Jake McLaughlin from the popular ABC series Will Trent opened up about Detective Michael Ormewood’s brain tumor storyline and how he felt playing that out on TV. During the finale of Will Trent season 3, Ormewood is diagnosed with a brain tumor and immediately faints, resulting in a seizure, following the shocking news. The season ends with this news, leaving it on a cliffhanger for season 4. While it is unclear whether or not Ormewood will be okay next season, he will be returning for Will Trent season 4.
While speaking with ScreenRant’s Rachel Foertsch, McLaughlin discussed the brain tumor storyline and what it was like to play this out for the TV show. McLaughlin says that while it was difficult to film a scene like this, he wanted it to look as realistic as possible. He wanted to make sure he did it justice for those who have gone through a similar situation.
ScreenRant: Ormewood’s brain tumor has become a big part of his storyline this season. What was it like to play that out, and where does he go from here?
Jake McLaughlin: It’s a little heavy. It’s a heaviest storyline. I always try to play things as realistically as possible and try to play out how I would react in those situations, and then try to apply it to the character in a way. So there are heaviest scenes when I find out I have the tumor, and then in the end of the finale in this episode, there’s the very last scene that I have in this season, and that’s kind of an open-ended storyline there. And that was a little strange too, because I’ve seen two people have seizures before, and both of them were kind of different, and neither one of them were because of a brain tumor. So I kind of had to find, I guess, a happy medium. And hopefully I didn’t do any disservice to anyone that’s had seizures due to a brain tumor. I’m hoping it looks realistic.
What This Means For Ormewood’s Storyline In Will Trent Season 4
Even though Ormewood will be experiencing a health issue in season 4, he is set to return next season. McLaughlin has said Ormewood should be okay health-wise for Will Trent season 4; However, with his brain tumor now affecting his vision, the show will likely turn some of its focus to the aftermath of Ormewood’s seizure and what his next steps are after discovering the tumor. What is known is that Ormewood must have it removed since it’s affecting his spatial awareness and could prevent him from doing his job.
Before discovering the brain tumor, Ormewood was focused on his job. Now that he has this tumor and has to face his own mortality, Ormewood may take a step back from his detective duties. He has two kids, Max and Cooper, with whom he’s become very close since his divorce from Gina Ormewood, so Ormewood’s storyline may focus more on his home life.
Our Take On Ormewood’s Diagnosis On Will Trent
While it was shocking, Ormewood’s brain tumor diagnosis will be interesting for the Will Trent cast to tackle, especially McLaughlin who plays the character of Ormewood. Like McLaughlin said in his interview, it was a very heavy topic, and he hopes he did the scene justice, which he did. Going into Will Trent season 4, McLaughlin will continue to take on this heavy storyline that could change the course of the TV series.
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