Hypable participated in a conference call today with actress Octavia Spencer to discuss her new show Red Band Society.
Red Band Society is a new dramedy on Fox that focuses on the lives of several pediatric patients and their doctors at Los Angeles’ Ocean Park Hospital. It brings us funny story arcs, emotional story telling and wonderful character development all in the first episode, and we’re excited to see it premiere Wednesday, September 17. Hypable took part in a conference call with actress Octavia Spencer where she discussed her character, Nurse Jackson, and the inspirations that helped form the premise for Red Band Society.
When you were growing up, did you have an interesting nurse and/or is that what appealed to you about this project?
I can’t say it was part of my fabric, no. What appeals to me about [Red Band Society] was the fact it’s a very fresh perspective about a show set in a hospital, and a fresh perspective about a show centered around teens. The fact that [Nurse Jackson] was a nurse might’ve been a drawback because I was a nurse so many times, but it’s a special project and actually it was the best pilot script that I had read. I had been offered so much and I just read that one and I felt a connection to the world.
Are you aware of any real life programs like this?
Absolutely. It was amazing having Margaret Nagle as our writer and show creator because this was very much her wheelhouse. She had all of us in contact [with people at hospitals], the kids with patients and Dave [Annabel] and I were all in contact with either doctors or nurses or caregivers that would be able to give us ground floor information that we should know. Coming into it, I thought I knew about hospitals because I played a nurse so many times, but I never played a pediatric nurse and it was so different and thankfully they are. The services they provide, they’re more than just healing the sick – it’s about giving kids a well-rounded atmosphere so they can continue to be kids.
As we’ve been doing promotions for the show we’ve gone to several hospitals around the country and it was a unique environment. It was life altering, actually.
At the end of the pilot we got to see Nurse Jackson’s soft side. Can you talk about what we’ll learn about her as the season progresses?
It’s so interesting because there are so many series regulars on the show, largely the teens who are in the hospitals, and then Dave and I are the mom and pop of the situation. Just like in your regular life you’re not one way all the time, and I I think Nurse Jackson, being a woman who is taking care of people who have (some of them) very serious illnesses, there’s just no time for tomfoolery. She maintains that type of bravado, because you can’t give an inch sometimes because they’re likely to take a mile. I think what you’ll learn about her as the season progresses is why she chose the profession she did.
Were you looking to do a TV series or were you looking at everything at this point?
I’m an actor and I am looking for roles where I can continue to evolve, and things that are challenging, and I gravitated toward the roles, not just television or film. For me the interesting roles have been television, so it was basically just about finding a project that, A) resonated with me, B) and had a group of people I want to be with and see every day, and it was a win-win situation with me because I have a wonderful relationship with everyone over at Trademark. It was quite a few circumstances that made me want to be part of Red Band Society.
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