Chicago Med: Steven Weber Felt A Connection To Dr. Dean Archer Before Stepping On Set
When Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) first arrived at the Gaffney Medical Center on "Chicago Med," he immediately began to rub many of his co-workers the wrong way. The irascible surgeon didn't care to partake in social niceties, and he spoke his thoughts and feelings without concern about others. While he had a friendship of sorts with Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) due to their time in the Navy, it takes the rest of the staff, and viewers, some time to warm up to him.
Weber already has a personal connection to military veterans due to his work helping formerly homeless Vietnam veterans, so the feeling of kinship with Dr. Archer was there before he even stepped on set.
"When I was first approached with the possibility of playing this guy it was clear that he had a history that I was somewhat connected to personally and very interested in playing," Steven Weber told The Brett Allan Show. "He was a Navy veteran, he's a surgeon who suffered from PTSD and the reason why I'm connected to it is because I work with this wonderful organization called New Directions for Veterans. And they help vets get back on their feet, you know, after years of serving our country." Weber has worked with the organization for years, even emceeing their 25th-anniversary gala with fellow actor Joe Mantegna.
Weber has opened up about his father's PTSD
An even deeper personal story also influenced Steven Weber's connection to the role. "My dad had PTSD, he was a Korean war veteran and I realized many years later in fact after I started working with the organization that he had all the characteristics of somebody who was terribly traumatized by his wartime experience," he explained on The Brett Allan Show. "Dr. Dean Archer is similar to him in many ways. Lots of anger issues, lots of deep-seated trauma."
Despite his obvious disdain for the mental health field and the chief of psychiatry, Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), it becomes clear that Dr. Dean Archer is dealing with his own issues, including PTSD, related to his time serving in the military. While many "Chicago Med" fans have stated that they can't stand Dr. Archer's lack of character development, his recent confession to Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) that he's in end-stage renal failure may signal that the writers are opening the door to more growth for Dr. Archer.
With the absence of Dr. Ethan Choi after Brian Tee left the show, it appears that "Chicago Med" is veering away from focusing on Archer's PTSD. The focus has definitely shifted to Archer's kidney disease, and as long as the writers keep evolving his character, Weber doesn't mind. "He's incredibly adept and good at what he does, but he still has issues," the actor related.