This story contains details from the latest episode ofThe Pitton Max.
Okay no one expectedthiskind of trauma in the ER.
He sends Patrick Balls Dr. Frank Langdon packing.
Patrick Ball as Dr. Frank LangdonMax
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PATRICK BALLSo initially there was no mention of drugs.
That did not come up until later down the line.
Langdon was described to me as this doctor everybody loves.
This guy is rootin tootin.
He comes in the lineage of cowboy medicine.
And thats where I started building … this is a blue collar job.
Im not a hero, Im not a genius, Im just doing my job.
The underbelly came in later.
He strikes me as quite smart and confident.
BALLIt is really interesting.
Both of my parents are emergency workers.
My dad is a lifelong paramedic.
My mom is a lifelong ER nurse and they cant watch medical dramas.
They wont watch because theyre likethis doesnt feel real.
Theyre literally saving lives every day.
But thats not how my parents think of themselves.
Theyre just doing their jobs.
Theyre clocking in every day and it is ditch digging work.
I think thats how Langdon sees it.
Another important thing is the compartmentalization of everything.
I think hes somebody who cant be aware of the emotional impact of what hes doing.
You have to think, this is a body, this is a problem.
Thats what I mean by cowboy medicine.
DEADLINE How do your parents feel about the show?
Ive never done anything like this.
Can you all just read the script with me?
And so we read the pilot and the first thing they said was, this checks out.
This medicine checks out.
This is what I would do.
DEADLINE How has it been learning the medical dialogue?
BALLYeah, I mean, Id like to say its nuts.
Its sort of like speaking Latin and riding a unicycle and falling in love all at the same time.
But yeah, there are lot of bloopers out there.
DEADLINEWhat feels different about this medical show from others that you may have watched?
BALLI say this to Scott Gemmill, the showrunner.
Im like, kudos to you, man.
You made a hell of a bet.
You gave it to him straight.
Were not doing any of the things youre supposed to do to be popular.
There are no big starry names other than Noah.
Outside of Noah, most of us are new.
Our characters dont go home with people, we dont get caught up in personal storylines.
It is really medicine first.
It is the job first.
We stripped it all away.
There is one set.
We dont have lighting setups, we dont have dolly tracks.
Its like making a play.
We just have a set that we show up to.
Weve got two cameras that are handheld and its just focused on people.
Its just focused on telling human stories about real people in a real way.
DEADLINE And how does that feel being in that one room?
Do you ever feel claustrophobic?
BALLIts crazy, but its really cool because I show up to work every day at the same place.
Its the same room, same lighting.
And that might be 10 hours for the show, but thats six months in shooting time.
So we have hundreds of background artists who are there every day.
And every series regular does background and every background artist is a series regular.
It really becomes a family.
It becomes a repertory company.
DEADLINE So what is Langdons deal with Santos?
Is there a little professional jealousy going on here?
Does he see that Santos has the goods to be a good doctor?
BALLJealousy could be part of it.
You want somebody who wants the ball, you want somebody who wants the action.
I think theres a certain amount of reflection there that Langdon may not be aware of.
I think theres certain amount of that.
This distrust for institutional knowledge and experience is really dangerous.
And I think thats something that Langdon is really trying to convince Santos of.
Like, look, I think youre smart, youre obviously talented, but youre also new.
I think that is something that hes trying to convince Santos of.
She really doesnt want to hear.
And I think that if you ask Langdon, thats the primary root of their tension.
DEADLINE Robbie obviously discovered pills in your locker, but we only see Santos holding empty drug vials.
Is that a key detail that we should pay attention to?
BALLThats for the audience to decide.
It comes out that Langdon has been self-medicating through the hospital drug supply.
He says youve got to take him at his word.
He says, Im never high.
But to what extent is that self-maintenance?
How much is he taking to fend off withdrawal symptoms?
DEADLINE Will we get an answer to that question by the end of this first season?
BALLIt is addressed again.
He doesnt come out and present you with a tidy thesis or a tidy takeaway.
He kind of leaves that for the audience to do.
And I dont want to get in the way of that.
DEADLINE Obviously we dont want to see you fired from the ER.
I want to stay.
I love it here.
