Phillipa Soo on the Escapism of ‘Doctor Odyssey’

Ryan Murphy‘s newest community providing, Physician Odyssey, brings viewers into the well-loved world of medical professionals by means of a novel lens, as this medical workforce works and lives on a cruise ship.

The ABC medical drama — created by Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken — stars Joshua Jackson as Max, luxurious cruise ship The Odyssey’s latest and seemingly overqualified physician. Max joins the cruise’s two long-time, skeptical nurses on the medical workforce, Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale).

When Physician Odyssey was first introduced, the premise of American Horror Story mastermind Murphy’s subsequent collection was largely saved below wraps. Would there be a twist in retailer? Would the cruise ship be not what it appears? Not till the trailer dropped final month did viewers get a synopsis and first look, and start to grasp what the prolific showrunner actually had in retailer. Not too long ago, when chatting with The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy described the collection as “a tribute to the ABC reveals of my youth.”

Soo, who rose to prominence taking part in Eliza Schuyler Hamilton within the unique Broadway forged of Hamilton, says the choice to make Physician Odyssey her subsequent challenge was simple after getting her palms on the script and understanding Murphy was steering the ship. “I didn’t know a lot concerning the story at that time. It was very a lot below wraps, however I’ve at all times been a fan of Ryan [Murphy] and the issues that he makes,” Soo instructed THR in a chat after the present premiered — and Physician Odyssey grew to become ABC’s most-watched drama collection launch since 2020.

“I felt like this was a world that felt enjoyable. It felt luxurious. It felt like one thing that, for me, personally, I used to be craving. One thing that felt like actually enjoyable and alluring and entertaining,” she stated. “I didn’t know loads, however I had this belief actually in Ryan, and after having a dialog with him about his imaginative and prescient for the present and what he needed and hoped for it, I used to be simply so grateful to be invited to the social gathering and was tremendous excited from the get-go.”

For Soo, whose character Avery is the ship’s nurse practitioner, Physician Odyssey is her first time engaged on a Murphy challenge, an expertise she describes as “superb.”

“The extent of care that goes into each scene, each shot, each character. He’s received loads occurring proper now. I don’t know for those who’re holding observe of all of his different reveals,” Soo stated, referencing the six different Murphy-produced reveals that which have both premiered or returned this month, together with FX‘s American Sports activities Story: Aaron Hernandez, Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and FX’s Grotesquerie, together with returning collection 911 on ABC and 911: Lone Star at Fox.

“I at all times joke that I believe he has a time machine, and he’s simply going again in time, touring to totally different locations in order that he can match all the issues that he makes into at some point,” she says.

All through the pilot episode, it’s clear that Soo’s Avery and Jackson’s Max have been arrange for a little bit of push and pull forward, forming a “love triangle” between the 2 and Tristan. The actress stated the three actors have a “pure connection” that comes throughout within the scenes.

“All three of us are very a lot devoted to the work and desirous to make issues clear, and desirous to make issues environment friendly, and desirous to make issues sparkly,” she defined, noting that they typically use the phrases glittery, glimmery and sparkly when making the present. She says that the present’s storytelling has a “lifted tone,” however that the medical emergencies are grounded.

“There’s a shimmer, a glimmer, a sparkle between the three of them, that may be very private to their relationship,” Soo stated. “I believe that it comes simple to us as a result of I believe that’s what we convey to the desk after we’re working collectively.”

Soo stated she hopes viewers benefit from the world of the present. “I hope that they really feel like they’ve taken a tiny, mini-vacation,” she stated. “It’s a type of reveals the place it actually, in its precise context, is an escape, occurring this cruise ship, leaving for a little bit bit and simply occurring an journey. However the present itself, I hope, may also be an escape for individuals.”

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Physician Odyssey airs new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC, streaming the following day on Hulu.