CHICAGO MED: Marlyne Barrett talks Season 3, real life connections and more

After a six-month hiatus, NBC’s CHICAGO MED returned for its third season last week and we caught up with star Marlyne Barrett, better known as head nurse Maggie Lockwood, aka this Chi-hard’s favorite character on the show. The Brooklyn-born Canadian-raised actress shared with us what we can expect this season, interesting real-life connections, her work with La Sortie/The Way Out, and who she would pick as our Nice Boy of the Week…

NGTV: What can you tease about Season 3 of CHICAGO MED? We’re so excited that the show is FINALLY back, especially after that cliffhanger ending last season!
Marlyne Barrett: It’s all about relationships. We very often forget that for the health care system to work, we need people and people have relationships in their lives, and relationships come with complications. Whether it’s a woman that’s alone and looking forward to dating or a couple that’s dating and wanting to take it to the next level, all people must learn to develop their relationships – both social and professional while being a healthcare professional.

What is in store for Maggie? Is there anything that you’d like to see be explored? We did get to meet some of her family last season which was pretty cool.
MB: Maggie is a charge nurse that has worked very hard to get out of the South side of Chicago’s difficulties and now entering into the health care system of corporate America she has forgotten to develop her relationships outside of work and she’s lonely. She’s looking forward to becoming someone’s girlfriend and someone’s mother one day.

Not everyone knows this, but you actually have a nursing degree and also have family members who are in the medical field. Is it weird to be playing a nurse on TV now or would you consider it fate?
MB: I would agree it’s fate with more of a divine penchant. Sometimes we forget that life is bigger than ourselves or anything that we would like to control. I remember my parents asked me to get a medical degree and I didn’t want to. Receiving a nursing degree was me fulfilling my parents request and having access to my acting career. So, here is my “faith meeting fate” as you just said.

What do you admire most about Maggie?
MB: Her professionalism

What I really respect about CHICAGO MED and the ONE CHICAGO franchise in general is that the cast take their roles as first responders seriously and in their downtime are shadowing the real life professionals. Out of the cast, who would you trust most if you were in a situation where you needed medical attention?
MB: Dr. Halstead played by Nick Gehlfuss, who I also consider a really good friend. He reminds me a lot of the working professionals that exist in my family.

The ONE CHICAGO franchise is known for its epic crossovers and even just seamlessly weaving characters in and out of shows. Who do you enjoy working with from the other shows the most and is there anyone that you would love to work with that you haven’t had a chance to yet?
MB: (Interestingly enough) I’m one of the characters that has worked with pretty much everyone. Eamonn Walker, who’s a great friend, has a really great acting gift. I’d love to see a scene with Eamonn and I.

Christian Stolte, is a fantastic actor, if you’ve never seen him in law abiding citizen – he’s fantastic, I’d love to do even more work with him.

Tell us about your work with La Sortie/The Way Out.
MB: La Sortie/The Way Out, is an organization that focuses on creating homes to help victims of sex trafficking. When doing research on things I wanted to do as a philanthropist, La Sortie spoke to me as an organization that took care of human beings that were broken and needed a place to rehabilitate after they’ve gone through a difficult time in their life. La Sortie believes in a 3-dimensional healing process, where you take care of somebody’s mind and its restructuring and recapturing of their thoughts to bring it back to a wholesome place. It deals also with soul hurts and traumas the body has lived after such incredible violations.

Are there any other causes that you support or are passionate about?
MB: Human causes always tend to attract me. I like seeing people fulfill their calling in life or even find their calling, so anything that has to do with homeless care or assisting with health care facilitations, children, orphans who are lost, adoptions and anything having to do with humanity being rebuilt.

We have a section on our site called Nice Boy of the Week, where we spotlight a male on TV. Who would you nominate and why?
MB: Sterling K. Brown, is an incredible mirror to the human condition in THIS IS US. I love the simplicity in his acting and though his character is different from who he portrays in social media and interviews, it’s still an extension of hope of who he would be. There’s a genuine nature in all his work and a depth available in his performances. He’s a great mirror to all manhood.

CHICAGO MED airs Tuesday at 10/9c on NBC.

RELATED LINKS:

ONE CHICAGO Women: CHICAGO P.D. “Care Under Fire” (5×07) & CHICAGO MED “Speak Your Truth” (3×01) recap
CHICAGO MED: Season 3 Cast Photos