Oct. 05--Brian Tee seemed destined to end up in Chicago.
The "Wolverine" and "Jurassic World" actor was part of the NBC ensemble pilot "Love Is a Four Letter Word" that filmed in Chicago in March. When the pilot was passed over, Tee moved on to another series in July that already had been picked up by NBC: "Chicago Med."
"Everything brings me back to Chicago," Tee said Saturday as he was on hand for the first WhirlyCruz Cup at WhirlyBall-Chicago, hosted by "Chicago Fire" actor Joe Minoso. "I'm just going embrace it, and I've absolutely fallen in love with it."
"Med" is executive-produced by "Law Order" mastermind Dick Wolf and was introduced as a backdoor pilot during an episode of "Fire" in April. The medical drama began filming in Chicago last month and is scheduled to premiere Nov. 17.
"It's gripping storytelling," Tee said. "I think our writing is amazing. It's amongst the same storylines you'll see on 'Fire' and 'P.D.,' but it's set in a medical setting. I think Dick really wants to make it as real as possible. We're really trying to relive the true-life stories of medical professionals. The closer we get to their reality, the more we can honor them, and for us, feel really proud of the work we've done."
Tee -- who plays the villainous Shredder in the next "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film -- co-stars in "Med" with Oliver Platt֬ Yaya DaCosta, S. Epatha Merkerson and Nick Gehlfuss.
"Ethan is a third-year resident over at the hospital," Tee said of his "Med" character, Dr. Ethan Choi. "It feels like he really came from a troubled youth. He definitely has a dark side to him but he's brought himself up. He went though the military and is still serving in the Naval Reserves and now found his passion as a doctor here in Chicago. He just wants to do the right thing, but sometimes he crosses the line in that."
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