From Heroes to Brilliant Minds and The Artist, Zachary Quinto Talks Innovative Storytelling
From his breakout role in Heroes to his legacy in Star Trek, Zachary Quinto has proved his staying power as an actor. He currently leads the NBC series Brilliant Minds that finds him playing an unconventional neurologist treating puzzling cases. Up next he appears in The Network’s Gilded Age murder mystery series The Artist as lawyer Delphin Delmas. Quinto spoke with Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado about working with close friends and having a career that lets him step outside the box.
What initially drew Quinto to The Artist was its “incredible” ensemble. “[There’s] Janet McTeer who I just adore and Mandy Patinkin, who I had worked with on my own series Brilliant Minds [and] played my father. I had connections to both of them and the other people that are involved are just so impressive,” he enthused, shouting out his good friend and producer Hillary Shaw for introducing him to creator Aram Rappaport. “I didn't want to miss out on the fun.”
Quinto took a day away from his Broadway play Cult of Love to step into the role of real-life attorney Delphin Delmas in The Artist. “I shot all day and then it was just this spirit of everybody throwing themselves into it in a way that was really exciting. I did a little research just based on the conversations I had with Aram about the real-life stories that inspired this show, but it feels like it's such its own unique narrative,” he said. “The world that they built was so rich and so full that it wasn't really the thing that felt like it warranted a deep dive into the real story because it really is just an inspiration. From there, it's such a figment of Aram's imagination, this whole show, which is so exciting.”
He joined our Zoom call from the set of Brilliant Minds, while he was filming its second season. “We're literally at the halfway point right now and we have had some amazing guest stars this season,” Quinto shared. “My dear friend Molly Bernard came up and did an episode. My good friend Jane Krakowski came up and did an episode. We just did an episode with Eric Dane.”
Dane’s episode quickly became a highlight of the season. “Because of the unique circumstances around his real-life situation and the character he was playing, there was something incredibly profound about that experience for me and for all of us here,” Quinto said. “It was such an inspiration to welcome him onto our set and to get to work with him. I have so much admiration for his willingness to bring his story to audiences in a very personal way. I think it's going to help a lot of people. I think it's going to resonate for a lot of people and I'm really grateful that he had the fortitude and the grace to come and play this role. I think that was probably one of the highlights so far of the season, but it's still unfolding and we have some amazing people coming to join us now.”
Another stand out moment this season was filming a Halloween episode where his character dresses as Spock. It wasn’t just a Halloween costume, but the actual one he wore in Star Trek Beyond! “It was really fun. Our amazing costume designer Nancy Gold tracked down my costume from the last film. So that's actually the same costume that I wore in the movie that we did in 2015,” he told me. “I was grateful that I could still wear it 10 years later.”
“I've never done a full blown Halloween episode. I mean, I've done plenty of American Horror Story [seasons], which are kind of Halloween episodes all throughout, but it was so fun to bring that spirit to our show,” he added. “That was one of my favorite episodes this season so far. It was great fun and, to have Tamberla [Perry] dress up as a Uhura, it was a fun day on set, for sure. People were really excited. I was taking a lot of pictures with the crew that day.”
Brilliant Minds expanded from a 13-episode first season to a 20-episode second season, which is an increasingly rare order in today’s TV landscape. “You certainly don't see it as much. We're all really grateful to be able to have the runway to tell these stories because we have the characters that come in on a weekly basis. The patients that we meet and that we work with at the hospital, but then we also have our own stories as characters on the show. It's really nice to have the space to let those unfold over time and not feel like we're rushed to cram them into 10 or 12 or however many episodes most shows have these days. We're really grateful that we got the full order and, yeah, we're making the most of it up here,” said Quinto. “It's a very exciting time for us here on the show and we're really driving forward to bring the second season to a culmination that's really exciting for audiences.”
Heroes was such a cultural moment and a big breakout for Quinto. Next year marks 15 years since the show premiered. “I loved that time. I look back on that time with such fondness,” he expressed. “It was the moment at which my career shifted. I went from wondering if I was going to be able to make a living as an actor to being able to follow my instinct and let them lead me into the next job. I think we all have these watershed moments in our lives where there is a moment of evolution that happens and that was one of them for me. I'm grateful looking back on it now. I'm so grateful for all of the experiences that I've had subsequent to that that have led me to this moment now.”
He even credits that early turning point for ultimately leading him to The Artist. “Being able to jump in and roll up my sleeves and do something that's really maybe a little unexpected and maybe a little off the beaten path,” he shared. “I have such respect and admiration for what Aram is making. He's essentially created his own streaming platform. It's so inspiring in this day and age that people are looking at the opportunities that they've created for themselves and what they can lead them to. Heroes did that for me. Aram built The Network from a company that he had started and work that he had done. He was incredibly successful in that realm and he decided to do this with The Network.”
Quinto is excited for audiences to not only watch The Artist, but explore everything being produced on The Network. “It is a new and unexpected and fascinating model for storytelling. [It’s] putting the creativity and the experience in the hands of filmmakers and artists and the kind of actors that want to come and collaborate in that environment,” he said. “I'm really proud to be a part of it.
You can catch The Artist now on TheNetwork.Stream.
