TV

Doc’s Amirah Vann Talks Strong Female Friendships, Second Chances, Exciting Gina Arc & That Love Triangle

By skynews

Posted on 02/03/2025

Doc’s Amirah Vann Talks Strong Female Friendships, Second Chances, Exciting Gina Arc & That Love Triangle

FOX’s newest medical drama, Doc, is a breakout hit!

To our delight, FOX renewed it for a second season, and not only is the series returning, but it’ll have a full-season order.

Ahead of the renewal news, we had the pleasure of hopping on Zoom to speak with the indelible Amirah Vann about Doc’s complex characters, powerful storytelling, strong, layered women, working with Molly Parker, and that love triangle.

Doc’s Recurring Theme is That of “Second Chances”

Doc is unique because it’s not your standard medical drama. The focus on characters and their personal lives in such a raw way often overshadows the medical cases.

Doc trusts its characters to grab people rather than relying on the flashiness of some cases.

For Vann, the theme of second chances separates this medical drama from others. “The heart of the story is second chances, ” Vann says. “I think that’s going to be a recurring theme.”

She’s not surprised that so many viewers find the series gripping, as it affects her similarly. However, her answer was simple when she spoke about what initially attracted her to the role.

Doc’s Deep, Authentic, Familiar Depiction of Female Friendship Attracted Vann to the Role

Doc takes a refreshing approach to the medical drama genre, which is likely why it appeals to the masses. It’s character-centered first and medical drama second.

The series introduces us to these fabulous, complex, layered, and, at times, messy dynamics, most of which are connected to Amy Larsen.

Doc is already heralded for being a successful series that headlines not just a woman but one over 40. And with that comes one of the most compelling female friendships on the air between Amy and Gina.

Unsurprisingly, it’s what attracted Vann to the role in the first place.

“It was just great to see two strong, educated women be there for each other, but actually in a relationship that seemed familiar to me, like to go head to head. It wasn’t perfect … it was very human, and I love that about it.”

Vann and Parker’s Similar Approach Made Collaboration Easy and Rewarding

Naturally, Vann looked forward to the opportunity to work with Molly Parker, and if you’re like me and wondered if the chemistry between the pair was as natural as it looks, Vann confirmed that to be true.

“Absolutely,” Vann extols. “I love her. I have so much respect for her and her craft. Like, I see the way she works.”

Regarding working alongside Parker, Vann cherishes energy and the ability to collaborate easily with her.

It’s always fascinating when actors provide insight into the creative process and express how so much of it is being able to feed off of one’s scene partner and vice versa. Energy is the key to everything.

“When you do this for a while, there are certain people, I’ve sat in front of a few people, that immediately they’re so present. You go, ‘Oh, wow, this is going to be a nice safe space to dig deeper and go where you need to go’ because, as an actor, it’s very scary. It could be potentially scary because you have to be so vulnerable, you know.”

Vulnerability is at the heart of the exchange between these women, which is particularly fitting for a series that focuses exclusively on humanity and vulnerability.

Vann Brings Vulnerability to the Screen

Regarding lifelong friends Amy and Gina, we see how they challenge each other and bring out the best in each other.

Their dynamic is built upon mutual trust and respect. No matter their challenges, the two can overcome anything together and get on the same page. That’s as prominent offscreen for Vann and Parker as it is onscreen.

“It’s nice when you get to do that with someone you trust. Our approach is similar where it was very much anytime we kind of had a scene that we were like, ‘Okay, wait, I don’t really know, it’s not coming naturally.’ There was no ego. There wasn’t kind of an all-knowing,” she shares.

“We would just talk about it. And it was like, we were, it was like, that was, they could have shot that scene, you know, I was kind of talking about it and figuring it out. And something magical would happen just because we were kind of present for each other, and that’s, it’s a beautiful thing to work with someone like that.”

Gina and Amy are a formidable pair, and this friendship is meaningful. However, if you’ve followed along with our Doc Reviews, you know we’ve discussed Gina’s supportive role and inquired about the balance.

Gina and Amy’s Strong Friendship is Wonderful, But Is It Potentially Imbalanced?

We had to ask about a potential conflict regarding reciprocity that could arise between these two friends. It’s often common for television to place women, especially those of color, in supportive roles.

Amy has endured so much, losing her child and eight years of grieving, she’s trying to put her life together despite not remembering a large chunk of it.

Gina has been a constant through it all, and we know she’ll go to bat for her best friend. But inquiring minds wanted to know if the imbalance could be an issue down the road.

“What we see is Gina’s humanity,” Vann teases.

“I won’t give away too much, but I was very happy to see where it went and that it was planting the seed to kind of step into, like, ‘Oh, Gina’s not that perfect either.

“We’ve already seen a little window in it when she reveals that she was engaged to a man and is on her second wife. So our sweet Gina- she has her issues too, and she’s trying to figure life out, you know?

“I think she and Molly [Amy]– it can’t always be one-sided. We’re going to have those talks. And I think they’ll kind of start touching upon that.”

Doc’s Cast Really Do Adore Each Other And Champion Each Other’s Work

Of course, it’s not just Vann and Parker who have this type of bond.

