Oliver Platt is a character actor known for many TV credits, including The West Wing, Nip/Tuck, and The Big C. However, since 2015, he has been mostly associated with his leading role as Dr. Daniel Charles on Chicago Med, a medical drama show centered around the emergency department at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. The series has been a big hit, and Platt is incredible on the network drama. Also, a few years ago, the masterful actor also took on FX’s The Bear in addition to his role on Med. Now, he's opening up about why he decided to put more on his plate and how he’s able to moonlight on the streaming series while filming the other program.
The Emmy nominee chatted about his wide ranging television career during a recent interview with The Associated Press. And, unsurprisingly, his current stints on the two hit TV shows were brought up. According to the 64-year-old star, The Bear actually came to him when he told his agent that he wanted to explore other roles in addition to his responsibilities on Chicago Med. He ended up playing Uncle Jimmy "Cicero" Kalinowski on the FX series, a character who ends up being a major investor in the restaurant that Carmy and his kitchen staff are trying to build. The veteran actor said of the experience:
I felt like a guest for about five minutes on The Bear. Maybe that just makes me lucky or just makes me good at insinuating myself into a situation, I don’t know. … I didn’t get to work in the kitchen the first season, I was so excited to meet them all. My first day back on the set in season two, it was actually in the restaurant in the kitchen. And I literally was starstruck. And that’s a wonderful scenario.
Oliver Platt’s character on the dramedy has become much bigger since his appearance on Season 1. At first, he’s a financier, who threatens to shut the restaurant down due to lack of funds and pops up here and there as a reminder to our central characters of what's at stake. His investment in the restaurant vision is much more involved in the following season, making Platt more integral to the cast of The Bear. The series has become a major hit, and one of the best shows on Hulu right now so, if Platt truly was just trying to branch out a bit, he chose an incredible project to do that with.
Even though Uncle Jimmy’s relevance on the Emmy-winning show has increased, this doesn’t mean the Frost/Nixon star's role on Chicago Med has lessened. The actor has found a way to balance both prominent roles and their shooting schedules. For starters, it helps that both series are filmed in Chicago, which makes it easier to coordinate obligations. In fact, his trailers for both shows are a mere 200 yards from each other. He sometimes even does work for both shows on the same day, which the star enjoys, as he said:
It’s really fun. It spices up the day.
Not many shows are filmed in the windy city, so the coincidence definitely worked out in Oliver Platt’s favor. However, the Tony nominee still has had some mishaps with the crossover, especially when it comes to the accents he uses on the respective shows. He explained:
The director was like, ‘Oliver, what’s that? What’s that accent?'
For context, Oliver Platt’s character on Chicago Med isn’t a native of the eponymous town, whereas Uncle Jimmy in The Bear is, hence the switching back and forth between accents. At present, Platt is expected to start shooting the NBC show's tenth season in July and is also expected to have an increased role in Season 3 of The Bear, which premieres this week. The restaurant-centric series, in particular, is highly anticipated, with Season 2's eventful finale leaving audiences with plenty of questions about what’s to come for the eponymous newly high-end eatery. I have no doubt that Platt will continue to shine in the role and continue to effortlessly balance his obligations to both shows.
You can see him on the new season of The Bear, which will be available to Hulu subscribers in its entirety on June 27th. You can also see him on NBC's Chicago Med by streaming episodes with a Peacock subscription while you wait for Season 10. For more information on other series heading back to the small screen this year, make sure to consult our 2024 TV premiere schedule.
