Dean Spanley

Dean Spanley was the first film I ever worked on as an extra. There is an old saying that the first is always the best, and that is the case with Dean Spanley.

There had been an advert in the local press here in Norfolk: “Extras needed. No previous experience required.” So I took my teenage son, Thibault, as he was keen to gain experience in the film industry. ( He has just finished his first year at Leeds University in Film and Television Studies).

The 2nd Assistant Director, who was processing the forms, looked at me with a shocked expression, and said, ”Can you fill in the form? You have an interesting look.”

After hearing nothing for weeks, I had completely forgotten about it. That’s when the call came. “Hi. Are you available for a few days? You will be playing a man of stature.”

My first day’s filming was in Wisbech, a typical freezing day in late November. My costume was waiting for me, original Edwardian clothes, pin-striped trousers, gold waistcoat, shirt and huge bejewelled silk cravat! Odile Dicks – Mireaux, head of costume, came in for an inspection of the extras. She offered me a cashmere long coat, it fitted like a glove. “Look after this coat, Nick, it cost me over £2,000!”

Soon we were on set, the closed off streets in the town centre. This is the scene in the film where Jeremy Northam is pushing Mr O’Toole in his bath chair through the park. Although the crew were really disciplined, the overall atmosphere was friendly and calm, just another days filming, day 14 of 39 etc.

In the film, you can just spot me in this scene, where they come out of the park into the crescent. We must have filmed this scene countless times, but my lasting memory was observing how the actors never missed their cue or lines.

I was asked to come back again, this time a week later at Elveden Hall in Norfolk. This is the home of the Guinness family, and the main room is totally marble, walls, ceiling etc. Dean Spanley is not the first film to exploit this magnificent room, it had been used in a James Bond film and, most famously, Stanley Kubrick’s last film, Eyes Wide Shut.

This was the lecture scene in the film, where Art Malik’s character, Swami Prash, gives his lecture. Again, a few more freezing cold days would have to be endured by all concerned. This time they had set up a small tent for Mr O’Toole, with heater, chair and newspaper. I thought this was a nice touch by the crew, everybody going out of their way to make things as comfortable for him as possible.

In the film, I am in the scene where they discover the cricket match taking place, where I am a spectator and later as they leave the lecture. What perhaps was more interesting were the endless scenes I filmed during the lecture, all deleted during the edit!

As a smoker (must quit), fag breaks were always on the doorstep to the hall, A-list stars mingling with crew and us extras, and I do remember once where I was outnumbered by stars three to one!

I liked Toa Fraser’s style of direction, he would just whisper his direction to each actor, a daunting task for such a young man, given the heavyweight cast he was dealing with.

By the third days’ filming I was utterly exhausted as I wasn’t used to such early mornings, usually 5-30 am starts. This is the scene where they are leaving the lecture. Another freezing cold day, and this time rain as well – the daily call sheet read “outside scene, rain expected” – great!

This was complicated as the old vintage car driven by Bryan Browne had to set off, preceded by the old horse and carriage, all between rain showers. The car was being kept dry by the crew under tarpaulin sheets so timing was critical.

On one scene, the car fired up, the sound frightening the horses, who bolted straight at Mr O Toole in his bath chair. I wouldn’t like to repeat here what he said regarding his dislike of working with horses.

I still feel very privileged to have worked on this film, my observations of great actors at work has helped me since. I will, however, never forget Mr O’Toole, his presence and stature. Here was an actor at the peak of his skills, his blue eyes smiling all the time. You could clearly tell he was loving every minute of his time on set.

It is hard to judge these performances: Jeremy Northam giving a fine performance as the long suffering son of Fisk senior. However, off camera, he was always laughing and joking with fellow actors and crew. Sam Neill, to me the quiet one, giving a fine performance as a dog. Yet the obvious star who steals the film is Mr O’Toole.

A year later, I was asked to attend the regional premiere here in Norwich, the Bishop of Norwich recounting tales of missing the smell of frying bacon around the cathedral, the cloisters of which had been used in various scenes. His memory of Sam Neill, insisting on being shown round the cathedral by an assistant, resplendent in his dean’s costume. I bet a few onlookers were shocked to see this!

Nick Shaw is pictured here with some of the other extras and MCC members. He is second from the left on the back row. The picture is taken from the film tie-in book, Dean Spanley.

