Entertainment
Blair Underwood Addresses Doc Character’s Season 3 Change
Blair Underwood is officially back on Doc but his character will go through a surprise change — and there’s a reason for that shift.
During the season 3 premiere, which aired on Tuesday, September 22, Ben (Underwood) returned to Westside Hospital with a different look after opting for a more fresh-faced look on his first day. Underwood, however, exclusively told Us that shaving his facial hair wasn’t actually a reflection of the story.
“I didn’t want to show a different side of [him through his appearance],” Underwood, 63, clarified. “I am actually doing a different project that I can’t speak to right now. But it was mandatory that I had to be clean shaven for that.”
Underwood thanked production for leaning into the change for Ben, adding, “Doc was so open to it. Their production company, all of them and the producers said, ‘You know what? We love that you’re doing that so we’ll work around it.’”
Ben was originally introduced at the end of season 2 as someone from Amy’s (Molly Parker) past. While Amy didn’t have much of a recollection of their time together, the viewers got a glimpse at a moment that confirmed Ben and Amy’s past romance.
“I would say Ben and Amy’s relationship in the early days in the past was very hot and very spicy,” Underwood teased. “She’s in the clear, which is important to know. It’s after her divorce and it is before she has a connection with Jake.”
He continued: “I can say that they would spend weekends together sometimes, and it was sporadic, but it was something they both enjoyed and were both drawn to keep repeating their time together.”
Underwood also noted that Ben “was there first” before Amy found love with Jake. After joining the show, Underwood recalled being clued in to the fact that he would be part of a new love triangle.
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“I just really don’t think much about it, to be honest with you,” he told Us about his approach. “Coming into an established show, I trust the writers and the producers. They know what they’re doing. So I just kind of play my part, hit my mark, say my lines and bring what I bring to it. But in terms of everything else, that’s so far out of my hands.”
Underwood, who hasn’t even filmed half of the episodes from season 3 yet, is excited for what comes next.
“I got the majority of the secrets. We talked about the overall general arc of the character,” he recalled. “And the specifics in terms of all the secrets … I don’t know. There’s a long way to go.”
Doc airs Tuesdays on Fox at 9 p.m. ET.
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