see and hear, and I get emotional when I think about how incredible it is to be on a show where David Shore and the other writers as well are so supportive of women and women’s rights and wanting to have a variety of strong women. I’ll never forget an episode early on in season one where Dr. Lim says to Claire, “You know, I expect this from a man. I don’t expect this from a woman,” in regard to the way Claire was reacting and treating Lim. I have spoken to Shore about that – how as a fan of the show when I was watching it that moment really resonated and stuck with me because I think as women we’re taught to tear each other down and criticize and gossip and not be there in a supportive way. And I think that’s something that we really, as a society, need to work on in our friendships and relationships, as parents. I think it’s just something that is so important, and I think it’s really neat to be part of this time right now where there’s a shift happening in culture, in our society, in our media where we’re starting to support women and praise women and encourage them to be vocal. I would love to have Morgan’s unapologetic confidence in my life.

 

Q) Are there any special guest stars that you can share who we will be seeing appear on this season?

 

A) Lisa Edelstein from “House” will be joining us. She’s another strong, brilliant woman. The guest stars we get on our show are so talented and we’ve been really lucky so far. It’s been really exciting getting to work with all the different guest stars that we’ve had.

 

Q) What are some of the themes and cases we will see this season?

 

A) Don’t expect anything that’s uncontroversial. There’s going to be a lot of conversation starters right from the get-go at the start of the season. We have some incredible cases, some that are shocking, some that are going to be sparking a lot of debate and some that are just giving me the willies. Sometimes having to do them just freaks me out.

 

Q) Is there anything else about this season you would like to share or tease?

 

A) I think this season is going to be amazing. I think the scripts have been all out of this world and I think there’s going to be a lot of upset, a lot of excitement and a lot of shock. I’m really excited for people to tune in because I think we’re making a fantastic show and I can’t wait.

 

Q) Are there any other projects that you are currently working on?

 

A) No, this is definitely all I have time for right now. I’m developing things on my own outside of it, but in terms of acting this is what I’m doing right now.