Of Doctor Miracle to Victor Frankenstein. The second season of Dr Death (premiere May 15 on Universal+) tells the shocking and terrifying parable of the Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. There is the medical eminence, the seducer and bon vivant, innovator with his stem cell transplants, whose patients ended up in the morgue. The anthology created by Patrick Macnamus, as in his first case, focuses on a criminal doctor and broadens the focus on the entire scheme that supported his work. Basically, it’s eight episodes in which malpractice crosses the line between true crime and family horror. “I don’t know if we are facing the birth of a new narrative genre, I do understand that we are going through the true crime and trying new paths. It’s something out of the traditional, by the way. With Dr Death “We have a responsibility to shed light on the systemic failures that were happening in the medical community and that, sadly, gives us the possibility of exploring what this terrain is,” says its showrunner, interviewed by Page 12.
“Imagine a world where donors didn’t have to wait for an organ. This is the future of medicine”promises the professor and researcher (Edgar Ramirez) in front of the auditorium of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The advances achieved by the subject in terms of artificial organs place him at the forefront of a new revolution. His specialty was correcting tracheal damage, although he is seduced by the idea of creating blood vessels and heart valves in a laboratory. Not for nothing, several of the priests of that Swedish center imagine themselves with a Nobel Prize on the horizon. The big problem is that his advances were experimental, Macchiarini had not been shy about manipulating data and, in itself, he was carrying out trials with human beings contrary to scientific ethics. “This time it is Dr Death worldwide. Consciously with Patrick we knew that we had to go beyond what we did in the first season. The fact that these types of failures happen in an institute like Karolinska gives rise to the comment of what happens when medicine focuses on profit.. It is not just a problem of the United States,” he points out. Ashley Michael Hobanthe executive producer of the podcast-based shipment.
As in the first season (dedicated to the path of a Texan neurosurgeon whose actions bordered on sociopathy), the film complicates the delusion of grandeur of certain health professionals. “I can’t imagine a power closer to that of God than that of putting yourself in someone else’s body and having their life in your hands. At one point that must be intoxicating. I mentioned this to our medical advisor and he told us that this was true. In both of them we see his big ego and how the line is blurred as to what it means to go too far, by putting your patients at risk for your own benefit,” says the producer when comparing these disgraced doctors. Another point of comparison is its staging, which is not suitable for weak stomachs. “They weren’t the happy days on set,” Macnamus clarifies about the sequences with open chests, gushing blood and biodegradable plastic hoses embedded in the throat.
The new one Dr Death had as a precedent the successful documentary series The great surgeon of deception (Netflix). As in that one, several of Macchiarini’s victims and the privileged voice of Benita Alexander appear (Mandy Moore). The NBC journalist went from interest in scientific “hope” to becoming romantically involved with the doctor. A Leap of Faith, the quasi-propaganda television special about the Italian, was posted on the North American network’s website until its exposé in 2016. This second romantic line of the story exposes the network of lies that the doctor fed on. That is, Macchiarini made his fiancée believe that he was part of a secret network of doctors for the world’s elite and that Pope Francis would marry them in a top ceremony. According to those responsible, these two plots are intrinsic to the character. “We wanted the story to be seen through Benita’s eyes. Her reputation and her charm is part of what led her to fall in love, but very soon that fades and all the magic exposes the true meaning of her,” the executive producer says of her.
Another kind of real villain
Edgar Ramírez is not a neophyte when it comes to embodying real characters. Quite the opposite. In Carlos (Olivier Assayas; 2010) gave life to the Venezuelan Jackal; He starred in the biopic of Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran Stone hands (Jonathan Jakubowicz; 2016); and played Gianni Versace in the anthology American Crime Story. However, for the 47-year-old actor, this mutation came with other incentives and a unique challenge. “This is not only a problematic character. He is someone who has no introspection, we talked about it a lot with Ashley. In a character who walks in the dark, there is always a moment when he recognizes what he did, stops and explains the reasons for it. This character never had introspection. And that is very interesting. He gave me the opportunity to live the fantasy life that Paolo Macchiarini had created for himself. He doesn’t reveal himself, and dramatically that’s a challenge,” Ramírez says.
-How was the research to find a personality of this kind?
