Brilliant Minds has quickly become a favorite, partly because of the show’s unique premise and how Dr. Wolf relates to his patients.
The series also appeals to viewers because the interns have grown so much since the series premiere. They have learned to deal with their conditions and lean on each other as friends.
Van, Ericka, Jacob, and Dana have become a family in many ways.
TV Fanatic chatted with Alex MacNicoll (Van), Spence Moore II (Jacob), Ashleigh La Throp (Ericka), and Aury Krebs (Dana) during a recent virtual press day.
They talked about their relationships with each other on and off-screen, their character’s conditions, the infamous love triangle, and their favorite cases on Brilliant Minds so far.
Check out the interview below.
The interns have come a long way since the series began. How do you think the relationships progressed naturally, and are you all friends off-screen?
Alex: On-screen, it’s exciting because there’s some rivalry and competition, but there’s also a lot of support and love. Those bonds deepen the closer we all get and the closer the interns get.
Off-screen, we all hit it off from the get-go. It was one of those enjoyable environments. We had so much love for each other. When we were on screen, we often tried to create that dynamic of rivalry, competition, or hatred. In reality, off-screen, it was all nothing but love and admiration.
Spence: The off-screen dynamic is at an all-time high. As for on-screen dynamics, we’re starting to find our footing. We’re all starting to become more confident as interns. Jacob’s been checked several times this season to be a better doctor.
I feel like he’s answered the call every single time. As an athlete would do, he’s only continued to make sure he can be the best doctor. So, the dynamics are incredible.
I hope Jacob will lean into that a little more, get that support, and rely on his fellow interns and Doctor Wolf.
Ashleigh: What’s interesting is that they progressed with us as a cast. We started not knowing each other. I knew Tamberla Perry before but didn’t know anyone else, and we quickly became friends. Week after week, we rehearsed and shot this show, and we bonded.
The writers did a great job of building that relationship. The cast also grew closer week after week, which made it easy to play.
Aury: As you said, our characters start from very little. You don’t learn much about the interns in the first few episodes. Maybe viewers think they have a good idea of who these people are.
But I think what’s lovely about each character is that everybody has something underneath that fuels their purpose of becoming a doctor, and finding out why each person became a doctor is an exciting arc.
I’m looking forward to a friendship between two of the interns that you may or may not get to enjoy and that you don’t get to see work together a lot in the very beginning.
Towards the end, their relationship develops, grows, and blossoms, adding a lovely dimension to their dynamic. But I don’t think I can say too much about that.
Ashleigh: I agree with Aury’s statement 100%. It’ll be interesting to watch these relationships evolve even more as we go on. As the episodes progress, we delve deeper into the interns’ interpersonal skills and lives outside the hospital.
Speaking of that, we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Jacob’s backstory. When will we learn more about him and whether his concussion will have any lasting effects?
Spence: Oh, Laura, you’re asking the juicy stuff now, aren’t you? Well, we are getting into the second half of this season, so I’m going to be very vague here, but maybe in the second half, we’ll find out if Jacob has some problems he needs to pay more attention to.
Alex, in the last episode, Van used his mirror-touch synesthesia and delivered his first baby.
Alex: We’re at a point where the interns are getting more comfortable with each other. They’re forming those teamwork dynamics and everything. As you said, they’re using their conditions as tools rather than being used or negatively affected by them.
As these episodes continue, we learn more about each intern, their conditions, and their backstories. We also dive into their personal lives outside of the hospital.
Would he switch to obstetrics or keep neurology as his specialty?
Alex: I hope Van sticks to it because if we get a second season, it’s like, oh, I’m quitting the hospital, I’m leaving. Then I’m gone, which I want to be around for.
There’s an opportunity for tremendous growth because his condition was limiting and stunting him in many ways. It can help him grow, accelerate his progress, and become a great neurologist.
Aury, in the last episode, we saw why Dana’s anxiety originated. How difficult was that episode for you to film?
Aury: That was pretty difficult. I researched a lot to understand how to portray panic attacks because I never experienced them. It’s a universal and unifying thing, however, because you don’t have to have panic disorder to experience a panic attack.
Anybody can experience a panic attack, which looks different for everyone.
It’s an exciting opportunity to explore my character, what her panic attacks look like based on the source, and how she has dealt with them over time. It involved talking to many people in my life who experienced panic attacks.
My partner experienced panic attacks. I haven’t seen her in a full one, but I’ve seen the moments that lead up to that.
I’ve also learned a lot about how to help people navigate panic attacks because many people are talking about it, and it works differently for everyone. But I wanted to represent this fundamental issue that many people in the world experience, so it was a challenge.
I built upon all the people who experienced that loss, not only Dana’s, and what angered me a lot was thinking about how Dana’s parents had to navigate losing a child and also trying to continue to parent another child.
That was a lot of the world that I built for myself to access that emotional life for Dana and the triggers and what her panic attacks look like. But, it was challenging.
When you have to do a scene like that, several different camera setups exist. You start in a wide, shoot the scene, take a break, come back, and do it again. That was a huge learning opportunity for me, as well as how to hang on to that, let it go, and invite it back.
Yes, we enjoyed that. Ashleigh, we’ve learned a lot about Van and Dana’s character histories. When will we learn more about Ericka’s?
