One moment, Dr. Andre (T.L. Thompson) was running a health clinic during the Harlem Rennaissance, and then, a greenish glow changed everything. Suddenly zapped 100 years into the future, he found himself in a Detroit park with thousands of strangers from all different eras. Like most of the 4400, Doc has no idea how he time traveled, but that doesn’t stop him from doing what he does best: caring for people. Time and time again, it is Doc who not only provides medical care for those in need, but emotional care too — always knowing just when to be a shoulder to cry on or when to ask someone to dance.
Speaking to CBR, 4400 star T.L. Thompson detailed how they stepped into Doc’s ragtime dancing shoes and delved into the trickiest aspect of their character. Thompson also shared why they think Doc is the voice of reason amongst the 4400 and teased an upcoming “Sherlock Holmes-like” mystery for Doc and LaDonna to solve.
CBR: Doc is such a fun character, because you get to play a historical character who served in WWI and a doctor during the Harlem Renaissance that’s pushed into 2021. So there’s all this historic acting going on at the same time that you have this comedic reaction to everything that’s new. What’s the hardest part about balancing that?
T.L. Thompson: I think the hardest thing to me in general with the character is that people thought differently back then. They were more flowery with their language. Took them a lot longer to say just that one thing. [laughs] That’s been a challenge.
But it’s also delightful to have that language in my mouth. That helps inform how I’m reacting to things. Like sometimes it is a little comedic — like you said. I don’t even know what my reference to TV is — not anything; I don’t have it. There’s an episode where Doc is told the press will be here and LaDonna is like, “I was on TV,” and I’m like, “What loads the film?” So it’s really getting more familiar with the language that feels comfortable coming out of my mouth, so that I can just react naturally to what is going on with the surroundings.
Something I really love about Doc in general is he’s really the voice of reason. Right off the bat, he’s cautionary, and is skeptical, and is protecting his people. What informed that take for you?
Yeah, that was basically informed by my research from the 1920s Harlem. I needed to do research as to what it was like to be a Black man then in Harlem, and what it would have been like to be a Black trans man then, and what that could have meant to be in a medical field, what that means to have been in the world in all these very intense circumstances, right? So, that already tells me that this man knows how to handle themselves in all types of situations.
Being a Black man in that time, you are aware of the government. You are leery of people in authority, no matter where. So, then you come to this time [in 2021] and it appears as if things are pretty much very similar. [laughs] So, I can proceed with caution in this new era. He goes to what he knows. He goes to medicine. He knows that he can talk to different people through his field and assess where everyone is coming from. And then, in terms of finding allies in this, he finds people that he feels he can relate to — 1950s Claudette is his first interaction. He is definitely drawn to strong Black women. So that also informs how maybe his life was before.
I’m also very excited about [last night’s] episode, because in Episode 4, “Harlem Renaissance Man,” you learn a bit about Andre’s past. You will see that he gravitates towards strong Black women. Also, the script informs me too. I pick out little things that ground me in order to approach where he’s going.
What can you tease about the Doc’s journey going forward that you’re so excited for audiences to see?
Yeah, I’m excited for audiences to see Doc really come into his truth around the strange people that he literally just met. I’m excited to see how these connections are forming and are beginning to form. Audiences will really enjoy that, and who he gravitates towards the most — you will see it [soon] — and then we’ll go from there. We’ll see what happens.
My friend Rèmon is also a huge fan of the show and calls Doc, LaDonna and Claudette the Dream Team —
— I love that.
Right? What do you think keeps them together or makes their dynamics together work? They already feel like such a strong core group.
Yeah, like I was saying earlier, it’s intriguing to me — just a reader of the script — to see where the writers are going with all of these different things. You’ll see this is a bond that is definitely a strong bond with these three. These folks are so strong, and they will continue to be strong… It’s really interesting to see how the writers are putting other people into the mix — as far as a core team.
But I love the LaDonna and Claudette and Andre situation. We’ll actually see a little bit more LaDonna and Andre soon, doing a team-up in a Sherlock Holmes moment in the next couple of episodes. That’s really exciting. People that you don’t think will be together will be together because of circumstances. So I’m excited for folks to see that and see those core groups intermingle.
One Doc moment that I love is when he learns about what HRT is from Noah. They talk about it so frankly, which I don’t think I’ve seen on television really before. It wasn’t a dramatic moment — for lack of a better word — but a grounded and compassionate moment, chatting about essential medicine. It was moving. What was something that you were proud of about that experience — whether on set or on-screen?
Oh, I’m so glad that you were moved by that. Just being in the room… I consider myself non-binary and Theo [Germaine] is a trans man, so just the fact that we were on set together for several days. I’m a little older than Theo, so there was a little generational business too.
Like I was saying earlier, in Episode 4, just being in the room that was recreated to be Harlem with all these fabulous queers, of all different persuasions. It was really beautiful. I do believe that the queercestors were shining down upon us. The fact that we can portray these characters with such depth, and what you said, groundedness. We’re not the serial killers or deviant minds. We’re just people trying to get through the day, through this crazy situation. If you’re lucky, you can do that with other people. You can do that together. I really felt that beautiful bond that Theo and I created. I am glad that it was well received because it felt good doing it.
You’re in Season 1 of a show that’s in production right now, and when that happens, everything goes by so quickly. But right now, what’s one thing that you’re going to take into future roles just from starring in this production?
Oh, wow, just the basics. I’ve not done much TV acting — just a day here and there on set. Now I’m a principal character. The discipline that goes into being a principal, a season regular is hard. It gives you a good work ethic. Just knowing where to show up when they’re talking to you and what they’re saying. [laughs] All those things I will take with me in the future.
But also, I hear that sometimes these sets are a rough place to be. This is a special group of people coming together to make a special thing — at a very special time in our world. [laughs] I’m really proud. No matter how it is received, I know that I am proud of the story. I’m proud of the actors and the crew that have all come together to make this crazy imagined. I will definitely take that with me.
To see how Doc will protect his friends next, tune into 4400 on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
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