As you are aware by now I am a huge fan myself of this film, as Dean Spanley for me cannot be labelled, a quirky odd ball film that given time will become a modern day classic. However in the industry this is labelled a “sleeper” film, one which is passed on by word of mouth and recommendation, rather than the usual hype that accompanies modern day blockbusters. Dean Spanley will be shown on television for years to come hopefully.

I am also so proud to be associated with a film that lovingly exploits the magnificent locations to be found here in Norfolk, a sensitive script, beautifully crafted by all concerned.

I have since gone on to appear in twelve films, most recently where I was given my first featured role in Burke and Hare for the legendary director John Landis, and this week I started work on The Adventure of Hugo Cabret, for another famous director Martin Scorsese.

After Dean Spanley I was so in love with the whole process of crafting a film, I decided to start a self appointed apprenticeship in acting, so I will mix and match any role that comes my way, and as I write this the ladder I must climb will take the rest of my life!

Again, all I can say is how lucky and privileged I feel that my first film was so enjoyable, and since working with other A list stars, none compare to the cast of this film. If you haven’t seen the film, take my word, you will not be disappointed, and I bet you will watch it several times.

Nick Shaw is an independent film maker and background artist (or extra). More information about Nick and his work is available on his Wikpedia page and also on his IMDb page.

Rufus Fletcher (Northam) is a young medical student with his eye on making a brilliant career in medicine as a gynaecologist. He and his good friend, Adam Verne-Smith (Douglas Hodge), are at a loose end after classes finish for the summer.

When Adam unexpectedly inherits an estate called Wyvis Hall, the two decide to spend summer holidays camping out at the estate and look forward to a hot and lazy summer.

An odd assortment of several young people joins the pair before the summer is over. The motley group fall into a strange routine of partying, sleeping late, and casual sexual encounters.

Ten years later, the new owners of the estate discover the buried bodies of a woman and a baby on the grounds of Wyvis Hall.

A Fatal Inversion examines the toxic, unintended consequences of a hidden crime. Moving deftly between the events of that fateful summer and those a decade later, the film builds in tension and suspense keeping us on the edge of our seats. Bit by bit, we learn of a series of seemingly random choices and incidents that culminated in a horrific event, altering forever the lives of all concerned.

Northam is perfectly cast as the handsome and ambitious Rufus Fletcher. Fletcher may be sly and selfish, but he’s prone to moments of sensitivity. With a subtle change in tone of voice and facial expression, Northam softens Fletcher and we see another side to his narcissistic nature. We easily understand why Adam adores and admires his friend.

Douglas Hodge emanates anxiety and panic as the hapless Adam Verne-Smith. We see him, ten years after that calamitous summer, with pain and suffering written across his face. The secret he kept hidden for so many years exacts a heavy toll on his health and his relationship with his wife and rubs out much of the joy he should feel as a new father.

Fascinating to watch, Northam and Hodge move easily between time periods. Loose-limbed, exuberant, and lanky youths during flashbacks, they transform into restrained and mature professionals during scenes set in the present day.

It’s a treat to see these now very well-established actors in early roles. Northam continued to star in roles on the stage as well as in TV and feature films, winning accolades and awards along the way.

Hodge, also a successful stage actor, went on to direct and is an accomplished musician. He’s currently wowing audiences on Broadway and recently received a 2010 Tony award for best performance by a leading actor in a musical for his role in La Cage aux Folles. He previously won the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for the same role.

A Fatal Inversion, the novel, won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award the year it was published. A true page-turner, the book is almost impossible to put down. The final secret reveals itself on the very last page.

Written over 20 years ago, the writing and story is as fresh as ever and remains a great read!

Film and book highly recommended.

Film: 4 stars out of 5    Book: 4 stars out of 5

Reviewed by Anne for JeremyNortham.net
With thanks to Vicki for the picture of Jeremy Northam as Rufus Fletcher.

The CBS decision seems both harsh and premature, especially as the show was holding its own in its time slot and pulling reasonable ratings despite a number of factors stacked against it, including: some TV pundits having nixed it before viewers had even had a chance to see it for themselves and make up their own minds; the fact that it aired so late in the season because of the Winter Olympics; having to contend with the notoriously tricky time-slot of 10pm on Friday night; and the fact that it often had lead-ins that were re-runs. All of which makes this viewer feel as if the show was never given a decent shot at becoming the successful show I felt it could be.

