Though it is only in its freshman season, Watson has certainly gathered together quite the cast of characters. Two such skilled cast members were kind enough to sit down with TV Fanatic.
Before we get into it, though, if you haven’t had a chance to see the show, it is incredible. What stands out the most are the episodic cases.
Watson has made true medical mysteries its bread and butter. Which means the Holmes Clinic is going to need some of the best and brightest to heal the terminally ill.
Eve Harlow and Rochelle Aytes stopped by to discuss some of the developing drama and huge twists headed our way on Watson Season 1 Episode 9, “Take a Family History.”
Don’t worry, though, because while Eve does discuss what’s in store for Dr. Ingrid, I took the liberty of hiding any spoilers because, trust me, it is GOOD.
Let’s kick things off with Miss Eve Harlow (Star Trek: Discovery) herself.
Working on a medical drama comes with its own specific niches, such as medical terminology. Is retaining the pronunciation or even vocabulary of all the medical jargon challenging?
Oh, my God! Heck, yes, yes, yes! I would get the script, and I love our scripts. It was just like every single time a new script would come out, I’m like, “Oh, my God! Present for me you.”
It’s just very exciting to get, but even before reading all of it, I would go look at all my lines to see what medical words had been written in.
Because at one point, I also remember, I forget what word it was, but Craig called me.
He’s like, “Hey, heads up. You’re getting the script in a couple days. I’m giving it to you now, so you can start memorizing it ahead of time.” Just the word.
It wasn’t even the line or where it came from. It was just the one. I was like, “Thank you so much,” because it does make a difference.
And it was my big episode where you find out all this stuff about Ingrid. And she leads the conference room, talking about Gigi and the spinal signal project.
My God! I would go to sleep running those lines over and over again, I would set my alarm to wake up earlier.
At night. I would say my lines like that was my version of prayer, because I just knew that it had to go at a certain pace.
I wanted it to have a certain rhythm, and it can’t have that unless I know it like the back of my hand, you know?
What were your thoughts on Dr. Ingrid Derian when you first approached the character?
Oh, I loved her immediately because she’s so unhinged. And I love to play people that are very different than I am because it’s more of a challenge.
I know the way that I think. I understand the way that I see the world. But how does this person, who’s so vastly different than I am?
Who does things that I would never be capable of doing? What is their intention? How do they perceive things? And it’s really fun exploring that.
I was immediately drawn to it. And she’s just so smart and a doctor. I was like, “Mom, you can call me doctor.” And then my younger sister. She’s a scientist, but she never got her PhD. She got her master’s.
She has a masters in experimental medicine, and then when I got the part, she was like, “Well, at least one of us is going to be called doctor.”
And we really lucked out. One of our writers, her name’s Teresa. She’s no joke, a genius. She graduated high school when she was twelve years old, and she went to med school at 16.
Yeah, she’s the youngest pediatrician ever. She’s very, very smart and she is a writer on the show.
With every episode, we were given a Google file where she had audio files, where she would say the words that we needed to say.
Because as you know, you read a word sometimes, and you’re like, it just looks like people threw together letters. And we’re like, this is a word now. And now you have to say it.
Ingrid’s story gets a big reveal in the upcoming episode. Were you a part of developing the character’s arc? Or, at least, made aware of it early on?
I got the part, and pretty immediately, like the day after, Craig and Larry were like, “Okay, we need to talk to you about your character.”
I was like, “What are you going to tell me? And then they said, “You *HUGE SPOILER*.”
Okay, cool. And they told me what the character arc was going to be for me, but actually, the ending completely changed.
Very different. But the core of it, which is that I *HUGE SPOILER*, and the reason for why I *HUGE SPOILER* stayed the same.
They felt it was a pretty big thing for me not to know, and to have that dropped on me close to the end of the season was like, “Wait, what?”
And I think it obviously dictates all of Ingrid’s actions throughout the season, right? I’m very grateful that they did that because they didn’t have to.
Because sometimes you do have people that last minute, it’s like, “Okay, cool. This is happening. Thanks, guys.” You know?
The scenes you share with Rochelle in the upcoming episode are some of the most intense of the season so far. As you are both such skilled actors, what was it like filming that scene?
I cannot say enough good things about Rochelle. When I first met her, I was like, “She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
I don’t understand how many times I told her that she was gorgeous. And she’s like, “Eve, you have to stop doing that.”
