The cast of Berlin ER, Apple TV+’s forthcoming gritty drama, has pulled out all the stops to deliver an unmatched level of realism.
Spearheaded by British showrunner Samuel Jefferson, the series presents an unflinching look into the daily grind of an emergency room, transporting viewers far from the polished corridors of Grey’s Anatomy.
Set in Berlin, we meet Dr. Zanna Parker, portrayed by Haley Louise Jones, who abandons her old life in Munich for the relentless challenge of steering a struggling, under-resourced hospital through turbulent times. Joined by Slavko Popadić as the unpredictable Dr. Ben Weber, Parker faces resistance from her weary staff as she tries to roll out crucial changes.
In time, though, she grasps the essentials of compromise in an environment where stakes are perpetually high.
Both Jones and Popadić sat down with Screen Time and other media outlets, revealing the depths of their dedication to accurately depicting the show’s intense surgical scenes.
Dr Parker butts heads with her chaotic staff (Image: APPLE)
Jones said, “You don’t get a lot of time to breathe,” but admits “But I think that’s the fun part about it.
“The atmosphere and the ER really helps get your pulse going. It’s very fast-paced behind and in front of the camera and in this case it really helped the filming.”
Popadić chimed in: “[The creators] wanted you to be inside [the action] and to really feel the pace and the chaos.”
Berlin ER’s intense and immersive production, with its dynamic staging and camera work that thrusts viewers into the heart of the action, results in a medical drama that demands resilience to watch through to the end.
Apple’s new hospital drama features some of the most realistic surgery scenes ever brought to screen (Image: APPLE)
While some may find Weber and Parker’s graphic and relentless portrayal of life in the surgery ward too much to handle, those who persevere are rewarded with one of the most authentic medical dramas ever to grace television screens.
Popadić disclosed: “The production helped us a lot, we had a brilliant internship in a hospital and medical boot camp for some weeks.
“Our instructor, Dr Leon, showed us the basics, how to do all the stuff you do as a doctor and how to speak to patients.”
Jones elaborated on the intricacies involved: “Because there’s so many aspects of it, you know?
“Even, how do you put on a glove while you’re walking to a patient? I thought, ‘Just put on a glove’. But if you’ve ever tried to put on a glove with sweaty hands… And just make it look natural, make it look like you do that every day a gazillion times, it’s actually quite challenging. But it’s fun.”
Popadić added: “And when you shoot, you have the other characters you have to deal with.
“You have all the medical aspects, you have to do them like you’ve done them for years. There are a lot of different things you have to manage at once.”
Despite their thorough preparation, the cast still faced the daunting task of performing some of the most complex procedures on screen with convincing realism.
The series explores all aspects of hospital life from patients to paramedics (Image: APPLE)
The actress reflected: “It was intense. Not just us, but the whole crew, you could feel everyone was moved, everyone was tense.
“If a scene like that comes up you can feel it in the day already, there’s something else in the atmosphere. When I remember [one] scene, I can still feel… I just get cold, you know? I can feel my stomach clench because it was just so intense.”
Will you be tuning in to the gripping medical drama when it premieres this week?
Berlin ER premieres Wednesday, 26th February on Apple TV+.