In my opinion, Miami Medical was just starting to hit its stride and bed in. I was enjoying the slow reveal of Jeremy Northam’s character, Dr. Matt Proctor, whose story has formed this season’s story arc, and was looking forward to where he was going to take him. I was also investing in the other characters and thought the team was beginning to gel. I really feel for all the cast and crew, who worked so hard and so long on this show to make it the best they could. Having followed some of these on Twitter since the show began filming, it was clear that they were enthusiastic and passionate about what they were making. Apart from the time and effort put in, it also seems incredibly wasteful in the current economic climate to have commissioned what was clearly an expensive show to produce and then only let it run for a very few episodes before making a decision on its future.

I’m sure that all involved in the show – not least Jeremy Northam and the show’s creator, Jeff Lieber – will go on to work on other projects and have future success, and I wish them well with those, but to everyone who worked on Miami Medical, in particular Jeff Lieber, who worked so tirelessly to promote the show each week, THANK YOU for making the first medical drama I have ever watched in my life. It was a great show and you should be proud of what you achieved with it in the short time allowed you. And to the network, if you’re reading this, all I can say is, “Badly done, CBS, badly done indeed!”

The season finale of Miami Medical airs this Friday, May 21 on CBS, 10/9c, and the remaining 5 episodes of the show will now air from June 4 to July 2.

TVGuideMagazine has posted a great video up on YouTube of a photoshoot and interviews with Jeremy Northam and the other stars of CBS show Miami Medical. Although it was only just been posted (on May 7, 2010), it looks as if it was filmed the same day as the TCA panel discussion back in January 2010.

Miami Medical! Interviews and Photo Shoot! Jeremy Northam!

It is always very important for me to find a song with lyrics which fit the video. I always try to choose and then edit lines of the lyrics and scenes of the video so that they run parallel. In most cases, I hear a song first which gives me the inspiration to make a video. For example, I remember that I heard the song Show must go on by Queen and, almost immediately, I saw in my mind a scene for almost every line. By the time I came to make the Death of a Martyr video I knew that I wanted to do something about Thomas More to O Verona. I just needed time to figure out how. Of course, in some cases I have the video idea first without fitting music. That’s the trickier part. And that’s how the idea of the “famous” (or infamous?) Bad things with Jeremy video was there long, long before the actual video came into being, I already had the possible scenes to use, but the song was missing. And then I heard the song from the True Blood soundtrack and I knew: “That’s it! That’s it!” and then the video was almost immediately ready. I also had such “problems” with The Winslow Boy video Words in the Eyes. A friend asked me to make a video about the film, and I really wanted to do it, knew very soon which were the possible scenes I wanted to use, what aspects I wanted to highlight. I wanted to show the hidden affection and feelings these two people had for each other. But I had no song to go with it! I listened to tons of song before I found the right one. I want to add that I always try to use songs which are not too popular or overused.

Those who know my videos realize that I only use a few effects in my videos. There is more than one reason for this: I use a relatively simple editing program, but the main reason is that I don’t want effects dominating the story. I usually just use coloring and transition effects. The most difficult editing challenge ever was to create the Thomas More and Anne Boleyn video, Tragic Fate which – I have to admit – was an idea of a very tired mind. But how can you make a love story video of two characters who only had one (!) shared scene in the whole of The Tudors? So the first task was to find all the usable tiny scenes where they are alone, or are talking to someone else. Some were just one-two seconds long. In the first round there were more than 700 such tiny clips. Then the circle became narrower and narrower, I tried to match parts to seem real, with matching lights, colors, etc and to create a story around it. It was like a puzzle game. I loved it although sometimes I wished the whole thing to hell. And in the end I had the usual dilemma. The video was there and I searched for a fitting song for ages.

But there is one very very very important thing to add. I made these videos just for fun and I had no idea how much they would and do mean to some people and how richer my life would be because of the wonderful new friends I have found through YouTube. And not just friends but many other things. So, although it sounds maybe too dramatic, YouTube changed my life.

So thank you all, and because the whole thing started because of him: Thank you, Jeremy Northam.

