LOS ANGELES – Zachary Quinto considers it a sign: β€œBrilliant Minds,” his new medical series, started filming April 8, the day of the solar eclipse. His first big series, β€œHeroes,” showed how a solar eclipse awakened people’s powers.

β€œIt made me feel there was something bigger at play here and made me feel even more connected to this show and to NBC again,” Quinto says.

Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf

In the drama, he plays Oliver Wolf, a neurosurgeon with a host of quirks and a desire to explore the depths of mental health. Wolf is informed by Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurosurgeon who followed a similar path.

β€œHe’s our North Star,” Quinto says. β€œIt’s this very unique alchemy for me where I get to play a character who is inspired by a real-life person, but I’m not tethered to the period or the behavior of that person in real life. I get to take all the rich tapestry of who Oliver Sacks was and inform the creation of Oliver Wolf…but Oliver Wolf exists in his own world.”

Among the parallels: Sacks swam almost every day of his life, embraced alternative ways to treat patients and was deeply interested in aspects of his own mental health.

Similarly, Quinto says, Wolf is a complicated person. β€œHe’s definitely got shadows to him. He struggles with aspects of how to relate to the world. There’s something very universal about that. But he’s a character who is always driven by a sense of compassion.”

Aury Krebs, from left, Zachary Quinto, Alex MacNicoll, Ashleigh LaThrop and Spence Moore II star in "Brilliant Minds."Β 

Sacks was celibate for decades, but acknowledged he was gay later in life. Wolf is openly gay, which is a β€œsignificant honor for me,” Quinto says. β€œI feel deeply grateful for this experience to tell these stories and to use Oliver Sacks’ life as the origin point.”

Even though β€œBrilliant Minds” has plenty of medical jargon, its human stories are what interested the actors who comprise Wolf’s team.

Tamberla Perry, who plays the chief of psychiatry, β€œhandles things a lot with her heart,” she says. β€œShe’s unwavering and fiercely loyal.”

Β Zachary Quinto and Tamberla Perry star in "Brilliant Minds."Β 

That helps β€œBrilliant Minds” humanize its cases and dig deeper than many medical series.

For Quinto, it’s the culmination of his work.

β€œI started acting when I was 11 years old, so it was an incredible outlet for me,” he says. β€œI lost my father when I was kid, so I was raised by an incredible single mother. She had to go to work and so acting, for me, became a place where I could feel safe. I could learn. I could grow. I could express a lot of the complicated emotions I was dealing with as a young person.”

That helped him land roles in series like β€œHeroes” and films like β€œStar Trek” and its sequels. Roles in several editions of β€œAmerican Horror Story” provided even more variety and prompted him to try stints on Broadway in β€œThe Glass Menagerie” and β€œThe Boys in the Band.”

The cast of "Brilliant Minds," from left, Teddy Sears, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicholl, Zachary Quinto, Tamberla Perry, Spence Moore II and Aury Krebs.

Now, the 47-year-old is also a producer of β€œBrilliant Minds.”

β€œThere’s an incredible blend of the medical side of the show and then the personal side of the show. I love walking that line,” Quinto says. β€œI’m grateful to be on a show that has a message of hope, a message of how we’re similar more than how we’re different. That feels really vital right now.”

β€œBrilliant Minds” premieres in September on NBC.


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Β Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal.Β