"If that small-screen blood draw or intubation looks authentic, it’s probably thanks to ER nurse Mike Richardson and MUHC ER doc Zachary Levine."
"McGill University Health Centre emergency room nurse Mike Richardson, left, and MUHC emergency room physician Zachary Levine outside the Montreal General Hospital. Both are consultants on the Canadian medical drama Transplant. PHOTO BY ALLEN MCINNIS /Montreal Gazette"
"Transplant, a Sphere Media production, is set in a fictional Toronto hospital but filmed in Montreal. A hospital set was constructed on a sound stage in LaSalle. When the actors had to learn a procedure, Levine would do a boot camp on set to show them how he would, say, intubate a patient or insert a chest tube.
“It is important for the actors to know what they are pretending to be doing,” he said in an interview. “I show them exactly what to do — and they’re very receptive.
“Even though you’re just going through the motions, there is a life on the line,” he said. “For the actors, the most important thing is that they know the goal. They want to get into the emotional part. They are good at becoming intense in that moment and believing that they are saving a life. That’s acting: It’s incredible.”
Our appreciation to the Montreal Gazette for the article and video. To Unsplash for the photos.
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