You can see the other tribute videos mentioned above here or on Agi’s YouTube Channel Princess Amerigo’s World. Agi’s most recent video was again inspired by Jeremy Northam and is her first for his role as Doctor Matt Proctor in CBS’ new hit medical drama, MIAMI MEDICAL, Friday 10/9c. You can watch it here or on her YouTube Channel:

Agi Stier currently works as a translator and, even as recently as a year ago, had no idea that she would appear on a site like this. Life is full of surprises. She currently expresses her creativity through making YouTube videos, mostly about Jeremy Northam and the TV show, The Tudors (currently in its fourth and final season) but on many other topics as well. She goes under the name of Princess Amerigo on YouTube. However, she hopes that she can one day return to writing, as well. Her short writing To Become a Child Again was recently published in the creative writing anthology: Take Off: Creative Writing by Hungarian Students

While Agi doesn’t guarantee that a video will be made, she welcomes suggestions for both music and video ideas you may have and you can email her at agi@jeremynortham.net  And, if you have a favourite video, let Agi know which one it is, and why, by posting a comment below.

Christopher Emerson appears in Miami Medical for the first time this coming Friday, April 9 on CBS (10/9c).  He took time out from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about how he got his part on the show, what it was like working on this exciting new medical drama as well as sharing scenes with Jeremy Northam, together with his hopes for both his character and the show’s future.

JN.net: Hello, and welcome to JN.net. First of all, thanks very much for taking the time to talk to us. Miami Medical premiered in the US on Friday, April 2nd. Did you have a premiere party with your friends, stay home and watch it alone or give it a miss altogether? If one of the first two, what are your hopes for the show and how do you think audiences will react to it?

CE: Miss it?  NO WAY!  Everyone who knows me has heard me talk so much about the series and how excited I am to be a part of it that I think they are all extremely happy to see it start, just so I will finally shut up about it.

What’s funny is that I get so crazy nervous seeing my own performance, I’m actually glad my first episode is not until this week.  Otherwise I may have wanted to not have a premiere party and watch it in the fetal position with a cold sweat.

From the first time I read the script before auditioning for the show, I loved the sort of adrenaline junkie, irreverent rockstar, “f#@% it” attitude the characters possess at this hospital, ESPECIALLY Jeremy Northam’s character Dr. Proctor.  Personally, I love that.  My hope is that audiences dig it and it resonates. As the laser-focused trauma unit helicopter medic Max, I’ve tended to be a bit more straight-laced and all business. Perhaps down the road, if Max gets to play a bigger role in the trauma unit, we’ll get to see his dark side too. Yes… I can see it now. Max, the sex-addicted-pill-popping-helicopter-pilot. LOL. We’ll have to wait and see.

JN.net: The show’s been promoted as “M*A*S*H in Paradise.” How do you feel about that? Does it accurately reflect the vibe you got from the show when you were on it? And how much did you know about the show before you auditioned?

CE: I was not quite old enough to catch M*A*S*H here in the States.  I’ve seen episodes late at night on cable way after the series had been off the air.  But, my impression of the show is that it too was rather ground breaking for its time.  That it really shattered the mold of what a medical show “should” be. So I would say, I really hope that our show is successfully received in much the same way, as it aims to turn the “medical drama format” on its head a bit. Sort of reinvent it via a freshly unique and eclectic group of characters.

All my scenes have included working with Mike Vogel, Omar Gooding, and, of course, Jeremy Northam.  So, I’ve really had the chance to witness first hand the fascinating directions which each of these actors are taking their characters.  The top notch writing really allows for that too.  We have such great writing on this show and it opens up so many fun possibilities and room to play as an actor.

I knew very little about the show before auditioning for it. My agent called me and she was like, “Yeah, so Christopher, there’s this interesting new medical show. (At the time it had a different working title, Miami Trauma.) It’s CBS. Jerry Bruckheimer. And they are looking for a helicopter pilot. Not an actor who can play a helicopter pilot, but a real helicopter pilot with acting skills to play the role.” Just based on the fact that you’d have to imagine a requirement like that should radically reduce the competition for a role. My answer was a resounding, “HELL YES!  I’m there!”

