Monday’s episode of Brilliant Minds gave fans a look inside the emergency department, and John Clarence Stewart spoke to PopCulture.com about what’s next.
Stewart has been portraying Dr. Anthony Thorne since the beginning of Season 2.
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In the newest episode, “The Upside Down,” Bronx General is hit with mostly minor victims of a plane crash, as well as the co-pilot who had trouble seeing at the time of the flight. Thorne and Wolf (Zachary Quinto) have to team up in order to diagnose her, and it’s not as easy as one would think, as she would up just having really severe migraines, making her brain process things upside down. Take a look at what Stewart had to say about the episode, including having more of a look into the emergency department and what’s next for his character, both personally and professionally. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
PopCulture: In the episode, there is a plane crash in the Hudson, and it seemed like Thorne was taking the reins for it, more or less. What was it like seeing him in that leadership position?
John Clarence Stewart: I love that for him. I love that there is a scenario that required us to get a look into the emergency department and what’s going on there, and how they navigate an emergency like that with so many people affected. I also like to see him activated in a way that requires him and Wolf to serve and help a patient, and how they do that. I think it was very powerful for me.
Also, T.V. [Carpio], the actress who is playing the pilot in the show, I think that T.V. did some incredible work. And so being opposite of that and opposite of Wolf is a gift. So I’m excited to see more of that, more of a look into what is going on in the emergency department and how that influences and impacts every day.
PC: Going off of that, since the start of the season, we’ve been getting bits and pieces of Thorne, but this episode, we were able to put a lot of focus on him, and, as you were saying, see more inside the emergency department. What was that like?
Stewart: I mean, it’s fantastic. It’s a different energy entirely. It’s just that there’s a pace to it that’s very different than everything that’s going on in the neurology department. And it’s refreshing. It’s interesting. It’s exciting. My adrenaline gets pumping when we’re in those scenes that we’re shooting. And there’s all of these people, and you’re trying to navigate and figure it out and sort it, and everybody’s on the same page.
It really feels in those moments like we’re one organism trying to do a thing. And that goes from the cast to the crew, everyone. Because everyone is activated. They’re more moving shots, there’s just a different visual language and a different pace, which is really useful, I think, for the story.
PC: Among the victims in the crash was the co-pilot who was having trouble seeing. Thorne and Wolf come together to try different ways to diagnose her. What was it like working alongside Zachary for this episode?
Stewart: Oh, it’s fantastic. Zachary’s fantastic. I’ve been a fan of Zachary for quite some time, and it’s a pleasure to be close to him as he’s navigating and figuring out and finding the truth and diving deeper and deeper, which he does so beautifully. He’s so present as an actor, and that’s a gift. So it was fantastic to play with him in that space to dive in there. And also as Thorne, I think it’s the first time where Thorne has had a front row seat to watching Dr. Wolf and for me to watch Zach do the thing that he does. And I think that with Thorne, respect isn’t given. It’s earned. And he is able to see in that moment that respect is earned in a certain kind of way, in a beautiful way, I think.
PC: Could we be seeing more of Wolf and Thorne working cases together? They obviously make a great team.
Stewart: I think so. I think that we can see them working cases together also because the way that they work is inherently different. So there’s some tension, which is interesting. And neither of them is higher than the other. They both have something that they bring to the table, and I think they do. And so it’s in an effort to save and serve a patient, they will go to any lengths possible. And that creates just a wonderful tension as an actor playing. I hope there are more scenes with them together, because it’s fun.
PC: I also couldn’t help but notice at the beginning of this season that Thorne and Carol seem to have a good relationship as well. Can fans expect anything to happen between those two?
Stewart: I think the fans can expect something to happen. There’s something that is happening. The fans have been watching for a bit. You can already feel like there’s something happening. I know what it is, but there’s definitely something happening. And moving forward in the season, I think we’ll see different textures, different layers, and some unexpected things, which I think is necessary. And I think that goes with every kind of romantic relationship.
Some of the relationships that the audience has been following since the first season, some of the relationships that are kind of blooming and blossoming this season, or the possibilities, where you think is going to happen in a straight shot direction, it won’t be a straight shot. There’s things that are happening. You come down a pike that is going to make things very, very interesting, which I’m excited about.
New episodes of Brilliant Minds air on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.