While in the United States Season 2 is already airing, “Brilliant Minds” has only recently kicked off in Germany (and is available on RTL+). The hospital drama draws on the works of gay neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks (“The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat”) and centers on his equally brilliant and eccentric quasi-alter ego Oliver Wolf, who works in a fictional New York hospital. In conjunction with the U.S. premiere of “Brilliant Minds,” the openly gay leading man Zachary Quinto joined a virtual press conference to answer a few questions.
Zachary, were you instantly excited when the chance to take on a steady main role in a series came along again?
Honestly, I hesitated at first. I had just spent a stretch on stage in London, where I performed in a Gore Vidal play, and I was looking for a new challenge. But a TV series for American free-to-air, with a new episode every week — something I hadn’t shot in more than a dozen years — I wasn’t sure right away if this kind of work was right for me. Yet after a personal meeting with Michael Grassi, the creator and showrunner of the series, I quickly became fired up.
Grassi, who also contributed to “Schitt’s Creek,” is himself gay, and the series is produced by Greg Berlanti. Was the strong LGBTQ+ focus of this mainstream series a deciding factor for you?
First and foremost, the most important thing is that “Brilliant Minds” pays tribute to Oliver Sacks’s work and humanity. His view of the world and of people is incredibly hopeful and understanding. In times like these, that is more vital than ever!
Direct link | English original trailer for the series
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That the lead character of a broadly produced series is a queer man, there’s a significance to that, isn’t there?
The important thing about the character’s sexual identity, to me, is that it’s basically irrelevant. That Oliver Wolf is gay isn’t the central theme of the series, nor a headline-worthy issue; it’s simply one facet of his life. Our aim is to portray three-dimensional people who have more than one side to them and who are both unique and, at the same time, a natural part of a community. As a counter-message to the current black-and-white thinking in our divided society, I believe it’s an important message, especially for people in the United States outside the big cities.
You’ve probably learned a thing or two about neurology for the role. Anything practical as well?
Oh yes, I learned to ride a motorcycle. Oliver Sacks was famously an avid motorcyclist, so we wanted Oliver Wolf to reflect that side of him. I can’t claim I’ll rush to buy a bike myself, but the riding lessons were pretty thrilling.
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The range of your work runs from theater to voice work, from horror to comedy. How do you choose your roles?
The genre or the medium of a project is always secondary to me. I simply listen inside to see if a role feels right for where I am in my life. Can I allow a character or a story to come so close to me? Those are the questions I ask with every screenplay. There was a period in my career when I played a lot of villainous, dark, and bleak men. Today it feels more fitting to portray someone like Oliver Wolf, whose actions are rooted in compassion, optimism, and acceptance. “Brilliant Minds” could not have come at a better moment in my life. And knowing that I’m also honoring Oliver Sacks, who contributed so much to medicine, science, and literature, makes me doubly grateful.