So, let that be a lesson to all you young actors out there. Ditch the acting coach, go get a flight instructor, and you too can have the crazy dumb luck of ending up on a TV show.

JN.net: You play a character called Max in “88 Seconds” (Episode 2 of the first season) and also in another episode entitled Medicine Man (the air date of which has yet to be confirmed). Will he be a recurring character in the show?

CE: I would absolutely love that.  I keep planning to let the camera “accidentally” catch me shooting a flirtatious look at one of the nurses in the hope that a show writer spots it and runs with it.  That’s the fantasy anyway, right?  Problem is, as I said, I have only been in scenes with Mike, Omar, and Jeremy…soooo.  I mean I still could, I guess, but that would be a whole different show!

JN.net: You have a private pilot’s licence. So did you get to fly the helicopter used in your scenes for the show?

CE: They have not let me fly the helicopter, no. Something about insurance. Whatever. Maybe there should be an episode, “Max Goes Joyriding!”

JN.net: Can you tell us what a typical day’s filming was like for you?

CE: The first time I was on set completely blew me away. We were on top of the tallest high-rise in Marina Del Rey, right along the Pacific coast line. It was a clear day with a nice on-shore ocean breeze and incoming on final approach to the helipad was the helicopter which we’d be using for the shoot all that day. I have some GREAT pictures of that moment.  All I could think, over and over, was, “Holy s#!%, this is my office for the day!” As you can imagine there is seldom a day on the set of Miami Medical that could be called “typical.”

Mike Vogel, Christopher Emerson & Omar Gooding in "88 Seconds"

JN.net: There seems to be a lot of off-beat humour in the promo clips we’ve seen so far. Did that translate onto the set? What was the atmosphere like?

CE: The promos portray a wildly eccentric bunch of personalities all seemingly still able to kick ass and get the job done, right? Well, I’ll tell you, being a part of this show has been exactly like working with a real top-notch trauma unit. Everyone from the cast to the crew operates with remarkable surgical precision and a totally cool under pressure ease.  Completely relaxed, getting the job done, every single week. Nothing but pros.

JN.net: You’ve also appeared in another medical drama, House M.D.. Do you think TV audiences need another medical drama and how do you think Miami Medical will differ from House M.D.? Why should people tune in and watch?

CE: Yes, I took a bizarre little turn on House M.D. as a door-to-door bible thumper looking to convert Dr. House to the teachings of Jesus. Yeah… that didn’t work out so good. Needless to say my character was no match for House’s razor sharp tongue, leaving me nothing to do but to flee with my tail squarely between my legs.

When you think about it, House M.D. is more of a crime-scene-type procedural drama, a mystery “whodunit”, a sarcastic and cynical Columbo in a doctor’s coat, than it is actually a hospital doctor drama series. I think in that unique way which House M.D. succeeded to reinvent the format and turn expectations on their head, so too will Miami Medical with the way it tells its stories via these refreshingly flawed dynamic characters. It’s a show which is smart enough to know what its audience expects from the typical hospital drama format and then proceeds to pull the rug out from under them as it always stays two steps ahead.

JN.net: At the TCA panel, Jeremy Northam, who plays Dr Proctor, was compared to Hugh Laurie, simply because he’s another Brit playing a doctor in a US medical show. But from what you’ve seen so far, how do you think the characters of Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Matt Proctor will differ and can you shed any light on how different or similar the actors playing them are?

CE: They are very different from one another. Dr. Proctor is more like a rockstar who decides to wake up most mornings and go practice medicine in his off time. There is also a lot more mystery which surrounds Dr. Proctor’s background and motives. I think once people see the show they will realize how different the characters really are from one another.

As actors, both Hugh Laurie and Jeremy Northam are very grounded and generous. Sometimes with big name actors they are only ever motivated by what will make their close-ups look better. I know… you’re thinking, “Say it isn’t so!”  Shocking, right? But I was so grateful to discover both Hugh and Jeremy to be absolutely selfLESS in their approach to the scenes we were in together. In the scope of things, I’m just doing the best I can to contribute with my humble little slice of the pie… and YET… there I am, truly collaborating, brainstorming ideas, experimenting, and creating moments outside the script with the stars of these HUGE shows between takes. Too cool!!!

JN.net: You shared a scene with Jeremy Northam. Can you tell us a bit about that and what it was like to work with him?

