Chicago Med wouldn’t be the same without the gruff yet lovable Dr. Dean Archer — but according to actor Steven Weber, he almost didn’t make it out of season 6 alive.
“I got the call — I didn’t even have to audition for it, which is good most of the time — to be on a four-or-five-episode arc of Chicago Med,” Weber, 64, revealed on the Thursday, October 30, episode of the “One Chicago Podcast,” recalling how he began playing Archer on the NBC series. “The character of Dean Archer was a guy who was a naval surgeon, who had been in Afghanistan. Had been wounded. Had PTSD.”
Weber explained that he was told Archer’s role wouldn’t last long because of his deep-rooted trauma.
“At the end of this arc, [he] was going to do some self-harm. He was not good up here,” the actor said, referring to Archer’s mind. “He was suffering and had untreated trauma. At the end of this guy’s story, he was not going to make it.”
Weber noted that Archer’s impending death intrigued him. “I was kinda excited about that character. He was dark and interesting,” he confessed.
Weber noted that he thought his story arc on Chicago Med would be a “good, nice little gig,” but it turned into something much bigger.
“Halfway through [my first season], I think they decided that this character had more depth and appeal and possibilities beyond where they were going to take him,” he recalled. “So, after that, they decided not to end the character.”
Weber said the rest is history, adding, “They brought me back the next season for a number of shows and from there it got longer and longer.”
The actor made his Chicago Med debut during season 6 in 2021. What started as a short arc became seven episodes that season.
Weber was in nearly every episode during season 7, making him a series regular. He has since become a fixture on the medical drama, and his character has evolved to become a fan favorite.
The One Chicago franchise is known for its frequent exits at this point, but Sophia Bush and more stars have not slowed down since walking away from Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire or Chicago Med. Bush, for one, spoke out about her departure from Chicago P.D. after season 4. “I realized that as I was thinking […]
During the season 11 premiere, which aired October 1, viewers learned that Archer is the father of Dr. Hannah Asher’s (Jessy Schram) baby after a one-night stand between the longtime friends one season prior.
The story line has brought even more attention to Weber’s role and challenged him — and the writers — to elevate the show once again. Weber, however, is excited to see what comes next for Archer.
“In the hospital, people react much like fans have been reacting in recent months or maybe even seasons [past], is that all they see is an age gap,” Weber exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the premiere. “They see a guy with a white beard and this young blonde girl, and so that’s all it is to them, right? [And] the show acknowledges that.”
The actor explained that once Archer and Hannah go “deeper” into their fears about coparenting a baby as friends — and touch upon their age difference — it opens the door for a more interesting dynamic.
“It’s a fairly original and kind of gutsy thing to do for a TV show. And this show doesn’t take the easy route. It doesn’t take the sentimental route,” Weber said. “Once in a while it does, because we love seeing good-looking people getting together on any TV show, and that happens occasionally. But I think they really went out on a limb with Hannah and Dean here, and they explore it.”
Schram, meanwhile, exclusively told Us earlier this month that Archer and Hannah will continue to face “roadblocks” before welcoming their child.
“They’re not in a committed relationship,” Schram, 39, pointed out. “These are two friends that are having the baby, and honestly, what could possibly go wrong about two friends having a baby?”
The actress teased that there are “feelings on all different levels” that could blur the lines for Hannah and Archer when it comes to where they stand romantically.
Schram revealed that throughout season 11 the characters will ask, “What does their relationship mean? What does that look like for them at different moments in time?”
She hinted, “It’s definitely not just a cookie-cutter stamp of they’re platonic [and] this is done. But also not, ‘Oh, we’re having a baby, let’s get together.’”
Chicago Med airs on NBC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