-Basically it is a recreation, a reimagination, I did not try to fictionalize something documentary. The character Ashley created was very moving and I latched onto that. Everything I needed was there. This is the Paolo Macchiarini we created for the show. There was a lot of documentation at hand to analyze this house of cards that he himself created. The problem I had was that when I started seeing that, I had to stop. I didn’t like this man at all, he was very arrogant, aggressive, he didn’t understand how someone like that had managed to manipulate so many people. And as an actor I can’t judge him. My approach was different to make him friendly, smiling, to charm everyone around him. I didn’t want to understand him, be inspired or based on his mannerisms, we created a Paolo Macchiarini. The deplorable things he did are discovered from the point of view of others. That’s interesting.
-And how would you define it?
-Clearly He is a narcissist, someone who never admits his mistakes, which makes him different from a liar. He was very manipulative and sharp. He managed to reconcile his professional and personal life. There is also a love story, but he did not have any type of embarrassment which caused all of his victims to be from his inner circle or his patients. He played many villains in the past, even a terrorist like Carlos, the most terrible until this one arrived. A terrorist distances himself, plants a bomb, kills people he does not know, nor does he know their names. He knew the patients, his families and what were the effects of his actions, what were the limits that he crossed without any kind of consideration. That is hard and very violent. He knew he was lying to them, but he still didn’t care. He even deceived the Nobel Prize in Medicine committee in Sweden. He is someone so dark that he doesn’t have the ideology to justify what he did. He lied to the people who trusted him the most. And we all have a connection with a doctor at some point in our lives. That strikes a chord very close to anyone.
-Your most recognized roles have been based on someone real. Is there anything about it that particularly seduces you? What was the big challenge in Dr Death?
-It’s not something I looked for: it has happened. When analyzing it, perhaps it has to do with my background as a journalist. Before devoting myself to acting, I did political journalism and interviewed people. There is a connection. I discussed this with Ferran Adrià, the Spanish chef. There is the idea of making an algi linked to his life in El Bulli and in a talk he asked me the same thing. He told me that he didn’t believe it was a coincidence that these kinds of characters based on reality pursue me. I feel like I do very intense meta-interviews in which I end up getting into character. He is curious. Because I like research. In this case, unlike El Jackal, Mano de Piedra Durán or Gianni Versace, with Paolo Macchiarini there was no great public perception about him. Likewise I never make imitations. I think playing someone who is based on a real character is more like a painting, more than a photograph. What I did put a lot of focus on this time was trying to understand the ethical dilemmas of surgeons and those who do advanced research. I wanted to understand what a good doctor does to understand this other guy who broke all the rules for his own benefit, his ego.
Scheduled
* The Mexican seriephile universe continues to rise. Days ago, Max announced the filming of the second season of vgly, fiction that portrays the universe of urban music in the Aztec capital. On the other hand, Apple TV+ will give you room in your library for The blue ones at the end of July. The series, starring Ximena Sariñana, proposes a trip to the ’70s to tell the story of the first women’s police squad while the body count increases due to the work of a serial killer.
*The second season of Merlina is taking shape. The production, designed by Tim Burton and starring Jenna Ortega, began filming in Ireland. New cast members include Billie Piper, Evie Templeton, Noah Taylor and Steve Buscemi. “We are very excited because the entire Addams family will enroll in the Never Again Academy this season along with a dream cast,” said those responsible. Two more details. You can also see Hale “I see dead people” Osment and Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Lucas in the film version. To snap your fingers.
*On July 19, Prime Video will premiere the sequel to Ugly Betty. The Colombian production features the performance of the original cast led by Ana María Orozco and Jorge Enrique Abello. Two decades after the happy ending of the soap opera, the series will follow an empowered Betty who works hard to rebuild the bond with her teenage daughter. Her relationship with Armando is deteriorating rapidly, making her question whether she made the decision 20 years ago. correct.
Character
Alexander Rostov A gentleman in Moscow (Ewan McGregor). A Moscow aristocrat, one of those who knew how to speak French at the Tsar’s court, and who has the bad idea of returning to mother Russia just when the Soviet revolution breaks out. His new home? The Metropol hotel where he will spend several years confined by decision of a Bolshevik court. Distinguished, eloquent, the count lives his own Russian ark and without the possibility of checking out before noon. It can be seen on Paramount+ starting next Friday.
