Interview: A Vote for Actor Necar Zadegan on ‘Emily Owens, M.D.’

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CHICAGO – One of the perkier new TV shows of the fall season on The CW network is the medical drama, “Emily Owens, M.D.,” about a first year medical student navigating the rigors of a big city hospital. One of the more memorable characters is Dr. Gina Bandari, portrayed by Necar Zadegan, a teaching surgeon that Emily (Marnie Gummer) will encounter along her journey.

Zadegan is a familiar television face, creating the distinct character of Dalia Hassan in Season 8 – the last season – for the popular drama “24.” After graduating with a degree in literature from the University of California, Zadegan amassed a number of TV appearances up until her role as Dalia. In film, she appeared in the notable independent entitled “Elena Undone” (2010), and will be in the upcoming “Meth Head.”

Necar Zadegan as Dr. Gina Bandari in ‘Emily Owens, M.D’ Photo credit: The CW

Right after the premiere of “Emily Owens, M.D.,” HollywoodChicago.com spoke by phone with Necar Zadegan, and she spoke of developing her character from the initial idea to the actual show.

HollywoodChicago.com: ‘Emily Owens, M.D.’ is created through a women’s point of view. How do you think that makes the women characters more intriguing or interesting?

Necar Zadegan: When you have a woman who has experience writing women characters, there is more accuracy and validity, because she has lived that experience, as opposed to a man’s idea of what a woman is like. Having Jenny Urman [series creator] as the spearhead means the female view comes through very strongly.

HollywoodChicago.com: The medical TV show genre has gone through several evolutions in television history. What do you think makes ‘Emily Owens, M.D.’ different from the scores of other medical shows past and present?

Zadegan: There has always been an element in the medical drama that naturally raises conflict throughout, and I think it works, and keeps viewers interested. There is a whole life regarding doctors in a hospital that we have revered and have been impressed by, and in that respect our show carries those qualities.

At the same time, the Emily Owens character has a distinct voice because of the nature of who she is – an intern and a strong woman with the sense that she is graduating into adulthood, but is she really? All the characters want to be the strong adults they always expected to be, but the experiences of their youth seem to be playing out again in their adulthood.

HollywoodChicago.com: Your character, Dr. Gina Bandari, is a proven and innovative surgeon. What characteristic did you give Dr. Gina that wasn’t necessarily in the script or in the production notes?

Zadegan: I’d like to explore many characteristics as the show unfolds. What we have in script is a map, and the better the map, the easier it is to find and locate those characteristics that as an actor I get to possess, because I am inspired by that map. Within every new script there are many things that I come up for her, I’m inspired constantly by the writing staff to acquire behaviors and a back story for Gina which may only be out loud for me, but it does give a great many thoughts about who she is.

HollywoodChicago.com: What interests you the most about the emotional make-up of doctors and the medical profession itself, and what connection did you make between your own emotional make up and that of Dr. Gina?

Zadegan: What I think doctors have to manifest within themselves is a sense of detachment between your work and your patients. That’s fascinating and challenging, but I don’t know if it’s really even that successful. You can say that you do it, and you can act like you do it, but can you really completely do it? Gina definitely possesses that quality, which can spill into her personal life. I do look inside myself as well, every time I deal with a new character.

HollywoodChicago.com: There is a comparison in the show that the hospital is a lot like high school. How, in your experience, is show business like high school?

Zadegan: Well, there are always the popular kids, right? And we always know who they are because they’re on the cover of the ‘Enquirer,’ ‘People’ and ‘Us.’ [laughs] I think you can compare any profession to high school.

HollywoodChicago.com: You were born in Germany, went to school in the United States, but you’re listed as an ‘Iranian-American’ actress. Why do you think these descriptive labels are necessary in your profession, and how does your international background and journey in America give you an advantage in the current marketplace?

Zadegan: I don’t inevitably think the labels are necessary, but people are always intrigued by what makes you different, because those are your differences. People ask me about this all the time, and I think I must be boring them with my answer because I’ve been asked about it so many times, but then I realize that – ‘Oh no!’ – I’m the one who is bored. [laughs]

I do speak different languages and have worked in four different languages. That’s always helpful, but also I think I’m interested in walking around in other people’s shoes and getting to know them all around the world, and maybe I have more of a point of reference.

HollywoodChicago.com: One of your most notable roles was on the series ’24’ as Dalia Hassan. What were the circumstances behind landing that role, and how did you want to humanize the character given the sensitivity of terrorism and terrorists portrayals in the media?

Zadegan: When I auditioned for the role, I thought I didn’t have a chance to book it, because Dalia was listed so much older than I am. I figured I’d audition and then get something else associated with the show. It just happened that they liked what I did, and the age issue wasn’t a problem until they cast my daughter. [laughs] So I had to work a bit with hair and make-up to make that alteration.

To me, Dalia was very human, I saw it from the very first day. I always knew who she was, and where I wanted her to go. It just so happened that the writers and I were on the same page in regard to her development. There was an element of terrorism in the show, but it wasn’t in my portrayal of Dalia. Overall, that definition was handled very well by the production team of ’24.’

Necar Zadegan as Dalia (right) with Anil Kappor in ‘24’ Photo credit: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

HollywoodChicago.com: Tell me about an upcoming film, ‘Meth Head,’ which you are listed as associate producer. How will you depict the devastation of that type of drug addiction and how did the role of Malia personally challenge you?

Zadegan: Malia is another strong female character and what interested me about her is that she’s a woman with a very big heart, who could have easily celebrated her life in many ways, but was somehow pulled down this road.

I always love characters who are caught in lives they really shouldn’t be in, because there is so much they could have offered the world. I feel the character is so full in that way and her sadness is so deep. The devastation of the drug is based in a true story, and is told very much within that story. We had to try to tell it as true as possible.

HollywoodChicago.com: Which author in your journey sparked your love of literature to the extent that you pursued a degree in English Lit, and how has that background helped you as an actor?

Zadegan: J.D. Salinger, “Catcher in the Rye,” but all the authors in my youth fired my imagination and helped me to grow. Of course, as I got older and made my way through the classics, I really attached myself to those deep and amazing books, so in the scripts and stories that that come my way I can find archetypes and parallels within them, and that was the impetus for the degree and my continuing interest in literature.

HollywoodChicago.com: Finally, one of the unintended characteristics of name recognition in show business is the inevitable intrusion into your private life. What part of that intrusion have you found to be most distressing, and what type of information regarding your personal life would you prefer to be off limits?

Zadegan: Well, I think it’s called a private life because it’s supposed to be private. It’s not just show business, it’s everything about that, in every aspect. I don’t think a private life should be forthright in any circumstance. My private life is precious, so I’m interested in keeping it private.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com