Chicago Med’s Sarah Ramos Teases Lenox’s Backstory, Reveals How Bear Co-Star Welcomed Her to NBC Drama
Chicago Med newcomer Sarah Ramos knows her character, Dr. Caitlin Lenox, isn’t everyone’s favorite person.
The new co-head of the Emergency Department came into the hospital in the Season 10 premiere and quickly made her presence known, shaking up the work flow and ruffling feathers among her colleagues, especially with the ED’s former solo boss, Dr. Dean Archer.
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“It’s been a journey,” Ramos tells TVLine of the experience of joining the NBC series and seeing the reaction to her alter ego. “I came into the show with Allen MacDonald, the new showrunner, at the same time, and it was kind of prepped for me, like, ‘You’re going to be the antagonist of the season.’ But then, once I was on set, everybody was so kind, and they were like, ‘Oh, we love your character. We love how you do things. This is so awesome.’ So then I kind of forgot that [I] was, like, the antagonist.”
Ramos was quickly reminded of that fact when she “thought it would be fun to read some of the fans’ reactions on Twitter to the first episode and realized, ‘OK, this is going to take some getting used to,'” the actress says.
Luckily, Ramos’ castmates have been there to give the new series regular some advice: “Steven Weber likes to say, as a formerly hated character himself, ‘This is just how it goes,'” Ramos shares with a laugh.
Read on as Ramos previews Dr. Lenox’s backstory, teases more tension with Archer and shares how a fellow The Bear alum helped ease her transition to Med (airing Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC).
TVLINE | In terms of transitioning into a medical drama, has anybody given you any tips? Is there anything you found particularly useful?
We have real surgeons and OB-GYN and nurses on set who give you the lowdown on everything that you’re doing wrong, which, pretty much, is everything, because I don’t know the correct way to do things, medically. [It] is not your first instinct. Like, down to how you hold scissors. I would typically hold scissors with my pointer finger and my thumb, and you’re actually supposed to hold them as a doctor with your thumb and your ring finger. And they’re like, “Yeah, your pointer finger is how you learn in kindergarten how to hold scissors. So now you should have more dexterity, ya dumbass.” [Laughs] So you’re like, “Oh, wow, I didn’t think about that.” [They’re like], “Hold this instrument like a pencil, hold this instrument like a chopstick.” So I guess people are really learning stuff in medical school for all those years. So they’re there to make us look like we know what we’re doing.
TVLINE | We just saw Dr. Lenox go through a very traumatic surgery with Hannah in the last episode. Is there more fallout to come from that?
There’s some more discussion to come from that in this coming episode. Lenox is all about transparency and having open communication about everything from good subjects to difficult subjects, because the only way to learn is to face things head-on and to communicate. So Lenox may or may not want to analyze what went down in that surgery in front of a group of people, which may or may not continue ruffling some feathers.
TVLINE | We don’t know a ton about her yet. As this season progresses, will we get any insight into her background and what helped shape her into the doctor that she is and how stringent she is?
You are absolutely going to learn more about Lenox’s backstory, what drew her to the military, what kind of person needs that kind of structure. I’m really excited to get to explore more of Lenox’s backstory because it’s what made me want to do the show. I understand Lenox wants to be the best doctor she can be, and she also has her armor up. She was in the military, and she’s a woman. She’s had to work really hard, she’s had to protect herself, stay super professional. Of course, that’s kind of what comes to bite her in the ass, that people are like, “Now you’re too professional.”
TVLINE | Being in the military is a really big thing that she has in common with Archer. Yet, there’s so much tension between the two of them. How is that going to impact her job and the ED in the coming episodes?
Well, I can’t tell you, but there’s a lot to come. I just wish they could just get along. Lenox keeps trying, keeps sending him memos and emails, and he doesn’t even read her emails. I mean, there’s only so much you can do with that. So there’s a lot more infuriating head-butting to come.
TVLINE | Lenox’s made more enemies than friends since joining the hospital. But is there somebody whom she’s going to soften towards, or someone that softens towards her?
I think you will have to wait and see for that. But I do think that Lenox has an ally in Goodwin as long as she is doing her job. Goodwin is her boss. It’s not like Lenox came in and was like, “I’m going try to make the ED more efficient for no reason.” She has been tasked with an impossible job…with new coworkers who clearly have a lot of emotions about the way things go down. And I like that Goodwin is kind of a no-nonsense — I mean, seems like Goodwin’s got some enemies, too. She’s less emotional and can see things from all sides, and she’s who brought Lenox in. So I think Goodwin is a good ally to have, as long as Lenox keeps doing what she needs her to do.
TVLINE | Between you and Oliver Platt, there are now two Bear cast members on Med. Did that help ease the transition into Med for you? Did you and Oliver bond over that experience on the Med set?
Yes, it definitely did. Oliver helped me find an apartment. I actually moved into the same building that he’s in. My unit is the same layout as his, on a different floor, so that was really helpful. And we watched the Emmys together. It was super cute.
TVLINE | When I talked to Luke Mitchell, he told me he was a big fan of The Bear, and that part of the appeal of why he wanted to play Ripley was getting to have scenes with Oliver.
Oh, that’s so cute.
TVLINE | Has he geeked out with you about The Bear?
He hasn’t mentioned that. I guess he’s just too intimidated. [Laughs]
Chicago Med fans, are you warming up to Dr. Lenox? Hit the comments!
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