Famous faces who have played doctors and medical professionals on the small screen have teamed up to thank real-life healthcare staff working on the front line to battle the coronavirus.
Actress Olivia Wilde, who played Remy “Thirteen” Hadley in popular medical series House, which also starred Hugh Laurie, created the video as a thank you on World Health Day.
She was joined by some of TV’s best-known medical characters, including Neil Patrick Harris, who rose to fame playing Dr Doogie Howser, and Patrick Dempsey, dubbed McDreamy for his role as neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy.
Wilde said: “The closest thing I’ve ever come to being a doctor is putting on a costume and, while it is close, it’s not quite the same. But I just want to say thank you to all the real healthcare heroes out there and there are some other people who want to say thank you as well.”
Patrick Harris said that, while he is not a doctor, he is “paid to be one on TV – I’m pretty sure that’s the expression”.
Dempsey thanked the “doctors and the nurses – the real ones, not the ones that are on television”.
Scrubs stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison, who played J.D. and Turk in the quirky medical series, also shared their thank-you messages.
Faison said: “There are real heroes on the front line, real heroes out in the street; I’m not one of them, I’m in my house.”
His former co-star and friend Braff said: “Thank you for your courage and for going out there in the world and doing everything you can to fight this horrible, horrible virus.”
Sandra Oh, who rose to fame as eccentric but brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy, thanked “administrators, to all the cleaning staff and cafeteria staff and to all the volunteers…”.
The Killing Eve star later added: “I wish you all health and safety, and a quick shout out to my brother-in-law Scott, who is an ER doctor up in Vancouver. I love you, man.”
English actor Freddie Highmore, who stars in The Good Doctor, Edie Falco, and ER star Julianna Margulies also appear in the video.
An end note after their messages reads: “Thank you for your courage, your sacrifice, and for being the best of us.”