Alex MacNicoll talks Van's mirror-touch synesthesia in Brilliant Minds (Exclusive)

It didn’t take long for Dr. Wolf to figure out what was wrong with Dr. Van Markus in Brilliant Minds. Alex MacNicoll sat down with us to discuss his character, the research he did, and a look at what’s to come.

Caution: There are SPOILERS for Brilliant Minds season 1, episode 5 in this post.

Van has mirror-touch synesthesia. It’s a rare but real condition, which is almost like heightened empathy. During episode 5, Van told Dana what he suffers with, and Dana tried to use it to help figure out what’s going on with John Doe. While she promised to keep it a secret, she didn’t, and Ericka and Jacob learned the truth.

Let’s dive into this exclusive interview with Alex MacNicoll about his character and things to come.

Research into mirror-touch synesthesia in Brilliant Minds

When an actor usually gets told they have a diagnosis, they can look online to find out how others have handled it or symptoms they’ve experienced. That was harder for MacNicoll in Brilliant Minds. This condition is so rare that there’s little written about it, but it turns out there is a doctor who has been diagnosed with it, which helped.

When talking about just learning about his character having this condition, MacNicoll talked about how it became an actor’s dream to play.

"I think it’s a gold mine as far as the acting stuff goes. It’s a great opportunity…but it was also very challenging and difficult. I think in a lot of ways, it’s hard to be vulnerable."

When we talked about the research he had to do, MacNicoll was honest in saying that there wasn’t much available to him. However, it did give him a chance to dive into his own ability to consider others. There was a way to practice empathy.

"There’s this one doctor who has it…So there was a lot of just listening to him and reading up about him, just trying to gain his experience, and the using my imagination to be very empathetic…"

We all live in our own realities. We think that what we experience or feel as kids is what everyone feels, and that’s potentially how Van felt his whole life. Getting the diagnosis from Wolf was a life-changer.

"I remember when I moved to LA back in 2013, I didn’t have any money. I was working my butt off and I went to get groceries and just bought spaghetti, tuna fish, and almonds. Super weird, basic, and cheap stuff like that. But I didn’t buy any milk and cheese and ice cream…I got my paycheck in and I went to the grocery store and bought all the normal stuff that I had my whole life…I felt this bloatedness, but I had felt it my whole life, so I thought it was normal…I was talking in conversation and somebody’s like ‘oh, you’re probably lactose intolerant’."

While it isn’t the same thing as Van, it’s certainly a great way to practice empathy. It's also true. How often do we think that everyone else sees the world that we do? We only have our own viewpoints until we hear other people's experiences.

Teasing things to come for Van in Brilliant Minds

The cat is now out of the bag in Brilliant Minds. All of the interns now know that Van has this diagnosis. They were great in the way they reacted, but what does this mean for Van moving forward?

"I think it brings everybody a little closer because everybody kind of is on the same a page so to speak. It’s also kind of like an elephant in the room kind of thing…Now we can either turn [Van] into an outcast…or we can embrace [him]."

While Van views it as a curse right now, we have learned that he’ll likely start to change that view of thought. It helps with others behind him to help, and it helps that he can see how it can help in a good way.

But we saw Dana try to use him with John Doe, right? Van didn’t feel anything in the most recent episode, and this is by design. This was something MacNicoll was able to talk a little about without giving away spoilers.

"That does get revealed, and hopefully, not in a cheesy way. Hopefully it’s grounded. I think it’s really interesting and that story, that John Doe storyline, is really really powerful. There’s a lot going on there, so I’m really excited for people to see who this person is and how they got there."

Take a look at the full interview with Alex MacNicoll from Brilliant Minds below:

Brilliant Minds airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC. Catch up the following day on Peacock.

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