CHICAGO HOPE
Ah, David E. Kelley, I’d follow you anywhere.....
"Chicago Hope" and "ER" had the unfortunate timing to premiere the same year. It seemed that the public slightly preferred the frenetically paced/shot "ER." "Chicago Hope" nevertheless was a solid performer with a reputation of good writing and performances. A fifth season was not a complete lock, so as I understood it, David made some cast changes and brought on three new characters - all women. Myself, Barbara Hershey, and Carla Gugino. It was a little unnerving, as the ensemble had been together for years and we were replacing other female characters. For me, it was exciting because this cast seemed much more mature (no kids) than "Picket Fences," and thus I felt like I was ‘playing with the big boys.'
Once again, I got a boy’s name - Dr. Jeremy Hanlon. Loved it. This time I was the plastic surgeon with super long hair and a hippie flair. David provided the usual wack (hurray), and I remember wearing pleather with a whip, and separating Siamese twins. Oh, and all the time spouting medical jargon and playing with chicken livers and fake blood. Pretty cool.
The cast was very friendly and professional. Mark [Harmon] kept to himself, and also directed an episode. Hector Elizondo was pure class. Mandy [Patinkin] was emotional and brilliant. Adam Arkin was so good. He became my crush. I was jealous that Carla got to work with him a lot, but soon realized she should because she was just as good. I loved to watch her face and I really think their work should have been recognized that year. A lot of the crew was the same from "Picket Fences," which was fantastic. Michael Pressman, Linda Klein, Rob Corn. Great people. The season was too short, I wish we had been picked up for another year.
