STACK NZ Aug #65

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STRONG MEDICINE Clive Owen on why The Knick is not your typical medical drama.

M edical practitioners with drug habits are nothing new – Hugh Laurie’s Doctor Gregory House and Edie Falco’s Nurse Jackie are probably the most recent examples of screen hospital professionals who get hooked on their own tools of the trade. But Doctor John Thackery, as played by Clive Owen in Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed new medical drama The Knick , takes bad behaviour to a whole new level. Set in downtown New York in 1900, the show centres on the Knickerbocker Hospital, whose staff

As well as the drug taking, unlike modern hospital dramas, The Knick also features some harrowing, blood-drenched scenes of surgical procedures, many of which are carried out in front of an audience. According to Owen, operations at the time were almost performed like theatre, so there was a touch of the showman about doctors of the era. “It is a time that is hugely exciting,” Owen continues. “They made massive leaps forward in a very short amount of time. The boundaries were constantly being pushed and Thackeray is at the forefront of

all that.” Owen admits he hadn’t been looking to take on a television role before getting a call from Soderbergh, who as well as serving as executive producer, directed every episode of the first season of The Knick . However after reading the script he had no hesitation about signing on and will also be back for the second season, which will air later this year. He is also full of praise for the modern approach Soderbergh brought to the period drama. “The world Steven has created is such an original take and is all based on fact,” he says. “It doesn’t have the polish and restraint of a normal period thing. It’s very, very edgy. Very often when you do period

are pushing the boundaries of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. Like House, Thackery is a brilliant but arrogant surgeon, whose maverick ways alienate his colleagues. But whereas Laurie’s character had an addiction to painkillers, Thackeray is a full- blown cocaine junkie who likes to wind down in opium dens. For Owen, the contradictions of the character were one the main attractions of the role. “He is at the forefront of medicine and he is making big new discoveries but at the same time he is a serious drug addict,” the British star explains. “The guy is literally on a rollercoaster the entire time; I inject throughout the day and then I often go off to the opium den to chill out in the evenings. The fun in playing someone like this is sorting out where he is in his drug-filled day. Is

Thackery is a brilliant but arrogant surgeon, whose maverick ways alienate his colleagues

he high? Does he need a fix? How intense is the addiction at this point? It’s exciting to plot through the ups and downs – there is never a straight scene with him, because he is not straight ever!” Thackery’s drug of choice is liquid cocaine, which was actually legal at the time and, for a doctor, easy to get hold of. However, as the first season of the show progresses, he eventually realises that his addiction is beginning to spiral out of control and tries to kick the habit.

things, they will say ‘This is how they wore their hats.’ But I am a drug addict, so I don’t necessarily conform to those rules.”

The Knick: The Complete First Season is out on August 19

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