"West Wing" star Mary McCormackhas discovered a major benefit to getting older in Hollywood: The license to oversee brain surgery on"The Pitt."
McCormack, 57, who appeared on "ER" more than 20 years ago, reunites with Noah Wyle to portray chief of neurosurgery Dr. Linda Conley in"The Pitt" Episode 13(now streaming on HBO Max).
"I'm getting to the age where you get to do the brain surgery," McCormack tells USA TODAY. "No one wants a 25-year-old doing brain surgery. Some good things come with age, and this is one of them."
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McCormack played physician Debbie on 'ER'
McCormack first drew notice at the (pre-brain surgery) age of 26, with her lead role in Steven Bochco's ABC series "Murder One" (1995–1997). It was during this era that the actress first worked with a young Noah Wyle during a memorable New York City Roundabout Theater reading.
"So we've known each other for a long time," says McCormack.
That friendship grew as McCormack appeared on "ER" as Debbie in a recurring role during 2003's Season 10 and 2005's Season 12, portraying a physician working in clinics in Darfur and the Congo with Wyle's Dr. John Carter visiting. All told, there were six episodes.
The actress followed "ER" executive producer John Wells over to "West Wing" for six seasons starting in 2004, mastering the snappy dialogue as Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper — with lines famously delivered to the walking President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen).
"I'm a fast talker, so I live in the John Wells' lane," says McCormack. "That's the only job I've ever had where they didn't tell me to slow down."
Mary McCormack oversees brain surgery on 'The Pitt'
Dr. Conley, competent and confident, does the fast work on "The Pitt." The senior doctor is also a great teacher, willing to train Dr. Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) during the student doctor's first brain surgery. The Conley character was created by executive producer Dr. Joe Sachs, based on a real-life mentor.
"It's such a fresh take because we usually see the cowboy surgeon. But they're not all cowboys," says McCormack. "Conley is a bad-ass surgeon and a really good teacher."
The scenes portraying the operation on the ER patient who had fallen on his head were challenging. During rehearsals, McCormack welcomed all professional feedback to reach the exacting standards of the realistic medical show, especially when using instruments such as a cranial drill.
"The tech adviser would go, 'No, no, no, you'd never hold it like this,'" McCormack says. "And I'd be like, 'Thank goodness.' I didn't want to leave the (rehearsal) set."
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McCormack even filmed the brain surgeon technicians on her iPhone during rehearsals and spent days "shoving the video into my head" with repeated viewing.
How was the Wyle and McCormack reunion?
Wyle and McCormack had a brief, satisfying onset reunion. They caught up on everything from kids to spouses (McCormack is married to director Michael Morris, a friend of Wyle's). Of course, they addressed their mutual love of "This Is Spinal Tap."
"Noah is the only person alive that loves 'Spinal Tap' as much as I do. We speak almost entirely in 'Spinal Tap' references," says McCormack.
Then it was right to work. Wyle's Dr. Robby introduces Conley, and lets the specialist do her thing. For the brain surgery scenes, the human actor was replaced with an extensive model that allowed shots of McCormack performing the surgery. Even the veteran actress was impressed by how realistic the stand-in was.
"I mean, this guy almost breathed. There was hair on his head. It was incredible," says McCormack. "Even up close, it looked like a human being, 100 percent."
McCormack was too focused on her performance to get grossed out by using tools like the specialized retractors to reveal the brain.
"I was too stressed about being correct with my actions and lines and not f----- it up for these technicians who made this beautiful piece of work," says McCormack. "I was not thinking about it as a real brain. That wide shot where I'm cutting is so expensive and cool, it makes it all look like a real ER."
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Will McCormack return to 'The Pitt'?
The operation seemingly goes perfectly, allowing Conley to walk off with another success. There will be a brief appearance in the April 9 episode. But McCormack's work was pretty much wrapped after the episode's sensational surgery.
She exits an even more rabid fan of both "The Pitt" and Wyle, comparing his show leadership to Sheen on "West Wing."
"Noah is obviously getting all the attention he's always deserved," says McCormack. "But he also is just the best Number 1 on a call sheet. Like Martin Sheen level. There's an expression in television, as Number 1 goes, so goes the show. It's true, because they set the tone."
The veteran actress is willing to come back for an encore should Conley's particular set of skills be required.
"I'm all for it. But I'm thrilled to be on 'The Pitt' even for a minute," says McCormack. "Then again, I'm hoping for another serious television brain injury."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'The Pitt's 'ER' reunion has Mary McCormack as Noah Wyle's brain surgeon