'ER' Nurses - AOL Chat
September, 1996

OnlineHost:    Good evening! The WB Virtual Lot Presents: Cybertalk! Tonight's guests are ER stars ELLEN CRAWFORD & YVETTE FREEMAN! They are here tonight to talk about ER's upcoming season premiere on Thursday September 26th on NBC. Welcome, Ellen Crawford and Yvette Freeman!

ER YveNEl:    Hi everyone!

WB Online7:    The first question comes from DSiedel...

Question:    Linda have they given your character a date for her wedding? PS. Try to get Clooney to do an online interview--the girls of Annapolis want to talk to him.

ER YveNEl:    Sorry, it's just stupid old us.  BUt will give George your love! No, They haven't set a date yet.  I keep reading the scripts 2 days before we shoot them to see if I'm getting married or not. But we are still happily engaged.  Thanks for asking.

WB Online7:    A question from TARutter...

Question:    Do you get a lot of medical knowledge on the show?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette - Sometimes too much! But I have more respect for medicine- doctors and nurses than ever.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen - The health care community has been wonderful about helpingus understand.  Not only the technical side, but the specific difficulties they face given the changes in health care recently. We also have a lot of doctors and nurses working on the show with us. Normally for the  trauma scenes there are 2 nurses or more. It's getting easier to do trauma scenes, because we have 2 years of information under our belts.

WB Online7:    TARutter asks...

Question:    Has ER won any awards?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen - Gobs!

ER YveNEl:    Yvette - Screen Actors Guild for ensemble.    And also a Peabody award. We won many a bunch of Emmys last year and we have our fingers crossed this year. There are other assorted awards given to us by various groups for excellence in television

WB Online7:    Now for a comment from MAGOLFNT....

Comment:    I'm a real ER nurse in houston area and I love your show.

ER YveNEl:    Thank you.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen - my mother was ill on a plane and we landed in Houston and the nurses were     wonderful in Houston.Thank you, she's doing fine!

WB Online7:    And now a question comes from Post up 16.....

Question:    is there anything going on between the cast of er as far as, male and female, dating?

ER YveNEl:    As a matter of fact, I'm sleeping with the actor who plays Sgt. Al Grabarsky.    Mike Genovese, we have been since we've been married 14 years ago.

WB Online7:    TARutter wonders....

Question:    How do I write to the cast and crew?

ER YveNEl:    You can write to the cast in care of Warner Bros. Television, 4000 Warner Blvd. Bldg. 137, Burbank, CA  91522.

WB Online7:    TARutter asks...

Question:    What other shows have you two been in?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  I was in the season premiere of "Living Single."  I was on the John Larroquette Show as Chill's mom.  And you can see me die in Children of the Corn 3 on video.  I will be on the season premiere 2-hour special of Diagnosis Murder. Mike and I did a film called "Sister Island" which premiered recently at the Seattle Film Festival.  And will be seen next in October at the Mill Valley Film Festival. You can also rent "Ulterior Motives" on video and I play a nurse for about 5 seconds in"War Of The Roses. "Other than that, I also did "Tales From The Crypt" , was an evil baby seller in "Cradle Of Conspiracy."  Blah, Blah Blah... sorry I got carried away.

WB Online7:    A question from TARutter...

Question:    Are there plans for a big screen ER movie?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  wouldn't that be just wonderful.:    I know that there's a CD coming out with the ER music on Atlantic records and there's going to be a music video featuring the cast.   

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  But we didn't have to pretend to play any instruments we didn't play.

WB Online7:    From Jake MA614...

Question:    Will there be any romance between Green and Susan?

ER YveNEl:    We're waiting to see that ourselves.

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  You'll have to tune this season and find out.

WB Online7:    A good question from TARutter...

Question:    What's the funniest thing that has happened to you on the set?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  The alien baby birthing...Werner Keppler and Anthony Edwards got together and planned on surprising the entire cast with bringing out an alien baby during a birthing scene.  It surprised everyone in the cast and crew. And just about anything George does to crack us up.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  Ditto to that.

WB Online7:    GinaMSN wonders...

Question:    I'm a nurse myself and also worked for an ambulance company in Chicago, I was wondering if any of the nurses actually visited an ER or did a ride along with an ambulance

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  Yes, all of us.  I did 2 tour duties at Northridge hospital.  First time nothing happened, told me to come back after 12:00 Saturday night and saw 2 trauma victims come in at the same time.  Both from alcohol related accidents. We've all done observation.  I've visited Northridge and County and have tremendous respect for the work you all do. Best of all, we now know nurses and get invited to their parties.

WB Online7:    SkyHek4 asks...

Question:    What age did you two start acting?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  I was in the 1st grade, age 6, I played a tulip in Hansel and Gretel.  I had a paper costume sewed onto a cotton slip and by the time I got on stage, I had sweated off my costume.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  I started dancing when I was 3 and did my first acting role in 4th grade by default.  It was a skit about riding on an airplane and no one else wanted the role. I guess I enjoyed and moved on to bigger and better roles.

WB Online7:    HpySkyn asks...

Question:    You always hear about actor's holding other jobs... what other jobs have you held?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  I've made my living all my life by acting, singing or dancing.  But when I was in high school, I was a reporter for the Normalite, a hometown paper for hometown news.  in Normal, Illinois.  I made five dollars a week.

