Sarah Ramos on Joining the Cast of ‘Chicago Med’ and How Lenox is Shaking Things Up in Season 10 [Interview]

Chicago Med has been telling stories about doctors, their patients, and their hospital struggles for ten seasons. It isn’t always easy to join a well-formed cast on a show that has kept fans entertained and captivated for so long. However, Chicago Med‘s ED has seen several doctors come and go.

The most recent addition to the staff is Doctor Lenox, played by Sarah Ramos. This character is off to a shaky start, butting heads with Archer and shadowing doctors around the ED to determine where changes could be implemented.

I recently spoke with Sarah Ramos about what it was like to join a show that’s been on the air for so long and to play a character who is introduced to shake things up.

When talking about joining Chicago Med Season 10, Ramos mentioned that her entrance into such a season fits perfectly with what her character is here to do. They are both coming in with a bang.

“She’s here for a reason, and it’s not to maintain the status quo,” Ramos said. “She doesn’t realize how much she’s shaking things up or how different things are. And I’ve gotten some feedback that I also don’t know how different things are with Lennox coming in. It’s nice not to have that baggage and be like, ‘Sorry, I didn’t realize that this was going to be such a big deal for you guys to change things.'”

However, those changes she is implementing in the ED haven’t only been felt by the doctors. The viewers are also keeping their eyes on Lenox, trying to decide if they like her or not.

As I approached the subject with Ramos about making a case for why the doctors and the fans should like her, she jokingly asked why a case needed to be made for her. Nevertheless, she realizes (and finds it amusing) that Lenox has come in as the antagonist of the ED.

“Lenox is a really good doctor. She’s been tasked with this really difficult job, which is to make sure the ED is running as efficiently as possible while saving lives.”

She does, however, understand that even though the doctors around her want the same, they all have different ways of doing things and aren’t afraid to criticize what she is doing.

Ramos pointed out that it is good that Lenox can do her job under pressure and stay calm, cool, and collected. “What is wrong with a woman being good at her job?” she asked, emphasizing how important it is that it is Lenox who’s bringing the change.

The truth is that Chicago Med has seen several doctors run the ED, but never a woman. Besides Goodwin being in charge of the hospital and Maggie being a charge nurse, no woman has ever had the opportunity to run that emergency room.

However, because a woman is trying to implement changes, her co-workers (and maybe even viewers) second-guess everything she does. Ramos finds this part of the role challenging as an actor because actors are meant to make people feel comfortable and laugh.

“Lenox just straight up doesn’t do that,” Ramos remarked. “She just tells you the truth and isn’t trying to take care of your feelings. Which, as an actress, as a woman, is a radical thing to do — to not go out of your way to take care of people’s feelings on top of doing your job.”

Like most women, Lenox’s work nemesis is a white male in a position of power. Even though Archer was once the one to come in and make changes, he has difficulty adjusting to Lenox’s presence in the ED.

Ramos recognized that Archer and Lenox’s inability to work together could cause their patients to suffer. However, she finds it very interesting that they continue to clash so much.

On the one hand, she said that it is powerful for Lenox to deliver her information with a wink and a smile without letting people see how much it bothers her that they roll their eyes at her. On the other hand, she mentioned it would be even more powerful if Lenox could take a bit of Archer’s charm and implement it.

During Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3, “Trust Fall,” we saw Lenox and Asher clash, and Lenox inquired about Asher’s relevance in the ED. So, I asked Ramos about this scene and what it meant for both characters. She guaranteed we would see more of this duo and what that conversation represented.

“Filming that scene was so funny because I didn’t say, ‘You’re gonna get cut.’ I just asked, ‘Is your department essential?’ and I feel like there was a massive overreaction. The answer could be yes, but instead, she was obfuscated. It was such an interesting scene.”

She believes that if Asher had been transparent with Lenox, they would have found harmony. According to Ramos, Lenox was simply looking for an answer, “Yes, it’s essential,” and the reasoning behind it.

If you want to see Asher and Lenox interact, fear not—more is coming. Ramos mentioned a moment with Lenox, Asher, and Maggie that will be very interesting to watch.

“They’re obviously so tight, and then you add my character. You have these three very unique women.”

Scenes like those are very fun to film for Ramos, and she’s had fun working with everyone on set. She mentioned she particularly enjoys it when they do comedy or when comedy comes from unexpected places.

Aside from scenes with other characters, Lenox told me we will see Lenox’s backstory unfold throughout the season.

“I am really excited about it. It had my jaw on the floor when I first heard it. Part of what made me want to do the show in the first place was understanding where this strong character is coming from and why she operates on the timeline she does. And I’m excited for people to kind of question the way the snap judgments they’ve made about this person.”

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Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

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