Those who know me know that I have quite a few comfort shows. There’s nothing like a rewatch to pick you up when you’re down. Jennifer Morrison (she/her), filmmaker, actor, and producer, happens to star in two of my faves (House and Once Upon a Time). That’s why I was so excited to chat with her about her latest directing project, Dr. Death. Based on the Miracle Man season of the Wondery podcast, the anthology series currently follows celeb surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who performs the world’s first synthetic organ transplant, and investigative journalist Benita Alexander, as they cross professional paths and delve into a personal relationship—changing their lives forever. Sounds good, right? Well, Jennifer’s answers are gonna make you want to watch it even more.

I’ve loved you in so many roles over the course of your career from Dr. Allison Cameron to Emma Swan. Did you always want to be an actor?
From my earliest memories, I thought of myself as an actor and also as a writer, actually. I used to write little books for my teachers as a gift on the first day of school. Looking back, it seems a bit much, but as a kid, I absolutely loved it. I think acting and writing both gave me a chance to imagine and experience things well outside the world in which I lived. I love figuring out what tiny nugget of information makes a character unique.

People may not know you’re just as skilled behind the camera as you are in front of it. What made you decide to try your hand at directing?
I started directing theater when I was still in high school. I directed The Who’s Tommy at a community theater and then went on to direct in the black box theater in college as well as in smaller spaces in LA. Once I was on set all the time as an actor working on House, I started using set as my film school.

I realized that people who love what they do, love talking about what they do. I asked a million questions and started really studying cinema from a more logistical perspective in order to get a sense of how to accomplish the things that I loved on screen. While I was working on Once Upon a Time, I came across a script from Janelle Riley called Warning Labels and loved its mixture of heart, tone, and style. Andrew Carlberg and I partnered up as producers and I directed that script as my first short film.

What’s been the best directing project so far? And what have been the most challenging and fulfilling parts?
My short film and my feature, Sun Dogs, will always feel like a very special part of me, but I also had an extraordinary experience working on Euphoria. I learned a ton from every single person on that set, and I was so blown away by how Sam Levinson encouraged me to really dream up what I wanted visually for the episode that I directed. His mentorship and faith in me on that project really gave me a new level of confidence in terms of taking on visual challenges.
 

Your most recent directorial project is the first half of Dr. Death Season 2. What’s the show about, and what has it been like working on it?
I was thrilled to return to my Dr. Death family this season. I had a blast working with Patrick Macmanus on Season 1 and adding Ashley Michel Hoben as the showrunner this season was just an absolute dream. The series is based on a podcast about doctors whose unethical behaviors have gone unchecked by institutions. The lack of repercussions for their actions cost lives—sometimes, many lives. The heroes of these stories are always the people willing to risk everything to expose the truth and stop these doctors from killing again.In the episodes that I directed, we were also juggling two different timelines. It became critical for us to delineate the two different worlds through a visual language. The timeline that includes Mandy’s character, Benita Alexander, was shot on anamorphic lenses and with intentionally warm lighting. The backstory of how the whistle blowers started to discover Paulo’s unethical behavior was shot on spherical lenses and in much cooler light.

This isn’t your first time working with Mandy Moore. How was it to work with her in a director/actor setting as opposed to as castmates?
Mandy and I barely crossed paths on This Is Us. But when Mandy came up as a possible Benita, I was thrilled. She transformed completely as her character aged on This Is Us. I knew Benita would require a new transformation and I knew Mandy was not only up for it, but would be thrilled to step into something so different after six years of playing Rebecca. One of the greatest gifts that came out of working on Dr. Death is my working relationship and friendship with Mandy. She’s the real deal on all levels and I feel lucky to be in her orbit.

Do you see yourself ever going back to acting? What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing the next feature that I hope to direct. I do have a couple things brewing in addition that which I’m not ready to talk about yet. I’m very superstitious. I feel like until I’m on set and hear or say action, I don’t believe it’s real. But I will definitely continue acting. Now it’s just the dance of balancing a little bit of acting with a whole lot of directing.

Considering your involvement in House and in Dr. Death, what kind of doc do you think you could most successfully be IRL?
Oh man, that’s a tough one. Just memorizing medical stuff is hard enough. Definitely not a surgeon of any sort, not a pediatrician, not an ER doctor… I don’t know, maybe a dermatologist? I have had a lot of issues with skin cancer over the years and I have had to learn a lot about my skin. So maybe, maybe I could pull that off in medical school. I have such a deep respect for doctors. It’s absolutely incredible the knowledge they have and the pressure under which they have to deliver lifesaving results.

What’s your favorite fairy tale? If it was portrayed in OUAT, did you love the twist they put on it?
Also a tough question. I grew up in a Disney-loving family. I was obsessed with all of them. Ultimately, I don’t know if I could pick one, but I loved the way the writers of OUAT mashed them all up and I love the actors that they chose to fill all of those shoes.

Is there anything else that you’d like to share?
One of the things that excited me the most about Dr. Death is that I’m putting a story on the screen that is based on a true story where the truth was fought for and uncovered. It is a scary time in the world where people seem to be forgetting that truth is important, and that protecting each other is important. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I’m proud to be a part of sharing characters who are willing to risk everything to fight to do the right thing. The world needs heroes and sometimes those heroes are more unexpected and more  everyday-seeming than the disaster movies like to suggest. Real people, with real lives and real problems, can be the real heroes.

Ok, I’m signing off now to binge Dr. Death 👩‍⚕️,
Reina Sultan, associate editorial director