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  I was a subsitute teacher, a singing waitress, a regular waitress, answering service, receptionist, word processor and this was after I was on Broadway.

WB Online7:    ERLvr14 asks...

Question:     Do you get a lot of flak about Chicago Hope?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  Not any more! I'm happy to see we're both doing well. There's room for both shows...and more. It makes for a lot of work for actors, which I'm in favor of.and they're both quality shows.

WB Online7:    HckyBy4 wonders...

Question:    how's it working out with George shooting Batman and Robin? Any problems with that yet?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  They work around all of us.  I'm doing a musical now called "Dinah Was" and they have been working around my schedule.  They work around all of us, this is one of the best things about working on ER.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  And George seems to have unending energy.  He still looks great without any days off.  And I'm trying to look good with 8 hours of sleep a night and weekends off.

WB Online7:    HethKD asks...

Question:    Have you started filming yet and when is the season premiere?

ER YveNEl:    We are in the middle of filming our third episode now and each episode takes about 8 days to shoot. Our season premiere is Thursday, September 26th.

Question:    Are both of you generally satisfied with the way women are portayed on television? The way NURSES are viewed?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  NO!!! ANd No!!    I think that our show really makes an effort to portray women, and nurses in particular, in a very positive light. I wish I could say the same for the rest of television and film. Of course, there are other terrific shows that also are responsible.  I would like to see those increase.

WB Online7:    Adhonees wonders...

Question:    Do you ever get the medical jargon confused and messed up?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  Dr. Joe Sachs would not allow it.  He's the technical advisor and a real ER doc.

WB Online7:    TMasciola wonders...

Question:    Will we see any new recurring roles this season that you know of?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  Bunches!  We have lots of new medical students, interns, love interests,administrators and of course patients.  It's a big hospital.

WB Online7:    AmaPen asks...

Question:    Hi Ellen from AmaPen in Chicago - how about your impending nuptials to Officer Al? Any date set?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  Actually, he's here with me now...any ideas Sgt. Al?

Al:  We're trying to build tension over the season.  We're going for front page headlines in the Trib. Go Cubs!!!

WB Online7:    Emediachi wonders...

Question:    Is it true that George Clooney has a trailer twice the size of the regular cast members?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  No, absolutely not true. It only seem large in the glow in the eyes of the women that pass it.

WB Online7:    Postup 16 wonders...

Question:    Are they looking to add any new charactors? ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  They're always looking for new characters.  THat's part of the continuing saga of a hospital.  There are always people coming in and out.

WB Online7:    OWSI69603 asks...

Question:    Do the producers of the show occassionally make mistakes with the medication administrations?  When the gang (Paramedics) watch the show we tend to argue with the TV.  We usually loose the argument though.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  They're very careful, because you're watching.

ER YveNEl:    So many of our rewrites are rewritten medications.

WB Online7:    JaredS721 asks...

Question:    who on the show do you think knows the most about medical knowledge (out of the actors I  mean)?

ER YveNEl:    Noah's mother is a nurse, so he has an inside track. I think we all try.

WB Online7:    Joy4 asks..

Question:    I know now that ER is in it's sophmore year, it's the odds on favorite to win best drama on sunday. you agree?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  From your mouth to God's ears.  Actually, we're just beginning our junior year. But you're right, it's sophomore year for the Emmys.

WB Online7:    PrtyGrl asks...

Question:    Are there going to be any big suprises??

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  I will be singing sometime this season.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  Other surprises I'm sure there will be.  But we haven't read those scripts yet.

WB Online7:    TMasciola asks...

Question:    You guys did great this past year in the Emmy's...  Do you expect the same this upcoming year?

ER YveNEl:    We hope to do as well or better but we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

WB Online7:    PARTY1241 asks...

Question:    is there a lot of presure with your acting because of the ratings? I know you are competing with Friends a lot.  also, is G. clooney, cuter in person or less cute in person of the same

ER YveNEl:    It's a very professional company of excellent actors who will always do their best toserve the characters and the story. But ratings actually just make you feel like you must be doing something right if they're up. It's a happy set. George is cute on and off screen.

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  Ditto

Question:    Do you ever get negative jibes from doctors or other specialists saying, It would never happen like that?

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  No I've been around a lot of doctors since working on ER and they have nothing but compliments and ask to put their own stories on the show.

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  The nurses were understandably gun-shy when the show first came out because of all the nurses in mini-skirts and the unrealistic portrayal of their profession on other shows.    But, they have had a lot of input and are VERY supportive.  They only say they would've    probably moved the woman in "Loves Labor Lost" up to OB.    But even at that, there are always exceptions that prove the rule wrong.And us right.

WB Online7:    We have time for just one more question...

WB Online7:    Tarutter asks...

Question:    Well, I think you two are great! Keep up the great work!

ER YveNEl:    Thank you.  Looking forward to the new season. See you there. We'll be the ones in the pink pajamas and flower top.

WB Online7:    We want to thank everyone for joining us tonight, and want to say thanks to Yvette Freeman and Ellen Crawford for coming in....be sure to check out Warner Bros. Virtual Lot at keyword WBLot. Thanks agian Yvette and Ellen. Any last words for tonight?

ER YveNEl:    Ellen:  We love you.  Thanks for joining us tonight and on Thursdays.

ER YveNEl:    Yvette:  Had a great time!  And see you on September 26th at 10:00 PM on NBC.