Brilliant Minds: Teddy Sears talks playing a not-so-stereotypical neurosurgeon

Dr. Josh Nichols is not your stereotypical neurosurgeon in Brilliant Minds. We got to chat with Teddy Sears about his character and playing THAT kiss in episode 7.

Caution: This interview contains SPOILERS for Brilliant Minds season 1, episode 7.

When we first meet Dr. Josh Nichols, he comes across as a stereotype. He’s the best neurosurgeon in the hospital, and he’s put off when Dr. Oliver Wolf comes in with a very different way of doing things. He’s even more put off when Wolf doesn’t acknowledge him in the hospital.

Things take a turn when Wolf opens up about his face blindness. Then Nichols opens up about his past. We chatted with Teddy Sears about that backstory and what it meant for developing this character.

Teddy Sears touches on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ in Brilliant Minds

During episode 5, we learned that Nichols had been in the Army at the time of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” It made relationships difficult, but it also shaped Nichols into the type of man that he is today.

"I’m so happy that they put that in. I remember the writers before the season started had all the actors in for an informal meeting and they were kicking that around. It just made a lot of sense to me. If they were going to make Josh military, this would have been in the ‘90s and this would have been ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’"

We don’t even know if Nichols was fully accepting of himself back that, but it became part of who he was. That led to Nichols being the best of the best. He became the best marksman and the best in fitness. That would have continued in all walks of life.

"So, when Josh, to me, decided to go into surgery, well, why not be the top of the field?...I could be an orthopedic surgeon or I could be a nurse. Why not be the best of the best?...He’s not into who he’s attracted to or who he sleeps with, but that he’s the f*****g best at what he does…I feel very passionate about this little thing about him."

Sears went on to talk about how origins stories are the best, because it gives us a sense of who people are.

"I think that opens up a place to be compassionate and to empathize…I see why this guy is the way he is, and I kind of get it. He’s not just this prototypical, stereotypical neurosurgeon who wants everyone to know that he is who he is."

We have seen Nichols listen to others and realize that he’s not always right. Just look at when Wolf came to him to share that he thought his Marine vet may have had CTE despite not being hit in the head the way that football players get him. It was Nichols who immediately agreed and showed Wolf what it was like to fire a pistol. The ego was put to one side as they worked together to help their patient.

What makes a good doctor in Brilliant Minds?

In episode 7, there’s a beautiful moment between Nichols and Wolf, as they discuss what makes a good doctor. Wolf thinks it is to save people, but Nichols understand why Roman wants to die. It opens up the discussion as Nichols shares his thoughts about the situation.

Sears talked on this about that scene and how he opted to play it and think about it.

"I really think we remember why we’re in the field…as an actor, trying to put myself in the shoes of a doctor, it’s patient care. It’s for the patients. Even if I may have started as [wanting] to be the best—I want to be a neurosurgeon—I don’t think it’s like ‘well, I want this for and only for my ego.’ Sure, ego’s a massive component of rising the ranks…but I think it’s easy to forget the reason that doctors are there in the first place."

This is something Alex MacNicoll talked about when we chatted about Van’s diagnosis of mirror-touch synesthesia. It is important for doctors to care.

"I think in our case, it’s because they actually give a damn."

There’s a calling to be a doctor. There’s a reason everyone gets into the field, and for many, it’s because they care and they want to help. That doesn’t always look the way people think it will, though. While the doctors would have wanted Roman to be able to leave the hospital and live a happy life, that’s not the ending that Roman wanted for himself. He got a happy ending, but it’s not the way that we would traditionally see it.

"If we could just put our stuff aside and our own agendas around the outcome…and we just listen o the patient—that’s who we’re there to serve. That’s what episode 7 is about, the conflict."

Discussing THAT kiss and any prep work for Brilliant Minds

Did anyone else see the mixture of emotion on Nichols’s face when it came to that kiss? As Wolf kissed him, there was this mixture of confusion, happiness, surprise, and so much more. This was clearly not something Nichols ever expected to happen, but he was not saying no. He wanted this, and he was happy it was happening.

So, was there any prep work that went into it? Did Sears and Zachary Quinto discuss it first?

"No we didn’t! I do remember that and I’m so glad you said confusion because I remember trying on a bunch of different things because it really takes me by complete surprise. I mean, I know it’s coming, right? I read the script, but it takes Nichols by complete surprise, as it should. This is so beyond the relationship these two have ever had before."

It was certainly a romantic moment, but it is really something that Nichols wants? Was Roman right in what he spotted between them?

"It’s been warming. There’s tension/attraction there. Respect and admiration. But that’s not at all what I expected to happen, out in the open as well, on a busy New York street corner."

There was no preparation, and that probably is for the best. It could allow for Sears to act in a way that would suit Nichols without actually having to act. Some of the reactions may have been more realistic because of this.

"I don’t know how Zach’s goingto kiss me, and that’s exactly how it would be. I wouldn’t know. I wouldn’t have practiced it. I wouldn’t have talked about it. It needed to be this degree of surprise."

You can take a look at the full interview with Teddy Sears below:

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

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