Ashleigh: Going forward, Ericka has some interesting storylines where we learn more about her as a person, maybe romantically, and more about how she deals with not necessarily having control. Stay tuned, and you’ll learn more about it.
Yes. Ericka’s love life has been a hot topic. What can you tease about the love triangle with Van and Jacob?
Ashleigh: Choices are made for better or for worse. But some decisions are made. And some lovely things come, and maybe some repercussions from the choices made.
Are you having fun working with both of those hot men?
Ashleigh: They’re’ so lovely. I adore both of them. They’re lovely. These intimate scenes have been fun because they’re both kind and respectful; teasing and getting close is fun. The push-pull aspect of it has been entertaining.
Van and Jacob seem to feel for Erica in this love triangle, which is a lot of fun and a hot topic. So, what can you both tell me about what’s coming up?
Spence: Jacob will be victorious.
Of course, you would say that.
Spence: The Jacob, Erica, and Van love triangle will surprise you. You’re in for a treat. It will be a roller coaster, but, as you know, Jacob is a competitor, as you have found out throughout this season thus far.
Although we’re not playing a game for a young lady’s heart and affection, Jacob doesn’t like to come in second place and will do anything to ensure he comes out on top.
Alex: It creates this entertaining thing for the audience. For example, you know, are you Team Jacob or Van? But at the same time, they are all coworkers. It’s one of those forbidden things where do you have a relationship with somebody you work with, and how does that go?
Is it a ticking time bomb, or is this a lasting, excellent, beautiful relationship? I think it’s fascinating. I’m Team Vanicka, but Erivan.
Spence: Can you calm down a bit? I’m Team Jaricka, and if it goes down that route.
You guys are hilarious. I can see why this is so much fun.
Alex: I think I have something to offer. But maybe Erica doesn’t even want to be with either of them.
That may be true, but she is having fun with both of you, so I can’t wait to see how this plays out. So this question is for both of you. What has been your favorite case so far, and what has been your favorite thing you’ve learned from Doctor Wolf?
Spence: My favorite case is Brilliant Minds Season 1 Episode 2. I loved the episode with Coach Jessie. Until that point, you knew Jacob at a very surface level. But in that case, you got to see his passion and heart and that he cares about what he’s doing.
He doesn’t have the proper access to all the right tools and stuff. He’s still learning. He’s an intern. Jacob’s most significant lesson from Doctor Wolf is returning to Episode Two and revisiting our conversation in our lockers.
You may not always feel the best, but you can’t let that show. You have to always show up for your patient. Jacob has taken that lesson with him. I think he will continue to incorporate that and apply it for the second half of the season.
Alex: My favorite case is coming up. As for one we’ve already done, it’s rolling out currently, and the next episode will be a big part of it.
Oh, the one about John Doe.
Alex: That one’s interesting and exciting, and I’m excited for everybody to see it and learn about John Doe’s backstory and what he has going on. John Doe will have some big moments coming up.
As far as the stuff that Dr. Wolf has taught, I am just going above and beyond as a doctor. It’s one of those professions where there are doctors who care and want to help their patients, and then there are doctors who just want to help people, but they’re also just clocking in and out.
They’ve learned what they’ve learned in the textbooks, and that’s the scope of their daily work. They just show up, and it’s a regular day-to-day job for them.
But then, some doctors are above and beyond and deserve all the love, respect, and support because there’s nothing better than having someone who cares and wants to figure out what’s going on, sometimes even more so than the patient.
Sometimes, he cares about these patients more than they care about themselves.
Aury: My favorite case is the John Doe case, which I know we Haven’t learned much about, but it’s coming down the mountain.
What is so unique about that case is that we all had a chance to build a point of view and a relationship with that character in a one-sided and imaginary way because we couldn’t communicate with him.
I think that character brings something out of each of our doctors in a way that nobody else has so far. Alex Ozerov, the actor who plays our John Doe, is fantastic.
There’s something special about him, and it’s great to learn more about his character and see his work beyond what he does in the episodes leading up.
It had a huge impact on me. Each of our doctors is different from getting to spend time with them.
Ashleigh: I think John Doe as well. That storyline is so beautiful, and the way that it builds and the way that it resolves is wonderful. It changes everyone in a way that leads going forward.
I loved reading that, filming it, and watching it. I think audiences will resonate with that storyline.
As for my favorite thing we learned from Doctor Wolf, that man is a hot mess, but learning to think outside the box—I don’t know that there’s a particular instance of something to learn.
However, Ericka has learned the most from his entire approach to medicine and his willingness to think outside the box to do what’s best for the patient.
Thank you. For the final question, are there any cases you would like showcased on Brilliant Minds?
Spence: A case that I would love to see, mainly because we are neurologists, is someone who is experiencing a manic episode and maybe dealing with bipolar disorder.
That could be an exciting episode and challenge for Doctor Wolf and his interns to navigate.
Alex: I was thinking something similar, like a personality disorder or something with Alzheimer’s or dementia. That affects many people; at least everybody knows somebody affected by it. That’d be an exciting thing to explore as well.
Brilliant Minds airs on Mondays at 10/9c on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Watch Brilliant Minds Online