CE: Coolest moment working with Jeremy. I had already been on a previous episode before getting to work with him. On that prior episode, the director’s style was one of making everything really pop. CAMERA…ACTION…TALK…GO GO GO…BAM BAM BAM…everything very fast paced and high energy. Well, alright…so when I returned for an episode with Jeremy, it was quite a bit further into the season and I’m figuring it would be good to meet that same energy from before.  We set up for the first take and… BAM BAM BAM. Right? Well, as we head back to our first positions to go again, Jeremy literally puts his arm around my shoulder and confides to me, just actor to actor, that he has learned the best approach to this show’s style and dialogue is to not attack the line so hard, but to pick up the cue lightning quick and then just allow the actual line to roll off the tongue. There are many actors out there who would NOT have done that and just let me hang myself all day blasting out my lines. Was such a telling moment as to how generous and giving to his scene partners Jeremy is as an actor.

JN.net: What have you been working on since filming for Miami Medical and what’s up next for you?

CE: 2010 has been pretty incredible so far. I recently did a high-budget zombie webseries for Crackle.com with Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) called Woke Up Dead. Also finished a TV movie starring opposite Cybill Shepherd for Lifetime Network titled, Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith. I have been working almost non-stop on new voiceover projects too, voicing national TV campaigns for Ford Fiesta and Taco Bell. Currently, just about to wrap up voicing a very successful second season of Taking The Stage for MTV. I have also been pounding the pavement over there at MTV a bit, campaigning to be hired as the live in-show voice over announcer for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards and/or 2010 Video Music Awards. It’s sort of one of those “things I want to do before I die…” bucket-list items. So we will see how that goes.

Then, of course, there is always hoping that my character Max shows back up for that sex-addicted-pill-popping-adrenaline-junkie-storyline on Miami Medical as we talked about earlier. Ah yes, a boy can dream.

JN.net: I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hope that dream comes true for you then! Thanks for talking to me and good luck when the show airs on Friday.

CE: Thank you!!

Kathryn Eastman (kath@jeremynortham.net) spoke to Christopher Emerson for JeremyNortham.net

Christopher Emerson is 23 years old and was born in Torrey, Scotland. He was brought across the pond by his Dad at the age of 2 and raised in the casino town of Reno, NV.  He moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school at 17. His first acting job was a small speaking role opposite Mel Gibson in the feature film What Women Want.  Now an up-and-coming TV & film actor, his most recent credits include guest lead appearances on CBS’ long running Cold Case, a turn on House M.D. for FOX, and this exciting opportunity to play the recurring role of Max on Miami Medical also for CBS. Christopher is a very well-established voiceover artist having performed lead character voices in animated feature films such as LEGO/Disney’s just released The Adventures of Clutch Powers.  He’s also voiced national television ad campaigns for Jitterbug, Starbucks, DishNetwork, Ford Fiesta, and American Idol.  In addition, he’s been the in-show narrator voice of MTV’s hit series Taking The Stage for two very successful seasons, with a very possible third season being announced by the network soon. His website is PlanetEmerson.com and you can follow him on Twitter as @ChristopherE1

So replies the mysterious Dr. Proctor when a young resident asks “Why are you here?”

And living is the driving force in this new, fast-moving medical drama.

Miami Medical showcases a high-level trauma hospital where gifted, courageous, and sometimes irreverent surgeons work to pull trauma victims back from the brink and give them a second chance at life.

As in real life, some patients live and others perish.

These are stories worth telling. Anyone who’s received the dreaded call to get to the hospital ASAP and arrived with their heart in their mouth knows how quickly their world is up-ended when a traumatic incident affects a loved one. The most ordinary, banal day instantly becomes fraught with urgency, worry, fear, and anguish. And they look to the remarkable trauma surgeons to pull off a modern miracle to save those they love.

The new medical drama looks at the personal lives of these highly skilled doctors as well as those they are trying to save, all set amid the context of cutting-edge medicine and surgery. It’s a tricky combination in such a fast-paced show, but Miami Medical just might be able to carry it off.

