‘I know this dude!': David Alan Grier explains why he leapt at the chance to play a ‘burned-out' doctor on ‘St. Denis Medical'

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'For me, it was just an opportunity to see a bunch of friends in the same room and kick it and have a ball,' shares David Alan Grier about his Critics Choice Award nomination for his role on St. Denis Medical. The actor received the acknowledgment last December for the first season of the NBC mockumentary, in which he stars as the curmudgeonly but knowledgeable Doctor Ron.
Grier knew from the description of the character alone that he wanted to join the series. He remembers reading the script by Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer, which characterized Ron as 'burned out' and 'the oldest staff member' in the hospital, and thinking, 'I know this dude!' Despite the laughs inherent in that type of guy, the performer knew there would be heft to the role, too. 'I think he's a really good doctor. It's just the system won, for the most part,' reflects the star. He explains that Ron tries to help other staff members avoid the mistakes he made, sharing, 'You sacrifice your family, which he did. You lose touch with your kids, all this stuff happens. He went through a divorce, and he's struggling to hold things together.'
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The balance of comedy and pathos stood out the most to Grier. 'It's a weird show, it's like a hybrid,' explains the actor, who trained at the Yale School of Drama. He finds that 'the humor there is earned and organic. … The way it's written, it's a drama,' and notes, 'The biggest challenge was just, you have to trust … I had to trust that the tone was right.'
Grier is a veteran of television ensemble comedies including In Living Color, The Carmichael Show, and Life With Bonnie, and he returns to that format with St. Denis Medical. 'When you're in a good company, it's like a sports team. You pass the ball, someone takes it down the court, sets the other person up for a shot. It makes it all the better,' explains the actor about why he loves working on these large ensemble shows. He did not know the producers or showrunners before reading the script, but his good friend Ana Gasteyer vouched for their brilliance, as she had worked with both Spitzer and Ledgin on American Auto. He also leapt at the chance to work with the cast that had already been assembled, including Wendi McLendon-Covey and Allison Tolman, saying that once he heard they were on board, 'all my fears were assuaged.'
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One of Grier's standout episodes that demonstrates how he walks the show's fine line between comedy and drama comes early in the season. In 'Weird Stuff You Can't Explain,' Ron tempts fate when he dismisses staff members' beliefs in superstitions and puts a hex on the hospital. The doctor has a change of heart in the operation room, though, when a procedure proves more complicated than he thought and he says a prayer before making his first incision. 'To me, that's more true to life,' says the actor about the source of comedy on the show, adding, 'Nine times out of 10, when you laugh … I'll guarantee you it's a dramatic moment.' He notes that Ron's turn to prayer echoes his own life, too. 'The praying is very much me. I wouldn't describe myself as a very religious person, but in the event … I'm going to do some prayers in there, just for the odds,' reflects the performer with a chuckle.
A late season installment, "Bruce-ic and the Mus-ic," finds Ron serving as the emcee of the hospital's annual fundraiser, during which he butts heads with administrator Joyce (McLendon-Covey) over how explicitly he should solicit donations. This episode proved to be one of the most challenging for Grier for a simple reason. 'I did stand-up for so long, so in that episode, resisting the temptation to really do it' proved difficult, says the performer, adding, 'It was kind of the anti-David episode. It wasn't me. I couldn't be really funny.' He also cites 'Buffalo Bruce and Matty the Kid' as a favorite, during which Ron struggles with not being invited to a coworker's birthday party, even though he would not choose to go even if he had been asked.
Prior to starring on St. Denis Medical, Grier took home the first Tony Award of his career for his performance in A Soldier's Play. The stage veteran remembers the moment vividly: 'When they said my name, I sat there because I wanted to make sure they said my name. … I didn't want to read from my cellphone and I immediately became really emotional, so that's why I had to go to comedy, because in that split second, I was like, 'If I go down this road, I'm going to be a blubbering mess.'' The victory, after three prior nominations for The First, Race, and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, continues to resonate with the actor. 'I was very humbled. I continue to be very humbled,' admits the star.
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