Amirah Vann has taken her talents to the new Fox medical drama Doc, and she was drawn to the project from the first read.

Vann’s character Dr. Gina Walker is a neuropsychiatrist and the best friend of Dr. Amy Larsen (played by Molly Parker). Their friendship has lasted for more than 20 years and ultimately stands the test of time as the main character, Amy, navigates life after a traumatic brain injury erases eight years of her memory.

“What drew me to the role was seeing the script and feeling so full of hope,” Vann told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “When I read that first script, I was so full of hope. I was like, ‘This is so beautiful to think that this is based on a real story that someone had a traumatic brain injury, and you’re given an opportunity to just be like, ‘Okay, do I want to be this person, you know?’ And I just said, ‘What a beautiful concept.’ Then, it was written so well, with that kind of standard medical mystery that we all love so much, and Dr. Gina Walker adds to that, being a smart, talented female doctor. I said, ‘That’s dope. Sign me up.’”

Portraying a character who is both a doctor and best friend to someone who’s experienced a traumatic medical injury is no easy feat. Still, Vann has no problem portraying these multifaceted layers.

“I think it is being 100%, even though it’s not 100%, but you just commit to one thing at a time,” she said. “You know what I mean? I’m just like, in any given moment … that’s my school of acting, we’re all actively trying to pursue something. So, when I’m trying to be her friend, it’s just like, I’m all in. And it’s like, okay we’re gonna put the medicine on pause, we’re gonna kiki over this popcorn, over this wine. And then, when it’s time to be a doctor, it’s doing that.”

Regarding art imitating life, Vann took extended measures to learn the best way to pour into her character, in order to play a character that viewers would find relatable.

“My sister-in-law is actually a doctor, so she put me in touch with a neuropsychiatrist and talked about some of the challenges,” Vann said. “And she said, ‘When you’re working with either the elderly or the seniors or young kids — because in both those areas, like for the older people, you don’t have great news to impart — it’s just about quality of life while they’re here. And so you know the challenges of having that burden and trying to give hope, even understanding that the outcome is not necessarily the best, in the same way with a young child.”

She added, “Hats off to all those doctors doing this daily. For me, those are the special moments, because at this point in my career, I’ve had the privilege to work on many great projects, and so I like to choose ones where people get to see themselves, and I want them to be seen. I want a Season 2, because I’m like, ‘No, I want to have a scene with someone whose parents have dementia. To just amplify that voice, amplify that story, talk about it. I mean, I’ve been pregnant twice now. There are so many things with mental health, so many things that we think that we all know, or maybe we have an idea about. But it’s like, if you’ve never had a parent with dementia, you don’t know the ins and outs. And the beauty of television is that you can take that deep dive.”

Vann said the ultimate indicator that she’s done exactly what she set out to do as Dr. Walker in Doc would be the show’s viewers developing a great respect for the medical profession and their own lives.

Doc airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

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