Chicago Med star Marlyne Barrett almost quit acting after a personal traumatic experience.
Barrett spoke to EDGE Magazine about her time away from the acting industry. She took five years to focus on herself and to heal from an assault. It was her NBC Kings co-star, Ian McShane that helped her return to her acting career.
“Everyone, in a number of professions, across the board, says the same thing about that man: Ian McShane is an authentic, incredible human being and a phenomenal artist. Ian was involved in the resurrection of my career,” she shared.
“I’m a person who loves to laugh. I love life. I love human beings,” she explained. “After I was assaulted, to say that I was distraught would be an understatement. I became introverted and depressed. I needed a lot of prayer and a lot of counseling, in addition to the physical help I received. During that time of major pain, that’s when I met my husband. I met him a month after the event. He took the time to love on me well. And it was Ian McShane who was my true north.”
Returning to Acting and Landing ‘Chicago Med’
The Chicago Med star said that he helped her get back on her feet. Although she believed that she was completely done with acting, he knew that she wasn’t. Her passion and drive shined and he helped her return once she was ready.
“He said that when I was ready to come back, I should contact him,” she continued. “When the time came, I reached out to a lot of friends who were A-listers, people with whom I had worked. They said Yeah, I’ll help you. But I never heard from them, really. I made one call to Ian and he had representation ready to hear from me, he had a meeting set up for me, and within two weeks I was back on-air, on American Crime.”
Despite almost quitting acting, she managed to land a job with the Wolf Pack. It was her dream to work with the legendary creator Dick Wolf. In 2005 she guest-starred on Law & Order and its spinoffs, Trial By Jury and Special Victims Unit.
She later ended up auditioning for Chicago PD and then was told that they wanted her on Chicago Med. Within four to five days of landing the new role, she was in Chicago, Illinois on set. Her degree in nursing certainly helped her with her role and she credited some of the local Chicago medical professionals that helped inspire her character.
