In treatment
New Amsterdam is one of the latest in the never-ending crop of TV medical dramas. Based on the memoir Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer, it is lmed in New York City (including real-life hospitals Bellevue and Kings County). The cast is headed by Ryan Eggold, who you might remember for his role in The Blacklist, or as the inspirational English teacher in 90210 or maybe as a white supremacist in BlacKkKlansman, and Freema Agyeman ( Doctor Who). Eggold plays Max, the director of New Amsterdam, a crusading, idealistic physician who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Earlier this year Insider met Eggold at the Monte Carlo TV Festival to talk about New Amsterdam, ahead of lming the second season.
Why should we watch New Amsterdam? After all there are so many other medical dramas on TV...
RE: That was my initial thought too. Why read this script? Why be in this show? There have been so many medical shows. Then I read the script and there was something really refreshing about it, a rhythm and pace. It really is about this revolutionary idea that when we provide healthcare we should care for people instead of trying to make as much money o them as we can. And that is especially an issue in the US where healthcare is increasingly available to those who can a ord it and not everybody.
Is universal healthcare a realistic expectation for the US?
Yes I do think it is realistic but there is a balance to strike. We had President Obama trying to push universal healthcare which a lot of people were for but also a lot of people were against. I don’t think that Obamacare was perfect. It was the rst attempt but the bottom line is that healthcare cannot only be available to those who can a ord it. We have to take care of other people because we are a society. Now we have an administration that is trying to roll back many of those things.
How is it to play both a doctor and a patient?
I got to ask Eric about his experiences after he was diagnosed with this disease. It was a very personal, challenging experience for him but he shared so many amazing thoughts with me. He was just so honest after treatment. Life was so di erent then, so black and white and this was the truth and it was so interesting to hear that from him.
What did Eric make of your portrayal?
He says I’m absolutely rubbish and he’s ashamed of it (laughs). No he didn’t. He’s too kind. And he’s also so instrumental in that performance because he clues me into the situation on how my character may feel, especially in terms of living with cancer which is something I’ve had no experience of.
Medical dramas often have a long life. How long will this show last?
It will last for nine and a half seasons to be precise with a huge surprise in that last season. I’m from the future so I know this (laughs). Of course I have no idea. People have asked me that if Grey’s Anatomy has McDreamy and McSteamy what does that make me? I’m probably McHealthy.