I was like, “You’re what the aliens created when they were like, ‘Let’s make the most beautiful human on the planet.” And they created Rochelle.
So, aside from Rochelle being the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen, she’s also so nice, such a good human, so sweet, so funny, just this bright, wonderful human.
And then, on top of that, she has the audacity to be so talented. It was funny because we were doing interviews, and I was asked, “What was your favorite scene to film?”
I said these scenes with Rochelle, and then the interviewer goes, “It’s funny you should say that because Rochelle said the same thing.” So, I think we really reveled in the same thing.
We filmed it over two days, and that was cool, too. Mario, the director, he was like, “Okay, obviously, it’s a big chunk of stuff that’s happening. Very emotional. How do we preserve your energy? And how do we make the most of this?”
He gave us a game plan of what the shots were going to be the first day. This is what the shots are going to be the second day, and we were allowed to play out the scenes fully.
And what’s wonderful is even when the coverage was not on her, Rochelle gave it her all. She was so present and alive.
Which then made it new. It didn’t feel rehearsed. She was super prepared.
And when then the camera was on her, there was just this moment where I had to stand behind the camera because she couldn’t see my face.
I was climbing on top of the table. I’m contorting myself so that she can see me because I wanted to be there for her.
We were there for each other, and I think we both really love our characters, and we love the story.
And we were both really excited about being able to play opposite each other. Especially because both of us have had medical jargon.
It’s like, okay, we know we can do that stuff. We know we can say words that are fifteen letters long.
So, all of a sudden, to have this exploration of all these emotions, this history; It was like a gift for an actor.
You have such an incredibly prolific filmography ranging in films from Jennifer’s Body and Instant Family to The Guard and Star Trek: Discovery. What has set Watson apart from the many other projects you’ve taken on?
I feel like I’ve been really lucky. I’m very, very grateful for all the projects. What sets Watson apart? I mean, it’s just different. I’ve never played someone who’s a certified sociopath like this before.
I’ve never played a doctor before. The dynamics that I have with the other cast, the other characters, is very different. It’s the power dynamics with the twins, with Sasha, with Watson, Mary, it’s just all different.
For example, “How is this different than the job that I did before? That was Star Trek. Okay, so I have my alien boyfriend. It’s us against the world. I don’t have to listen to the rules.
That’s different than this character because I do have to adhere to the rules to a certain extent because I’m working in this professional setting.
Ingrid is very grounded in reality. She’s very cold but grounded in what’s happening. So, this is me. Being an actor. Being like, “let me tell you about my character.”
After talking with the genuinely hilarious and delightful Eve Harlow, Rochelle Aytes graced TV Fanatic with her lovely presence.
Seriously, though, Eve Harlow is such a funny person that it was very clear that she is a phenomenal actress. She can go from wacky to sociopathic at the drop of a hat.
Now, behold, my interview with one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in my life.
Fair warning, I did have some of the same questions for both actresses, but that is because of pure curiosity over this CBS series. Enjoy.
Working on a medical drama comes with its own specific niches, such as medical terminology. Is it difficult to retain the pronunciation or even vocabulary of all the medical jargon?
I can retain it until cut, and then we’re done. I will say those words over and over again obsessively until it is time to film, you know what I mean?
Like, I have to study. I have to practice. I walk down the street, I put my earbuds on. People think I’m talking to somebody on the phone when I’m just talking to myself, saying those words over and over again.
I lay down, go to sleep saying the lines. I wake up. Is it still there? Okay, it’s there.
What were your thoughts on Dr. Mary Morstan when you first approached the character?
Also, when I’m just, studying my lines at home, I’ll Google how it’s supposed to be pronounced too.
What were your thoughts on Dr. Mary Morstan when you first approached the character?
When I first read for this character, I thought, okay, this is different from what I just played.
I like to switch it up. I don’t like to be pigeonholed and stuck in one character, but I also thought, you know what? This is something that I can play. I feel like there’s aspects of Mary that I have.
I’m married. My husband gets on my nerves sometimes. Also, just being a doctor, which I’m not, but I’ve always enjoyed playing characters who are smart and strong.
And yeah, I was definitely excited and up for the challenge.
Out of all the characters on Watson, Mary is one of the few who has a literary counterpart. Did you do any research into the Sherlock Holmes character? And are there things from the original character that have been used to develop your iteration of Mary?
