Chicago Med's Marlyne Barrett and Kristen Hager Answer Your Behind-the-Scenes Questions

It’s no secret that Season 7 of Chicago Med has been serving the heart-pounding suspense and drama we’ve come to love. For anyone who can’t get enough of the show and its lovable cast, buckle up, because actors Marlyne Barrett and Kristen Hager revealed the inside scoop on everything from the importance of telling female-driven stories to the real-life medical training they had to undergo for their roles. 

In case you forgot, Marlyne Barrett dazzles as Maggie Lockwood, the charge nurse who keeps the ER running like a well-oiled machine, while Kristen Hager flexes her acting chops as one of the show’s newest doctors. Both Hager and Barrett agreed that receiving real-life medical training was one of the most important aspects of prepping for their respective roles. 

“Medical training was integral,” says Hager in an NBC video interview (watch above). “I came out to Chicago a full week early to just do full days with two of our fantastic active trauma surgeons who work down the street from the studio. It was like a boot camp of how to get your P.h.D over the span of a week, and it was incredible.”

Even after their initial training, the actors are expected to continuously level up their skills. Barrett, who has been a series regular since Chicago Med premiered in 2015, says refreshers are at the top of her list at the start of filming each season. 

“I don’t go a season without coming back and at least catching up with Bobbin or the Dennises, who are our medical consultants, and make sure we get a chance to at least visit the hospital and remind ourselves what the atmosphere is in an E.D.—the rhythm in which life is really lived,” Barrett says.

It’s easy to see why audiences are so taken with the fast-paced action present throughout One Chicago (a name that refers to all three shows in the Chicago universe: Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.). In addition to its entertainment value, Hager says the franchise also succeeds in putting a necessary emphasis on the lives and stories of a diverse group of women. 

“I think it’s essential to be telling these women's stories—about the women in the E.D.and showing their strengths and weaknesses—and I think all three of these shows do a fantastic job at elevating women’s stories,” Hager explains. 

Watch Barrett and Hager spill more behind-the-scenes secrets in the video, above. Chicago Med airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.