The Apple TV+ show aimed to be as “authentic” as possible when recreating these events, which made for a “tough” experience for the cast, actor Cornelius Smith Jr. told Newsweek.
Smith Jr. portrays Dr. Bryant King, one of the doctors at Memorial Medical Center trying to help patients in adverse conditions. Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of large swathes of New Orleans saw the hospital be left without power or running water, there was little food and temperatures inside the building rose to 100 degrees.
The bodies of 45 patients were found in the chapel of Memorial Medical Center after the storm had passed. They had died while waiting for evacuation from the hospital, with some allegations saying that there were patients who were administered lethal doses of morphine or other pain medication, according to a New York Times report by Sheri Fink, who wrote the book, on which the eight-part series is based.
‘Five Days at Memorial’ Star Cornelius Smith Jr. on ‘Authentic’ and ‘Tough’ Shoot
The adverse circumstances that the medical staff worked in were recreated on the set of the Apple TV+ show, Smith Jr. told Newsweek:
“[Filming] was real, it was authentic, and I think that’s what you want. Our crew and everybody there did a remarkable job in recreating the environment, building just the conditions, I mean, it was so specific, and so when you have that, it really makes our job as actors a little bit easier.
“We still have to go there emotionally, but when you have the environment […] it helps you to really drop into the scene, drop into the moment. And so, you know, it was tough but fantastic, if that makes sense.”
“But then off set, when it’s cut and we’re you know not filming and we’re off the canvas, it was just a completely different world and a different relationship,”
Of the show, he said: “It’s one of those series that just keeps unfolding and really takes you on the full journey, as best as we can to really get the sense of what it was like and what happened, and how everybody dealt with everything.
“So we give you a full dosage, and it’s a lot to take in but, obviously, we’re very proud of the work, and I think it’s going to be really impactful and enlightening for those who didn’t know the story. And [I’m] really proud of it. Really proud of it across the board.”
On Playing Dr. Bryant King
Smith Jr. did not meet his real-life counterpart in preparation for the role, saying that he instead relied on Sheri Fink’s non-fiction book, which the show is based on and named after.
“[I] didn’t have a chance to meet him, [I] did not speak to him at all but I did watch tons of things on the internet, videos and things like that, and the book was really a foundation of information for not only myself but for the production as a whole.
“Then from there was just the beautiful collaboration of imagination and artistic licence and creativity, and really creating this character to, as best as I can, reimagine what it must have been like for him.”
Dr. King was not only the newest doctor to join Memorial Medical Center when Hurricane Katrina hit, and he was also one of the few African American doctors to work there In one instance, the show portrays Dr. King as being prevented from taking in people who came to Memorial seeking help.
Sharing his thoughts on the real-life doctor, Smith Jr. said that he “wouldn’t dare to begin to judge him” since they didn’t have the chance to meet in person and get to know one another.
“I try not to, I don’t judge people I just respect their experience and who they are,” Smith Jr. said. “I think everybody in that moment did their best, and made the best decisions that they thought they could make in that moment with the information that they had and everything that was going on.
“Again, I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be there and to be under those circumstances of just everything. It’s so much to think about and you really can’t fathom what you would do or what anyone would do.
“And so I think that’s the unique thing about this story, is that we see what they did, the choices that they made, the choices that they had to kind of battle for, the sacrifices, what to do, what not to do, when, how, where, all of those things, and it makes for a heart-breaking story. But also, I think, a very fascinating and inspirational story as well.”
Remaining Truthful to the Events
Sheri Fink was involved in the making of the limited series, which was co-created by John Ridley and Carlton Cuse.
For Smith Jr. the Pulitzer Prize-winning author was an invaluable asset to the cast on set, because she provided them with all the knowledge they needed.
“She was great. She was on set, she popped in and out, she was always available, and she was his very forthcoming with all of her research, additional research that perhaps didn’t make it in the book, and she was just really available,” said the actor.
“She was this fountain of information and knowledge that everybody sipped from a lot, and she was just so gracious in sharing her time and sharing her words.
“[We had] very close contact with her and any questions or anything that kind of came to [us] she made herself available to answer them to the best of her abilities, so she was fantastic.”
When asked how he hoped viewers might react to the show, the actor said: “I think at the end of the day, especially when you look at what’s going on in the world today and some of the steps that we’ve taken backwards, I think we always have to search for the line of resiliency and just hope and inspiration.
“Sometimes when things get low and they get dark, it’s very easy for us to really sit in that place and not recognize that there is another way forward; there is a light at the end of the tunnel, [and] any obstacle put in your way […] is really something meant for you to overcome and to learn from.
“I think that this will just really help to get people in a better head space and hopefully a better heart space to really reflect and go out and engage the world.”
Five Days at Memorial airs on Fridays on Apple TV+.
Update 08/22/2022 11:58 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include an image of Cornelius Smith Jr.
