Jon Ecker – Doc

By starrymag | January 7, 2025

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the series “Doc.”

 

A) The quick pitch is that after a brain injury erases the last eight years of Dr. Amy Larsen’s (Molly Parker) life, she must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she’s treated or the tragedy that caused her to push everyone away.

 

Q) What was it about the show or the character that made you want to be a part of it?

 

A) I thought the premise of losing eight years worth of memories and the questions that it brings about as well as how it affects her personal and professional relationships was a very refreshing ingredient to spice up the medical drama genre, and that it’d be fascinating territory to explore.

 

Q) How was your character Dr. John Heller originally described to you?

 

A) The character was presented in terms of his relationship to Molly Parker’s character. He’s a skilled young doctor who fell in love with his mentor, but after she loses any memory of him or his relationship, he has to sideline his feelings for her as she tries to regain footing in her personal and professional life following the accident.

 

Q) Was there anything that you added to him that wasn’t in that initial breakdown?

 

A) The writers did a great job at fleshing out Jake’s backstory, and provided a lot of his story that we don’t necessarily see played out yet in the first season. So, I had a lot to go on going into the project.

 

 

Q) You have some incredible costars, but we have to ask about working with leading lady Molly Parker. 

 

A) Working with Molly as well as the entire cast of “Doc” was such a pleasure. I was a big fan of a lot of Molly’s prior projects. That can be a bit unnerving as the beginning of any project can be, but she was amazing to work with starting with our initial chemistry reads. She’s extremely grounded and professional and such a great choice to spearhead this project.

 

 

Q) What was harder – the action scenes for “Queen of the South” or learning medical jargon for “Doc?”

 

A) Without a doubt, the medical jargon for “Doc” was harder. As tiring as repeating action takes in the Texas heat can be, it’s way easier than learning some of that terminology and internalizing it so it feels like it’s not the first time you’ve used that word.

 

 

Q) Certainly, the pilot for “Doc” is a must watch, but what are some other episodes you think fans should keep an eye out for?

 

A) Honestly, I think they’re all great and if you like the first one, you’ll like the rest. The writers did a great job with the dramatic arcs of all the characters and weaving the interpersonal dynamics throughout the ten episodes. And casting did a great job at bringing in great actors for the guest star arcs throughout every episode.

 

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of being on set? 

 

A) Honestly, my schedule for this project was more rigorous than on prior projects, which I’m thankful for. So, after a long day it’s pretty much…have a beer and start working on what we’ve got for tomorrow.

 

 

Q) Every episode of this series engages your heart – whether in sympathy or with drama. What do you think it is about “Doc” that will make it a fast fan favorite show?

 

A) I think that besides putting together a great cast, the creatives behind “Doc” did great job a putting an interesting and unique spin on the traditional medical drama. It hits all the beats of the medical procedurals that people have come to love, but with a layered family drama on top that brings up a lot of questions about identity and second chances.

 

 

Q) We LOVED your work on “Queen of the South.” The chemistry between Guero and Teresa was incredible! Did you have to do a chemistry read with Alice Braga for the series?

 

A) I actually never did a chemistry read for that show…or even an in-person audition. It was just a few rounds of self-tapes actually…which in hindsight, I’m surprised about. Originally, the character of Guero was only written to be in the pilot episode and that was it. So, maybe they didn’t put as much scrutiny on the role which probably worked out in my favor during the casting process. We did spend time rehearsing prior to filming and I was able to get to know Alice throughout the process of filming the pilot in Mexico City. She’s one of the most dedicated people I’ve ever worked with, and it was amazing to get to know and work with her throughout the filming of that series and we remained friends after that project.

 

 

Q) What did you personally take away from your time working on this powerful series?

 

A) It was just a great group of people to work with…both the actors and the people behind the camera and I learned a lot. It was also the first real project that I was a part of after moving back to the US and I got to film in Texas, where I’m from, so it’ll always evoke fond memories.

 

 

Q) Have you been working on any other projects recently or has most of your time been devoted to “Doc?”

 

A) No projects at the moment. After spending so many months away from home, it’s nice to just have some downtime at home with family. I have a young daughter now, and we have lots of animals so being at home actually keeps me much busier than when I’m actually away working.

 

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of the work you do on our screens?

 

A) I mean the amount of shows and content that are out there and available to watch these days is very humbling and the fact that people take time out of their day to watch a show that I’m a part of is very flattering. So, thank you for watching.