ON THE SETS: From left: Reshma Shetty as Divya Katdare, Leonardo Lam as Billy, Mark Feuerstein as Dr Hank Lawson in an episode of Royal Pains. Duke surgeon Oren Gottfried (inset) worked as an adviser on the episode.

By Kareema Charles

 

Oren Gottfried isn’t your typical neurosurgeon. By day, he’s performing complex spine surgeries at Duke University Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and by night he’s making TV more true-to-life for hit shows like USA’s Royal Pains and CBS’ Elementary.

“I write and develop medical stories, plots and scenes,” said Gottfried. “I read and edit scripts for medical accuracy and also answer questions to make medical stories accurate.”

The 39-year-old neurosurgeon also has a hand in the props, makeup and sets, all to make the medical scenes appear more realistic. “This has actually introduced me to other areas of medicine I never thought I’d be knowledgeable in,” he said. “I’m not just confined to my area of expertise and it also supplements my day job.”

Gottfried does much of the TV consulting work for free. He doesn’t get paid for his advice or ideas, but he does get paid for his occasional trips to the set. Because of his busy schedule, Gottfried limits those visits to 24-hour trips.

“Since the four years I’ve done this, I’ve been on set or to the writers room three times,” he said. “I go once a year and can provide the most help there.”

But Gottfried hasn’t gone to the movies yet. He stresses that he is a doctor first and a TV consultant second. “I am a very busy spine surgeon, and I never want my patients to think that while I’m operating on them, I’m thinking about my story lines,” he said. “I have a strong divide between that.”

He credits his research skills for helping him be a better doctor and medical adviser. “I publish articles on how to improve medicine and improve outcomes,” he said. “So by me being good at the medical literature, it’s helped me be a better doctor to my patients and for television.”

Gottfried’s work for television started in 2010 when TV producer and Duke alum Jeff Drayer asked him for some help on a pilot. Gottfried was surprised by the call — he had just started working at a new facility at Duke and was getting tonnes of referrals for new patients.

“One of the phone calls I got had a Los Angeles area code, and I thought it was a referral from a far distance,” he said. “I got on the phone thinking it was a real patient, then I found it was a fake patient.”

Drayer was writing a pilot about a neurosurgeon who solves medical problems and needed help from an actual neurosurgeon to make it realistic. Unfortunately, the pilot never got picked up, but that collaboration paved the way for more opportunities.

“I was told that I was good at this, and then one project led to another and it became more fun,” Gottfried said.

Gottfried has worked on Royal Pains as a credited adviser for Seasons 4-6. His story ideas were the prime focus in episodes airing in July.

Drayer appreciates Gottfried’s ability to contribute to the show, despite his busy surgery schedule. “I don’t know how he does it, because he does so many surgeries,” said Drayer. “But he’s really on top of things.”

There have even been times when a question comes up in the middle of a scene and production is halted until Gottfried is out of surgery to answer it. “Oren has been a tremendous help to us, and the show would simply not be as good as it is if not for him,” said Drayer. “From a medical standpoint, we’ve used a number of his cases over the last few years.”

Gottfried sends many case ideas to Drayer, but it takes a lot of work to fit the cases to the characters and situation the show wants to tell. “He’s very good at knowing exactly what kinds of cases are going to play well on TV, both in terms of storytelling and in being visual,” said the producer. “That’s where 99% of medical consultants end up falling short.”

Drayer says that there are a lot of doctors out there who can answer medical questions, but very few who understand what information is needed to make a good story. “Oren is one of those very few,” he said.

According to Drayer, every medical show has at least one consultant, and oftentimes more. “For shows that regularly deal with medical topics, every medical word or action gets checked multiple times by professionals before making it on screen,” he said. “The idea isn’t popular, it’s a necessity.”

Gottfried doesn’t always have all the answers.

For a recent script involving a character with abdominal issues, he had to request help from a gastroenterologist — his wife, Jill Moore. “I always go to her for help,” he said.

Gottfriend’s oldest daughter is also excited about his side job. “She thinks it’s really cool,” he said of the 8-year-old. “She was so excited when I told her I met Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana in the Princess and the Frog.” He also has a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son.

Gottfried assisted on Elementary for Seasons 1 and 2, and has consulted on The Last Ship and Dallas, both airing on TNT. He has worked on five pilots and will soon add a new USA show to his growing resume. “My ultimate goal is to be there with a writer before the show gets picked up by a network,” Gottfried said. “It would be nice to maintain my day job but still contribute stories in a writer capacity.” — The News & Observer, MCT

 

 

Katie still loves
cheating husband

 

Former model Katie Price wanted to “throttle” her cheating husband Kieran Hayler, but that doesn’t stop her from loving him. She was left broken hearted when she discovered her husband had cheated on her with two of her close friends, but admits that she will be staying with him through his rehab treatment for sex addiction, reports contactmusic.com. “I could throttle him but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. In a nutshell, I decided not to rip everything up without thinking everything through. “My life has been full of knee-jerk reactions and they’ve not always been the best things I’ve done,” she was quoted by The Sun newspaper as saying. — IANS

 

Kevin Spacey was offered
donation to turn vegetarian

 

Actor Kevin Spacey was offered a donation of $6,000 to his theatre company by animal rights campaigners if he switches meat for vegetarian food at an upcoming fundraising barbecue. The 54-year-old is giving his fans an opportunity to pay and have barbecued ribs with him on the set of his drama series House of Cards, with proceeds going to the Geffen Playhouse and The Old Vic Theatre Company, where Spacey works as artistic director.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have promised to make a donation if Spacey goes vegetarian for the event, reports contactmusic.com. “We believe that you care about animal welfare and about the environment, so in light of all the information available today about cruelty in slaughter houses and the detrimental effect of greenhouse gasses produced by animal-based agriculture, PETA is respectfully asking that the prize dinner feature delicious ‘Fib Ribs’ or Field Roast vegan offerings instead of ribs so that the theatre will not benefit at the expense of other vital social interests,” said the PETA representatives in a letter to the star. — IANS