Group dinners, on-set jokes and that season one cliffhanger: New Amsterdam cast reveal behind the scenes secrets
New Amsterdams season one ended with an epic cliffhanger, with Ryan Eggold, Freema Agyeman and Janet..
New Amsterdams season one ended with an epic cliffhanger, with Ryan Eggold, Freema Agyeman and Janet Montgomerys characters all involved in a tragic crash that show runners have promised will see main characters die.
Based on the true story of Eric Manheimers time at Bellevue Hospital, the series follows Dr. Max Goodwin as he becomes the medical director of New Amsterdam and aims to reform the way the system works by tearing up the rule book.
The show isnt afraid to focus on telling real stories and struggles, and – much like This Is Us – isnt afraid to make its audience cry.
But how do the cast keep things relaxed on set when the subject matter gets heavy, who is the biggest joker on set – and how do Ryan and Freema build the wondeful chemistry between Max and Helen?
Metro.co.uk sat down with Ryan, Freema and Janet to find out that and more…
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New Amsterdam cast still dont know who died at the end of season one:
I still dont know [who has died], says Janet. It still could be me.
However maybe the cliffhanger is actually a ruse to allow the show to pivot to a whole new genre.
My theory is there is different definitions of the word die, says Freema. Tyler and I were in San Diego Comic-COn and everyone was asking why a medical show is at a sci-fi convention and I said “just you wait for season two”.
Season ones cliffhanger did leave the cast with concerns though:
They said “oh someone is going to die” and I said “dont be cute, do I need to look for a new job?”, reveals Janet.
The show had developed this reputation for being something that made you feel, certainly people were getting emotional but it was cathartic and it became positive, adds Freema.
But then that last one I dont think left people feeling very hopeful. It felt like a change in direction for the show and being so successful in the run up to that, it was a shock. “Oh, how will everyone feel about that?”
But you cant keep everything the same, you need to mix it up, life is full of unpredictability and I think its stronger for it.
New Amsterdams cast is as important as the script:
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Ellen Pompeo recently revealed that she found the first few years on Greys Anatomys set toxic which is something the New Amsterdam cast acknowledge was one of their biggest fears.
Signing on for a show without meeting your cast mates can leave you, say Ryan, screwed if you dont like the cast.
[The cast is] everything, its as important as the material itself, he adds.I wanted to do the show but they had not cast Ryan and they didnt know who would be Max, number one on the call sheet, reveals Janet.
I was nervous. Hopefully theyre good actor but more than that, they set the tone for the whole show and if theyre not a nice person then it can make the whole experience really toxic.
Luckily Janet and Ryan vaguely knew each other as they had mutual friends and spent time in what Ryan calls a strange little scene in LA when they were babies, while Freema and Anupam had the Sense8 connection.
Tyler Lapine is the joker on set… but Ryan is also a naughty boy:
Tylers name is called out by Ryan, Freema and Janet all at once, but then Ryan continues: But also Anapum and Jocko and also Freema.
Freema disagrees though, and reveals she calls Ryan a naughty boy on set.
Hes always making mischief and you turn around and hes in the corner laughing and its adorable! But the crew as well, you can wander off and find someone and have a talk about their weekend, and its nice, its so relaxed.
New Amsterdam becomes a disaster when all six are on set at the same time:
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When the six of us are in a scene its a disaster, we cant stop joking because we have so few opportunities for all six of us to be in the same scene, says Ryan.
But the cast all meet up socially outside of filming hours – when they can find a date that works for everyone.
Well have a group chat and it will be like “okay lets do dinner this Wednesday” but then someone is working late and its really hard to get all of us together at the same time, reveals Janet.
The cast rotate who will cook dinner and it turns out Janets traditional English roast dinner is a winner among the cast.
Her nut roast is the best thing, I am obsessed, says Ryan.
Max and Helens chemistry is built by Ryan and Freema simply through trust:
This is one of the only professions in the world where you are expected to trust your coworker so quickly, and so freely and so implicitly, says Freema.
She calls the set of New Amsterdam a permissive environment where you can be honest and say “a) I dont know how to play this scene, can we play or talk about it” or “b) I have an idea and do you mind if I voice it?” so that trust has been there from day one.
Ryan has another theory though, joking: We have a good snog in the closet before every scene.
Ryan would be disappointed if Max and Helen had an affair:
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Ryan previously admitted that he wouldnt want to see Max cheat on his wife Georgia, a supporting character in the show.
However many fans ship Max and Helen, and when asked how he would feel about the possibility of the pair hooking up, he admits he would be disappointed but trusts the writers enough to believe they would never take him there.
Maybe that would happen but I dont see the writers writing something overly simplistic whatever it is, he says.
If it was very predictable and he has an affair with someone I would undoubtedly be disappointed, but I dont see them writing that, and nor do I think that is reflective of their relationship.
I dont think Helen is the kind of women who would either.
But its interesting the fans are connecting with that, they can see the complications, adds Freema.
So many of us are in relationships and yet you have friendships outside of them that arent bRead More – Source