Luke Mitchell Has a "Big-Brother, Little-Brother" Bond with This One Chicago Actor
"[He's] a funny dude," Mitchell said about his Chicago Med co-star.
Luke Mitchell's Dr. Ripley has had quite the journey on Chicago Med.
After Ripley reconnected with his childhood psychologist, Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), it was revealed that he'd previously treated Ripley for an impulse control disorder. Ripley eventually found the support he needed and chartered an exceptional career as a physician, but during his time at Gaffney, Ripley's history of violent aggression has come back to haunt him on numerous occasions. After losing one of his childhood best friends in Season 10, Ripley has struggled to regulate his emotions, leading to several benders and a brutal bar fight. To make matters worse, the dude he fought ended up needing his kidney later that day due to the injuries he sustained, leading to Ripley's sudden suspension from Gaffney. After that devastating blow, Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) ended their relationship, leaving Ripley adrift.
RELATED: What's Happened to Aussie Actor Luke Mitchell's Dr. Mitch Ripley on Chicago Med?
NBC Insider chatted with Luke Mitchell about Med's upcoming episode ("Down in a Hole," airing March 5), Ripley's Season 10 struggles, and how he's enjoyed settling into the One Chicago family since his start last season. Read on.
NBC Insider: Ripley's suspension was a sudden blow, and his odds of keeping his job seem bleak after that chat with Goodwin. What's Ripley's biggest fear right now?
Luke Mitchell: I think his biggest fear is being abandoned. My understanding going into this show before I started was that this is a guy who had abandonment issues. Because of his lack of a father figure and a mother that wasn't present and had a string of boyfriends. And then that led him to being in the juvenile detention system and being looked after by Dr. Charles, and then him moving on and being abandoned by him.
I think ultimately, on the deepest of levels, that's his greatest fear. And that's exactly what's — well, I mean, it's not exactly what's going on — but after this most recent episode, it's not that Hannah's abandoning him, but, you know, she's leaving him. Because she needs to, you know? So I think it's a culmination; it's kind of the perfect storm really for Ripley, at this moment, to man up and figure out his sh-t.
NBC Insider: What can you tease about the upcoming episode?
Mitchell: Yeah, I mean, anything, anything is possible from Ripley at this moment in time. He's in a really dark place at the start of this episode. He's coming back from out of town. He's rejecting a phone call from Dr. Frost [Darren Barnet]. So, [Ripley's] not reaching out. He's not allowing people to reach out to him, to connect with him. He's wrestling his demons, and he's not having a fun time of it. So this incident in this episode is the perfect thing at the perfect time to distract him, but also to challenge him in every way, really.
NBC Insider: Is there any hope for Hannah and Ripley getting back together?
Mitchell: I always have hope that they could get back together, for sure, but I also know that they need to be apart right now. I don't know what that period of time looks like, if it is indefinite or not. But, you know, I think it's the perfect thing for her.
She needs to be by herself, and I think he needs, like I said, he needs to figure himself out. He needs to be better. If he's 'gonna be in a relationship, he needs to be a better version of himself for himself, but then obviously for his partner, whoever that is. If it's gonna be Asher, for sure.
NBC Insider: What drew you to the role of Ripley on Chicago Med?
Mitchell: I think it's more fun playing a complicated character. I think the challenge is to try to understand the character as best you can without judging them. And that has been a challenge for me playing Ripley, especially this season. He's said and done some things that are really difficult to come back from...
It's the best kind of acting challenge to dive into someone who is just a really flawed character. Really complicated emotions, really complicated past, and then now [Ripley's] dealing with grief. Which is just — if you've ever been through grief — it's kind of different for everyone. And you think you're through it, and you're not, and it's a mixture of emotions and you're not quite yourself. So, I don't know, it's a really dark but interesting playground that I hope people can connect with because everyone goes through stuff in their life.
NBC Insider: Who have you connected with the most behind-the-scenes of Season 10 of Chicago Med?
Mitchell: Look, it's a bit of a cop-out to say that I get along really well with everyone because they are just such good people. I've really enjoyed working with Darren in recent [episodes] because I think the material that they're giving us is really fun.... a little bit of this bromance or at least kind of like a brotherly kind of dynamic, [there's a] big brother-little brother kind of feel to it. And that's kind of the feel we have off-camera as well...
Darren's a funny dude; we do enjoy working together. I love working with Jessy [Schram], I love working with Oliver [Platt], I love working with Steven [Weber]. Marlyne [Barrett] is an absolute hoot, Epatha [Merkerson] is just a legend. Everyone is so unique. Everyone has their own things that I really enjoy about them.
NBC Insider: What's been your favorite part about being in the One Chicago family?
Mitchell: It's the best vibe I've ever experienced on a set, honestly. And that's really strange to say when you're coming into a show so far into its run. It's not what you'd expect. You'd almost expect ego or, I don't know, people that are just turning up to work for the sake of work. But everyone really enjoys turning up to work at Chicago Med. So yeah, it's just a joy.
It's amazing to work with such different [co-stars]. Everyone is so different as an actor and their personalities, but everyone is also so humble and down-to-earth and giving. The whole thing is just a pleasure.
Watch Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
