CHICAGO MED: Steven Weber on the Unexpected Dean-Hannah-Sean Triangle

CHICAGO MED’s Dean (Steven Weber) has slowly been reconciling with his estranged son, Sean (Luigi Sottile), but the reunion may be thwarted: both men seem to have an interest in Hannah (Jessy Schram).

“For a character like Dean Archer, where love doesn’t come easily to him or from him—he’s very hesitant to think in those terms,” Weber explains to Give Me My Remote in the video below. “Even though from the outside it looks like it’s something that would happen organically. He and Hannah both have major trust issues; hard for them to be vulnerable to a world that has in some ways betrayed them. And she in her way and he in his. And certainly Sean in his way.”

“It’s funny how people are thrown together, in certain shapes, situations, and immediately [the reaction is], ‘Oh, wow, it looks like this,’” he continues. “It’s a lot more complicated than that. It’s hard for them to go with the flow. And I think the audience will respond to that in a way, and say ‘Oh, my God, I know what’s gonna happen.’ But if they know the show, they know it’s not gonna happen that way—or at least not as easily as they think it will. It’s a lot of complications and subtleties with all these characters.”

Even if Hannah and Dean were to take a step forward, “as much as Dean would love to find love, he does not trust it,” Weber notes. “He does not trust human beings. And that’s really the biggest hurdle in his life. It’s so funny, because he’s a healer and he’s a dedicated surgeon. But you see how irascible and pissy he can be to his fellow human beings. He’s unpleasant. So he’s a bit of a mess. Hannah, for her part, has come a long way and is learning how to find her way back to a trusting bond with her fellow human beings. And to throw Sean into the mix, a guy that’s fresh into the world of recovery, fresh out of prison. That’s a mess—but it’s an entertaining mess.”

Originally, the CHICAGO MED bosses implied they wouldn’t go down the (possible) romance path for Hannah and Dean, but plans shifted.

“I think that they took whatever was happening on the soundstage and began to observe that and maybe incorporate [it into the show],” Weber says. “I would be lying if I said that myself and Jessy had not been in light, passing discussions with some of the writers about the possibilities, because we like to know where we’re going and what the trajectory is. And, in spite of that, those things often change…So there has been a gradual evolution of where these characters are. And it’s that type of not knowing that is a little exciting, a little frustrating, and I think that’s the same for the writers, too. I think they’re not entirely sure where we are going, but there’s enough dynamism and enough subtlety and possibilities in our characters that will allow them to take us to places that aren’t necessarily foreseen or expected.”

Complicating everything is the fact that Dean’s health is failing…and he might need Sean’s help with a kidney transplant.

“This is a guy that finds difficulty in being vulnerable,” Weber says. “He finds difficulty in asking for help. And it’s becoming more apparent that he needs it—and needs a lot of it. And needs to learn to trust people, if he’s going to live. And not just live well, but live [a] life…And while it’s been great to be reunited with his son, his son who has presented himself as a possible candidate for kidney replacement, [Sean] is also having some issues, and that complicates things. It’s not an easy process, under the best of conditions. Well, with these particular characters, you can just imagine that it can be challenging.”

Unfortunately for everyone, the problems are spread out throughout the hospital, too, as Gaffney Medical pivots to become a for-profit facility.

“He finds that whole idea offensive,” Weber says. “Here’s a guy that saw a lot of action in wartime, and has found, in a very apolitical way—because we don’t know necessarily what his politics are, but we can suspect that despite his irascibility, he’s a people person. And so he’s a person who places people over profits. And in this world where it’s kind of the opposite, he’s a pawn…he has trouble with it. He’s got a problem with 2.0. It perturbs him. But he’s got to do what he’s got to do. It’s his only opportunity to continue to work and to be of value.”

Watch the video for more from Weber…

CHICAGO MED, Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC

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