The series shows great promise. The explosion/accident launching the story is realistic without being gratuitous. Lana Parrilla and Mike Vogel demonstrate great chemistry together. Omar Gooding makes a believable charge nurse – calm, commanding, and compassionate. We’re forced to wait a full 20 minutes before Jeremy Northam’s Dr. Proctor appears, but it is well worth the wait. Northam turns in a compelling performance as new doc on the team and he grounds every scene he’s in.

Northam’s gentle little scenes with the hand victim reveal a character possessing a self-assured, quiet confidence as well as a dry wit and a kind spirit. His character arrives wrapped in a bit of mystery so it will be interesting to see his story unfold.

It’s not unusual for pilots to start off a bit shaky and that’s certainly the case here. All the explanation and ground-work dialogue get a bit wearisome and the exit of the top surgeon is completely unbelievable, no matter how much they try to explain his behaviour later. And Mike Vogel as Dr. Deleo is forced to say some corny lines (“Tell him he can put it on my credit card”), making him come across as a bit immature, especially for a trauma surgeon.

That said, Miami Medical does the job in delivering solid, compelling entertainment. Promos for the second show look intriguing and seem to (wisely) center on Northam’s Dr. Proctor.

Miami Medical drew more viewers the evening it premiered than any other show. Although a lot of professional critics seem to predict an early demise, CBS may just have a solid hit on their hands.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Reviewed by Anne for JeremyNortham.net.

The party is tonight, at 10E/9C: the first episode of Miami Medical, on CBS and is taking place at Kate McKinnon’s blog. Here’s the addy:

LIVE BLOG Premiere Party at Kate’s Place

It sounds wild. Here’s how Kate is getting ready for the party: “I’ve got the Moroccan hookah, my life-size cutout of William Shatner,  that gay mannequin in the little green shorts I stole from that boutique under Jay Whaley’s shop, most likely Susan Denis and Bria, two cats, my beading tray, fluids, and some imaginary friends to help me get the juice of this exciting event. Turn on your TV and join me.”

LIVE BLOG starts at 9 p.m. MST. If you’re in the UK, then the party kicks off at 3 a.m. with the LIVE BLOG of Miami Medical starting at 5 a.m. GMT. See you there!

Northam (Thomas More in Showtime’s The Tudors) is a classically trained English Actor (capital “A” intended). The son of a Cambridge University Ibsen scholar, Northam trained at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre. He’s crossed back and forth between the London stage and American cinema for years, and it’s interesting that he has now decided to try his hand playing a at American TV in the new CBS drama Miami Medical debuting tonight on CBS.

I’ve seen snippets of Miami Medical’s premiere episode, and I’m intrigued. The series follows a team of trauma doctors as they go about saving lives at breakneck speed. (Time is of the essence during the life or death “Golden Hour” in these emergency trauma scenarios). Northam stars in the series as a brilliant, but world-weary Gulf War veteran who joins the staff as the series begins.

I have to admit, I’m a bit skeptical about the series future and the confidence of the network in it, since it’s been relegated to a deadly time slot at 10 p.m. Friday nights. How long it will remain on the air is still to be seen—even if the series is good (and the advance word is decidedly mixed).

In his new role, Northam speaks with his native British accent as Dr. Matthew Proctor, not following Hugh Laurie’s example when he signed on to play Dr. Gregory House in House, M.D.

During a press conference earlier this year, Northam explained that with the rapid fire dialog and technical jargon and other medical paraphernalia flying about, dealing with an accent (and a dialect coach) was not something he savored (nor believed necessary). Personally, I’m happy about that. I could simply sit and listen to Northam read the telephone book in his real voice. His American accent is pretty good (although not quite in Laurie’s league), but it would be such a waste of those silky Oxbridge intonations.

For those of you not yet familiar with Northam’s distinguished film and are curious about where you might have seen him before after watching Miami Medical’s premiere, I present for you a guide to some of his more well-known (and accessible) works:

Emma (1995) Northam has said numerous times that he’s not happy donning the frock coats, top hats and stiff collars that go along with doing period drama. But he is so very suited to the genre, as I’m sure you’ll agree. In 1995, he co-starred with Gwyneth Paltrow (in a very Jane Austen-ish movie year) in an excellent filmed version of Austen’s 19th Century Classic. Playing the upright Mr. Knightley, Emma’s brother-in-law, Northam showed an ability to melt hearts, exhibiting a subtle vulnerability in dealing with the exuberant and sometimes frustrating Emma. I’m hoping he brings some of that to his new role.

