Sarah Chalke plays the role of Dr Elliot in the hit comedy series, Scrubs, which shot her to fame. Now that Scrubs Season 5 is showing exclusively on Dubai One, Sarah Chalke opens up to Marie-Claire about her character, being a "doctor" and being famous ...
Question: Do you still feel fresh every time you come to work?
Sarah Chalke: Yes, Absolutely. It is a very exciting experience.
Question: How would you describe the evolution of "Scrubs"?
Sarah: Scrubs has evolved a lot since it had started.
At first, it was all about the medical cases, and then it evolved to explore the friendships and interactions that take place among the characters.
And just when you think that you got a grip on your character, the writers shock you with a challenge that sends your character to a whole different direction. That is why it is so much fun to keep working on show like this one.
Question: Your show relies a lot on fantasy, and fantasy sequences take a long time to film. So how long do you usually spend filming?
Sarah: Yeah, they do. Sometimes it takes up to a half a day to get the hair and makeup done, and then shooting the scene might take up only 20 seconds.
Question: Do you have common traits between yourself and your character?
Sarah: A lot. More than I would like to actually. I am as clumsy as she is, for example.
Question: Do people recognise you more in public?
Sarah: We are not really approached a lot. But we sometimes notice it out of the corner of our eyes.
As for me, I feel that I am more recognised when I am back home in Canada, where the show is quite critically acclaimed.
One funny incident that happened to me was when I was in a grocery store with my sister. We look a lot like each other, and there's only a year difference between us, and someone came up to her and said "Aren't you Elliot from 'Scrubs'?" and she said that she wasn't.
And the person said that she looked a lot like Elliot. And I was standing right next to her when it was happening! So it is really weird.
Question: Why do you think it is so interesting to make shows that involve doctors and lawyers?
Sarah: I think that it is a great plot for a TV show, is because of the interactions that happen between the group of employees, and the interactions going on between the employees- doctors in our case - and the patients who come and go in every episode.
This also gives us the opportunity to have guest stars, like the amazing ones we have had. And as doctors, the situations are always very intense, and the drama can be very high, so this makes good TV.
Question: Are you still in touch with the cast of "Roseanne", the sitcom you were in over a decade ago?
Sarah: Honestly, I haven't seen Roseanne in a while. I had seen her on one of her birthdays, and she was delighted. When she had her talk show, we had a reunion on that talk show, and I had mixed feelings on that reunion.
l Enjoy a half hour of non-stop comedy with Scrubs, every Sunday at 6pm exclusively on Dubai One.