One of Doc’s strongest components is the cast. The series is filled to the brim with talent, and the cast is remarkable at playing these multilayered characters.

Of course, it’s not without tension, but while the characters may clash onscreen, it’s not even remotely close to being that way offscreen.

“We were laughing because we were like, no, this is, it’s like legit, like we, we legitimately really respect each other, really like each other,” she admits, laughing.

It doesn’t hurt that the cast is as passionate about this series as the fans are.

Amirah Vann often live-tweets and snoops around on X during the episodes, and indeed, many of you diehard fans who join in on the fun may have gotten a like or reshare from her.

I couldn’t help joking about that with her, as I often see her about the timeline during the episodes.

But for Vann, she’s every bit a fan of the series as she is part of it.

The Doc Magic and Passion Behind the Scene Translates Onscreen

And she’s truly a champion for her colleagues and the incredible talent behind the series.

From the sounds of it, the passion for the series was palpable even as everyone was filming. Doc makes all involved want to show up and give their all, and we’re getting to see the fruits of their labor.

She is getting to witness how everything has come together as well.

“I see their hard work, and oftentimes, we don’t get to see each other’s work. When they’re called, I’m not called. So, I’ve waited the entire season — I was waiting with everyone else to see these scenes that I would read, and we had the table read, and I knew it was brilliant because people were showing up at the table read full, you know?

“And so I said, ‘Oh my goodness, I cannot wait to see this on air.’ So I’ve been, I’ve been watching like everyone else.”

Playing the hospital psychologist leads to exciting developments.

Gina and Michael’s Friendship is Compelling and Refreshing

For one, everyone seems to turn to Gina and confide in her. As a result, Vann gets to work with many of her colleagues.

One of the most striking aspects of the series has been the dynamic Gina shares with Michael.

Typically, when a couple divorces, friendships fracture as sides form. This is not the case with Gina and Michael.

They have an honest, sibling-type dynamic that stands apart from Gina and Amy’s and is also compelling. Television rarely explores platonic dynamics in such a way, something Vann pointed out herself, and it really adds to the familial vibe of the series.

“I’m not going to reveal too much, but the beauty of a series is we get to deep dive into everything, and we do get a little bit into Gina and Michael’s friendship.

“I love the scene between the two of them, Gina and Michael. It is really beautiful. And Omar Metwally is a wonderful, generous, smart, kind actor. We’ve already seen what he’s done so far, and he’s amazing,” Vann muses.

Honoring the Stores of WOC in Neuropsychology

Gina Walker is so much more than the other characters around her, and if you’ve been eager to learn more about the character, you will soon enough.

For one, her field of study is a fascinating aspect of the character. Right out of the gate, hearing that she was a neuropsychologist was interesting.

“Her finale episode is really great. It’s really about her, “Vann teases. “I was waiting for that all season. I was like, “Oh, God, please.” I was like, “Put me in coach!” So I’m excited about that.”

Gina’s neuropsychology will be on display during the highly anticipated finale, and it’s exciting for the series to delve into this field more, especially for a woman of color.

“I think as a neuropsychiatrist, especially a woman of color, too, because the percentage of neuropsychiatrists is so low, but they’re there. And they’re really kind of joining forces to target such very specific needs of that population in this field, that we need a TV show to be able to tackle all the various issues that come up.”

With such a fascinating field and an entire 22-episode second season, the sophomore season will have plenty to explore with Gina. Thank goodness!

One of those things could be continuing to explore things like doctor burnout.

For Vann, one of the most challenging aspects of playing Gina was realizing how much weighs heavily on a neuropsychologist’s shoulders. They carry so much around.

Playing Both Sides of What that Does is What Amirah Vann Enjoys

“You’re the listening ear, the shoulder to cry on; you’re the wisdom for so many people. And it’s like, where do you put those things, and how do you do self care? That was just like, ‘Wow, this is challenging, but I was more in awe.”

However, exploring and showcasing those stories and crucial subject matter is also the most rewarding part of playing Gina for Vann.

“It’s equally what I loved about the role, you know, the other side of the answer to your question, she replies. “I wanna talk about this, you know, I mean, we had, you know, I mean, post COVID world, we had a lot of doctors quit a lot of nurses, right?

“You just go, this is their real traumas that doctors have to deal with. And so it’s always an honor to represent them, deep dive into their brain, and give them the respect they deserve. And highlight them so that hopefully we can support them more, whatever that looks like, in whatever capacity that looks like.”

Vann sees all the humanity involved with these characters and reflects on the conflicts real doctors and medical staff may face.

Doc Season 1 has packed so much into the first season that it’s hard to imagine what’s in store for the remaining two episodes.

But if you think it’s slowing down, Vann assured us it’s far from the case. She gushes about the fantastic writing team, and we’ll say there’s so much in store for us, and we’ll be talking about the season until it returns.

Yes, She Has Thoughts About That Love Triangle

Of course, we had to see if Vann would weigh in on the love triangle.

For Gina?

“I think Gina is definitely Team Amy Larsen, but Amirah… “

Well, you can see that funny exchange and so much more of this condensed (!!!) discussion with a stunning and charming Amirah Vann in our full interview below!