The Winslow Boy (1999) Directed by David Mamet, The Winslow Boy is adapted from Terrence Rattigan’s British stage play concerning the explusion of a young cadet from a posh British military prep-school in Edwardian England. Northam plays Sir Robert Morton, the boy’s attorney and member of the House of Commons. Northam shines in the role, and manages to convey a large range of emotions in a role that could have come off as stiff and one-dimensional.

An Ideal Husband (1999) Filmed around the same time as Winslow Boy, Northam once again dons the stiff collar and top hat for this adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s late Victorian play. As in Winslow Boy, Northam plays (a different) Sir Robert—also a Member of Parliament. It’s a delightful comedy of manners (and errors) also starring Cate Blanchette, Rupert Evert, Julianne Moore and Minnie Driver. As you might expect from Oscar Wilde, there’s some real social commentary about politics, women and relationships embeded in the lightness of the comedy. The “ideal husband” of the title, Northam’s politician possesses a big secret and clay feet (and, eventually, a lot of courage).

Gosford Park (2001) What is it about British actors who are also fabulous musicians? Northam plays real-life actor/composer Ivor Novello in Robert Altman’s Agatha Christie-esque who-done-it, starring such luminaries as Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren and Stephen Fry. They are all thrust into this fictional account of a murder at a weekend in the (English) countryside. Northam does his own singing and his on-screen piano playing. It’s a great (and fun) film.

Other noteworthy Northam films include Possession (2002), Cypher (2002), and Voices from a Locked Room (1995), with the extraordinary Northam in the dual role of a troubled composer and his highly critical music critic. It’s a brilliant performance in an almost impossible to find movie.

Of course there are many other Jeremy Northam offerings out there if you want more after seeing him in Miami Medical. He’s a great actor, and I’m very curious about what he’ll do in this new project.

Miami Medical airs on CBS Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET /9c.

Barbara Barnett grew up on politics and pop culture. Her professional life has been eclectic, because her left brain doesn’t know what her right brain really wants. She is author of the forthcoming Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D. Follow Barbara on Twitter. This article was first posted under the full title of Miami Medical’s Jeremy Northam: From Frock Coats to Scrubs on April 2, 2010 on Blogcritics.org and Barbara very kindly agreed that we could reproduce it here.

Click here to listen to Jeremy Northam reading

Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward

Let man’s soul be a sphere, and then, in this,
The’ intelligence that moves, devotion is,
And as the other spheres, by being grown
Subject to foreign motions, lose their own,
And being by others hurried every day,
Scarce in a year their natural form obey;
Pleasure or business, so, our souls admit
For their first mover, and are whirled by it.
Hence is’t, that I am carried towards the West,
This day, when my soul’s form bends towards the East.
There I should see a Sun, by rising, set,
And by that setting endless day beget.
But that Christ on His cross did rise and fall,
Sin had eternally benighted all.
Yet dare I’almost be glad I do not see
That spectacle, of too much weight for me.
Who sees God’s face, that is self-life, must die;
What a death were it then to see God die?
It made his own lieutenant, Nature, shrink;
It made his footstool crack, and the sun wink.
Could I behold those hands, which span the poles,
And tune all spheres at once, pierced with those holes?
Could I behold that endless height, which is
Zenith to us, and to’our antipodes,
Humbled below us? Or that blood, which is
The seat of all our souls, if not of His,
Make dirt of dust, or that flesh which was worn
By God, for his apparel, ragg’d and torn?
If on these things I durst not look, durst I
On his miserable mother cast mine eye,
Who was God’s partner here, and furnished thus
Half of that sacrifice which ransomed us?
Though these things, as I ride, be from mine eye,
They’re present yet unto my memory,
For that looks towards them; and thou look’st towards me,
O Saviour, as thou hang’st upon the tree.
I turn my back to thee but to receive
Corrections, till thy mercies bid thee leave.
O think me worth Thine anger; punish me;
Burn off my rusts, and my deformity;
Restore thine image, so much, by thy grace,
That thou mayst know me, and I’ll turn my face.

The text of the poem is reproduced from The Norton Anthology of Poetry (Fourth Ed.) pp. 286-7 ISBN:0-393-96820-0