Why Dr. Sam Zanetti From Chicago Med Looks So Familiar
Dr. Sam Zanetti (played by Julie Berman) was introduced to fans of "Chicago Med" in a memorable way. First appearing in the third episode of the One Chicago series' first season, she works with Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) to remove a chandelier — a literal chandelier — from a patient's abdomen. The two doctors end up dating, but their romance is cut short a mere seven episodes later after she accepts a position as head of trauma at Johns Hopkins University Hospital and subsequently leaves Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. In all, Berman played Dr. Zanetti in eight episodes.
Though her time on "Chicago Med" was brief, fans of the series see that Berman's Dr. Zanetti played a crucial role in establishing Dr. Rhodes' character in the show's early days. It gave the show a device through which to peer into his love life and see how his ambition and career sometimes conflict with it.
As for Berman, she has far more to her resume than just "Chicago Med." In fact, fans of several other shows likely recognize her.
Julie Berman played a recurring role on 7th Heaven
Growing up in Los Angeles, Julie Berman first started acting at the tender age of six. Her first television role, however, came in 1997 when, still a teenager, she joined the cast of "7th Heaven," the WB's hit show about the many members of the Camden family.
Starting life on the WB network, "7th Heaven" ran for 11 seasons, ending its run on the CW after WB and UPN merged. The show had a large cast that would frequently change and with many becoming recognizable stars, including Jessica Biel and Rachel Blanchard.
First showing up in Season 2, Berman played Shelby Connor, a troubled classmate of Lucy's (Beverley Mitchell) who is at first rumored to suffer from bulimia. She becomes Lucy's friend and appears in seven episodes through Seasons 2, 3, and 4 (via IMDb).
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Julie Berman took her role of Lulu Spencer on General Hospital seriously
Julie Berman's most significant role to date came in 2005 when she was cast as Lulu Spencer in ABC's "General Hospital." This is the longest-running daytime soap opera in American TV history, first airing in 1963 and having run for more than 15,000 episodes. Before Berman accepted the role, no fewer than eight other actors had played the child-aged daughter of Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura Spencer (Genie Francis). In her first appearance as Lulu, she had inexplicably aged from a tween to a young woman in her late teens — yet another case of Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome (via TVTropes.org).
This was hardly the only soap opera cliché Berman had to render believable during her time on "General Hospital." Over the course of eight years, Berman's Lulu was abducted and kidnapped more than once, suffered from amnesia, and even put her obsessed suitor-cum-stalker in a coma before finally killing him.
Nonetheless, Berman brought a surprising amount of believability and versatility to her role and was critically praised (via Soap Opera Digest). She was also nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards during her eight years on "General Hospital," winning three (via IMDb). She departed the role in 2013.
She played Leia in Casual
After departing "General Hospital," Julie Berman appeared in one-off guest roles in "Two and a Half Men" and "Jane the Virgin." In 2015, she was cast in Hulu's dramatic comedy "Casual." The show centers on Valerie (Michaela Watkins), a professional therapist going through a divorce and moving in with her brother Alex (Tommy Dewey), who happens to have founded a dating site. Jason Reitman produced "Casual," best-known for directing "Juno" and "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," and featured a cast that included Frances Conroy in the role of Valerie and Alex's mother (via IMDb).
Berman played the supporting role of Leia, Valerie's office assistant, whose carefree approach to sex and dating helps Valerie move on and face her new life. Though Leia was a recurring character in the series' first season, starting in Season 2, she was promoted to series regular (via Deadline).
"Casual" gained a solid and loyal viewership and was critically praised for its look at modern love and dating (via Rotten Tomatoes). After its first season, it was nominated at the 73rd Golden Globes for best television series musical or comedy. Its fourth and final season was aired in July 2018.