The Peacock series tells the terrifying true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch.
Such was the case forDr.
DeathstarChristian Slater, who tells EW that, actually, this is a pretty common on-set occurrence.
Christian Slater as Dr. Randall Kirby on ‘Dr. Death’.Barbara Nitke/Peacock
In this instance, the grisly subject matter isDr.
Patients entered his operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries and left permanently maimed or dead.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How familiar were you with the podcast before signing on to the role?
So I am one of them.
So the ball started rolling from there, and Patrick Macmanus came aboard.
And he was able to trigger the show and put the stories together and did a fantastic job.
Did you get to speak with the real Dr. Kirby at all before or after shooting?
So that was unfortunate, but also fortunate.
He’d seen all the episodes.
He was very content and happy, and that’s really all I needed to hear.
So the idea, I think, was to capture the essence of who this man was.
So how did you prepare for the role then?
Did you meet with real surgeons?
I mean, they’re like car repair guys.
So it was a great experience, definitely gave me a great insight.
We tried to bring that kind of authenticity to our operating segments.
How would you describe your two characters and that sort of relationship between them?
Well, like I said, Dr. Kirby is passionate.
And Henderson I think in reality is a much more laid-back kind of guy.
So these two gentlemen were able to inspire each other.
Really, they are everyday heroes who went well beyond the call of duty.
I felt a very similar chemistry with Alec Baldwin.
He is an actor that I’ve always admired.
I just think he’s fantastic.
It was a challenge, but that was something we kind of established from the get-go.
So I really have no idea how it worked, but it felt like it worked.
You talked earlier about the surgery scenes.
How did you handle some of the queasier moments on the show?
Because they’re just images on the page that were seared into my brain.
So in that respect, it was pretty gory and pretty gruesome.
When I listened to the podcast, I just kept thinking surely this must be fictional.
It’s so awful.
Right, I know.
What can fans of the podcast expect from the show?
I think it’s a wild ride.
I think it’s a story that people need to see and should see.
Did working on this show make you think twice about going to the doctor?
I think it definitely can.
Fortunately, it’s not just a story about a bad doctor.
It’s also a story about two good doctors.
So it made me feel scared, and at the same time, hopeful.
