Marlyne Barrett – Chicago Med

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects you have been working on?

A) I’ve been writing my own projects. I have a secret writing skill that I’m looking forward to showcasing. Most recently is a short film which I did with director, Amanda Renee Knox called Night Call, which has won over 38 awards in Film Festivals all around the world.

Q) What can you tease is new this season on “Chicago Med” and with your character Maggie?

A) Maggie partners with Dr. Rhodes (Colin Donnell) in his new endeavor to bring greater care into the ED Trauma center and Maggie hopes to rejuvenate her skills in the OR.

Q) Do you get much input into how Maggie continues to evolve throughout the seasons?

A) Because the One Chicago world is such an intricate moving machine, I think our say is within our opinion of the storylines we are given to make them as authentic and realistic as possible to the characters that we are creating with the writers. I think it’s a constant collaboration, but there is a greater world called One Chicago where “Chicago Med” exists and your character has to fulfill its duty.

Q) “Chicago Med” is always pushing boundaries and testing its characters’ limits and relationships. How does this season go even further?

A) Like in any institution, where you’ve worked together for long periods of time, things that you never thought were possible, suddenly happen. I think One Chicago represents anything that you never thought could happen in a city, whether it’s a disaster caused by natural elements or an individual wanting to commit a crime that would effect a large amount of people. Or people coming into institutions and creating disastrous events that you would never think of. I think we live in a crazy world right now and I believe “Chicago Med” is a mirror that society gets to look at and wonders what happens to these institutions and how do they bounce back from those fatal events? I don’t think there’s such a thing. I don’t think we imagined what America would look like after 9/11 or the Vietnam War? And I think shows like “Chicago Med” provide an outlook on very serious events that could happen in society. So many shows that are being shot around the world, I think medical shows have a grounding to them that is connected to the inevitability of life that one day everyone will pass away. And what you hope to receive at the time of any transition period in illness or accident is good medical care.

Q) Where do we pick up with Maggie’s love life this season? Is she still trying to make it work with her ex Barry?

A) She’s not, she’s given up on that. I don’t think she liked how it was going with him. The last forging of her license when she was suspended was difficult for Maggie to accept. And somewhere in there, I think she must of blamed the possibility of it, with Barry’s (James Vincent Meredith) storyline of dishonesty with the changing of his name and never telling her. So, I think Maggie though she has forgiven Barry, she doesn’t like what her and Barry were becoming together.

Q) Will we be seeing Maggie bonding with anyone new this season or will she be growing even closer to any of the core group of hospital staff?

A) After the Barry situation where Maggie didn’t like where her personal life was going, she dives back into her work. Searching for some kind of professional answer to her loneliness and sinking into a deeper understanding of her career, why she’s called to be a nurse in Chicago and why she called to be a civil servant to society, she finds herself skilled and lonely. Dr Manning (Torrey DeVitto) is Maggie Lockwood’s best friend and with everything going on with “Manstead,” Maggie finds herself committed to supporting her friend. especially after Manning has survived the death of her first husband and has her son Owen (Ari Morgan) to look after. This season it’s about that great friend that supports another through an engagement. Who knows maybe she’ll catch the bouquet?

Q) Can you tease about any upcoming guest stars we’ll be seeing this season?

A) I can’t. It’s like inviting you to a great chef’s dinner and minimizing the element of surprise. The whole point is you expect a great dinner. Let’s all prepare our palettes for a great surprise!

Q) Talk about working with iconic actor Oliver Platt.

A) Extremely intelligent in the details of his craft. I think Oliver is one of the most underestimated craftsman of his generation. The details he puts into his work are inspiring and naturally raise the bar to anyone that gets to work with him. I mean, I’ve followed him from A Time to Kill to Working Girl to Chef. I’ve always been an incredible fan of Oliver Platt, so it’s an honor to work with him, share the screen and to brainstorm scenes with him.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Chicago Med” throughout the seasons?

A) Some of your most memorable I think most of them happen off screen that first day when you come back to begin a season, the first day the episode airs in a new season, and the first time you hear from a fan that a storyline impacted them. I think you do the work and you hope to do it to the best of your ability, but when you get to experience the work you get moved by the work. No matter how much we as artists we want to collaborate with all departments such as camera, grip, art department, hair, make up, costumes we want to see the product. We want to see what we are doing, and we want to see that we were all communicating really well. And we’re able to strip the paint brush in sync. And that it ultimately affected a human being. Story telling is so powerful. It connects human stories together, from the page to the heart. We just get to be the vessel to tell the story.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

A) I love communicating. I love the idea of communication. I think social media has its affect when you are of strong character, but if you’re looking for social media to gratify your soul theirs an emptiness in it. Nothing can replace human contact. I do appreciate the connection through social media, but face to face, one on one will always be richer. I think that’s why live tweeting has the most affect than the moment when you post a picture and the twelve hours later you see that thousands of people have liked it, but for you it was a moment and that moment has passed. You have already gone through the valley of that moment. So, live tweeting presents a gratification that maybe carries an incline of the one on one/ face to face or a FaceTime or Skype.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work that you do?

A) Here’s to a great beginning. I’m extremely grateful for your interest and look forward to some great storytelling in the future so here’s to a great ride!