So, no, I actually wasn’t a watcher of Sherlock Holmes. I was never very focused on that universe. I didn’t come into this with much knowledge about Mary.
I found out later, and so I just came into it with a clean slate.
I based everything off of what was on the script to make her mine, along with some conversations I had with Craig about the character.
She was developed from those conversations and what was written.
I actually knew that Mary had this secret from the very beginning. Craig Sweeney and I had a conversation, and he wanted me to know.
It was very important for me to know why Mary treated Watson the way that she did.
Why Mary left him. Why they’re not together. Why she has these walls up. I needed to know that information to lead me throughout the first few episodes.
Mary is getting another big backstory reveal after her tragic loss that she recently confessed to Watson. Was this always the plan for Mary’s character? And should viewers, myself included, be hopeful for a complete reconciliation between Mary and Watson?
Well, you know, when I read episode nine, Mary invited him on the date, and it was unexpected. And then it seemed like there was this familiarity and connection that they were having, which we hadn’t seen before.
Knowing or imagining that this is how these two used to be together, it allows you to see into their past a little bit and hope that they can possibly be together.
And I think eventually they will be together. It felt like they were just stepping back into their former selves.
But will it happen soon? I doubt that. I think right now Mary just needs a friend and that’s what he is to her. I think that they should and will be back together.
It’s what the people want. They want the ‘Will they, won’t they.” You always have to have drama, you know?
The scenes you share with Eve Harlow in the upcoming episode are some of the most intense of the season so far. As you are both such skilled actors, what was it like filming that scene?
Oh, well, okay. First of all, I’m so glad it was awesome to watch because it was amazing to film.
It was amazing to be in that space with her and be in the moment because it was so emotional for both of us, and we were there for each other.
You know, me and Eve were just there for each other. It was two days of these scenes, and it was so fulfilling, but it was a lot of energy. Sometimes exhausting.
And there was actually a moment where we were doing like a closeup and it was my coverage and they needed me to look at like an X on the wall, and I was like, “Okay.”
But then Eve would try to squeeze in there to make eye contact, and she did. I mean, it was really emotional.
I just can’t say enough about how happy I felt. Just being there and doing those scenes.
Thank you to Craig, and I can’t think of all the writers on that episode right now, but they wrote some amazing stuff for us both.
It was hands down the best two days of filming out of the whole season, which was pretty amazing. But those were my favorites. It really was so good.
As I mentioned before, Mary is one of the few Watson characters with a literary counterpart. Will Dr. Morstan find herself caught up in the Sherlock shenanigans? Is that something you want for the character?
Oh, absolutely. I want her to be all up in it. She’s at UHOP, and they’re at the Holmes Clinic. And you will get to see in the episodes to come that Mary is in it with him.
And it translates a hundred percent. Episodes eleven and twelve. The cliffhangers, I think it’s twelve and thirteen.
Yeah, there’s some amazing stuff happening between the Sherlock stuff and Moriarty, and it brings everyone together.
You have such an incredibly prolific filmography ranging in films from White Chicks and Trick R’ Treat to S.W.A.T. and Mistresses. What has set Watson apart from the many other projects you’ve taken on?
Thank you so much. I tell you, I am just always thinking, ‘Will I work again after this one?’ I save up my money ’cause you just never know. And I just feel like everything I do, I just want to grow and be better.
When I don’t work, I try to go back to acting class. If there is a part of myself that needs work, then I want to work on that in acting class.
And before I did Watson, I was in class for six months during the strike, and I wanted to work on the strength and the confidence of being the boss lady.
My acting teacher gave me a lot of stuff like that. And when Watson came along, Mary was the boss lady.
I was like, “Oh, well, this is what I was working towards,” you know? And when I got the role, I felt ready because I was preparing myself.
What sets this apart is that I feel like I’ve played strong women before, but I kind of feel like I’m more confident in playing this character than I have been in the past.
Because of my age, my experience, and my preparation coming into this, I find that it’s not a hundred percent me, but there is that boss energy in me and I feel like it’s coming out and I’m just accepting that energy.
Both women were absolutely amazing. So kind, intelligent, and absolutely stunning. If you haven’t seen Watson, get yourself a Paramount+ subscription and see why Watson is a must-see medical drama.
Are you excited about the upcoming reveal of Dr. Ingrid’s past?
Who is your favorite character on Watson?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I interview more actors from your favorite shows!
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