To her co-workers at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, Dr. Asher was an accomplished emergency obstetrician-gynecologist.
Someone brand new had been hired in the emergency department.
How did it feel to return as a series regular?
I was completely surprised.
Then when COVID hit, every storyline in the world changed.
We’ll see you again one day."
To get a random phone call a few years later was such a surprise and felt so amazing.
It felt like coming home.
To be honest, I had anxiety about how I was going to approach Hannah coming back.
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Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
I did talk to a lot of different medical advisors.
I talked to different gynecologists when it came to the doctor part of things.
I watched so many documentaries on the opioid crisis and addiction.
There’s a lot of functioning addicts in the world.
Hannah has clearly been through so much throughout the show.
What are some of the most memorable reactions that you’ve received from fans over the years about her?
Well, first we have the classic the Manning-Halstead fans.
The first reaction is, “Oh, no, who’s this?”
Because this is possibly a love interest that could break up our most beloved couple.
There was a lot of reaction to that.
But I still am constantly blown away.
That was a very emotional scene on all different kinds of levels.
That doctors are amazing and insane at the same time.
Oh, my God the pressure.
I find it so exciting.
I love learning how to do the stitching and the sutures and everything.
I practice my knots on bananas randomly, because that’s the kind of person I am.
nurse, doesn’t call me out like, “What were you doing?”
I’m constantly amazed at our special effects team as well.
They make these pregnant bellies that literally have freckles and hair on them.
They’re so realistic.
They’re like, “No, Jessy.
Hannah deals with this all the time.”
It’s a different kind of hometown pride that’s happening right now.
All of the other “One Chicago” shows are filmed in the city, too.
Do you ever run into the other casts?
I’ve only run into the cast recently because of our crossover episode.
Otherwise, everybody is … Chicago’s a big place.
We’re pretty spread out.
We use so much of the city.
Being a local person, it’s fun to see your city on TV.
I question it as well.
I’m constantly asking what’s going to happen with us.
We’re leaving off in a dire situation where there’s people trapped in the building.
They’re constantly in this circular momentum of figuring out what their relationship is now.
We’ve seen them argue about their past.
We’ve seen them both project onto each other who they used to be.
What are you most excited for fans to see in Season 8 overall?
Season 8 is extremely active so far.
We’ve got some new characters, so there’s more relationships happening.
It’s an incredibly active season, and we’ve only just begun.
The differences are everything you would think they would be.
I get to smile more when it comes to our Christmas and seasonal movies.
What’s so much fun for me is that I get the best of both worlds.
In addition to acting, you’ve also gotten to sing in a lot of your projects.
Will we be able to see you sing again soon?
What is coming up next for you?
Season 8 of “Chicago Med” premieres Wednesday, September 21 at 8:00 p.m.
ET (7:00 p.m. CT) on NBC.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
