Best Medicine is quintessential small-town comfort. And though Doctor Martin Best (Josh Charles) is at the center of the change that’s coming to Port Wenn, Sheriff Mark (Josh Segarra) is a pretty integral part of this ensemble. And though, at first glance, it might look like he’s on the other side of a love triangle with the good doctor and Louisa, Segarra is playing Mark as his own person.
We talked to the actor about stepping into the character, the burgeoning friendship between Sheriff Mark and Doctor Best, and making Best Medicine a comfort show.
“This has been a really fun character. I hold him very near and dear,” Segarra shared. And though at first glance it seems like Sheriff Mark is a much more down-to-earth character than previous roles for Segarra—think Arrow—he promised Mark would surprise us.
“We’re going to get to do a bunch of different things. That’s what’s fun! I feel like every episode, they have Mark do some wacky and crazy things. So that’s, if not the coolest, one of the coolest things about what I get to do, you get to experience new things on this journey,” he told us. “I’ve definitely done a few new things that I’ve never gotten to do in my life, and since Sheriff Mark does, I get to do too.”
But above all, the joy of playing a character and knowing you’ll get to continue playing him is learning who he is and helping build that. “One of the most addictive parts of what I get to do is getting to meet a character: the way it’s written, the way it’s presented to you, and then throughout the journey of reading each episode, you’re learning more about the character.”
“So, then it’s just like you said: The writers are layering him. And then it’s my job to go in there and figure out how to establish each layer in the next step, where did he come from? Where’s he going?”
For Sheriff Mark, we start out in a really low place. “He gets dumped at the top when you meet him. And then you get to watch him deal with a heartbreak in a breakup, which I feel like all of us have. So, how do you pick up the pieces once you’ve been broken? Now we’ll see Mark pick up those pieces.”
And part of that starts with a surprising connection with Dr. Martin Best. “To me, that’s good writing, you know. Finding ways to have different colors bounce off of Martin, right? And one of these colors is Sheriff Mark.”
“For Mark, I think that Doctor Best came at the perfect time. Mark knows this town like the back of his hand, so bringing in this new energy, I think that it’s going to teach us a lot about Mark, and it’s going to teach us a lot about the doctor. And I think they’re perfect for each other. They’re a match made in heaven. Doc might not know it, but Sheriff Mark does.”
And they are going to be close, Segarra promised. “It’s like, you’re going to be my best friend whether you want it to or not, man. You’re going to be my best friend.”
Best Medicine feels very much like a comfort show, which Liz Tuccillo told us is exactly what they mean for the show to be. And the actors are also on board. “I felt it watching it, and I feel the same way while doing it.”
“There are definitely times… because I’m such a fan of our business, I love television. I love movies. I love going to the theatre. So, there are definitely times, I won’t lie to you, that when you’re doing something, when you’re in the middle of a scene… Yeah, you’re playing the moment, and you’re trying to be as honest as you can. But there are definitely certain scenes where you’re thinking about it as a fan as well, and I’m going like, ‘oh man, like I would love watching this on TV.’”
“You know, I would love watching that scene at the end of the end of the pilot, where me and the doctor chat outside and he’s taking care of me a little bit. I wonder if we’ve all had a moment where somebody comes into your life at the perfect time and all you want to do is just hug them and tell them thank you, you know? Like you saved me.”
It’s a beautiful moment, and if you’ve watched the first episode of Best Medicine, you know it’s perhaps the most emotional one so far. “I hope that when families are watching this, and they sit on their couch, everybody individually can relate to certain moments on our show and certain characters on our show, and certain relationships on the show.”
“That’s the long way round of saying… I think that’s one of the essential parts of our show, that I hope people enjoy hanging out with us. I hope that they enjoy coming to Port Wenn. I hope they enjoy getting to know each one of us and finding little pieces of themselves and all of us.”
Best Medicine’s journey is just beginning. But we would already move there, no questions asked. We’d be in really good hands.
Best Medicine airs Tuesdays on FOX.
