Alex MacNicoll Talks Brilliant Minds and Hopes For Another Season of The Society
Alex MacNicoll stars in the new NBC medical drama Brilliant Minds, which focuses on the conditions and diseases that largely are caused by the brain. As intern Dr. Van Markus, he brings an empathetic and sympathetic approach to his work, allowing him to bond with and understand his patients. Pop Culture Planet’s Jordan Bohan spoke with Alex MacNicoll about this new role.
This is MacNicoll’s first role in the world of medicine and he was able to learn a lot through it. “I learned about a lot of medications. I learned a couple basic medical procedures, which is really exciting,” he shared. “A lumbar puncture spinal tap, taking blood pressure, doing a suture, for instance.” Not only was he able to get some hands on experience, but thanks to on set guidance, he never felt lost or confused when it came to terminology or pronunciation. “We were very fortunate we had at least two medical consultants at all times on set so that was really, really helpful. One of our writers is actually an ER nurse so, when they're writing, it's all very authentic.”
A couple episodes into the season, it is revealed that MacNicoll’s character Dr. Markus has a rare condition called Mirror Touch Synesthesia. This condition causes people to feel sensations in or on their own body when they see someone else experience touch or pain. For such a rare condition, preparing for the role took some in-depth research and imagination. “This condition is pretty rare so there wasn't a whole lot out there on it. There's one person in particular that we focused on that the creators had sent me over. A doctor who has this condition. I just listened to his talks, read up on him. A lot of the experience is just really intense empathy,” MacNicoll detailed how he prepared for this aspect of his character. “I really just tried to be present and vulnerable. There were times when I couldn't tap into certain emotions or certain things going on so a lot of it was about just trying to use my imagination and try to be very clear as far as decluttering anything that I was going through in my personal life and just be present in the moment with the circumstances that we had.”
Most medical shows detail a plethora of health conditions, while Brilliant Minds zooms in on the impact of the brain. This specificity allows the episodes to dig a little deeper into the causes and symptoms of conditions and how to treat them. “One of the bigger things that's been on my mind is being aware that there are a lot of people out there that are suffering in silence. There's people that seem like they're totally fine, but they're dealing with a lot,” MacNicoll shared his hopes as to what audiences can take away from the series. “Having an understanding that there's a lot of people that I probably know in my personal life that I'm not even aware of that they're maybe in pain or going through something and trying to tune into that. To be more patient and compassionate with other people.”
MacNicoll is also known for his work on Netflix’s 2019 hit The Society. Shortly after being renewed for a second season, The Society was cancelled — largely due to Covid-19 filming complications. Since then, fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the cliffhanger ending and hopes for a continuation. Even the show’s creator Christopher Keyser has been vocal about continuing the story in the future. “I think the majority of us would love to go back and do that. I'm hopeful. We still hold onto it because I think it'd be really cool in a couple years. The kids are all grown up, but they're still in that situation and then we have some flashbacks or we have some things in the story that kind of gets everybody caught up to where they are,” said MacNicoll. “As far as my particular character Luke, I'm open for a little redemption because he's being pulled in a couple different directions. I hope that he does the right thing and is able to unite people. I think it'd be an interesting thing to revisit.”
Brilliant Minds is streaming now on Peacock.
