A CONVERSATION: CHANDRA WILSON (2012)

Chandra Wilson plays a doctor on television. However, when her oldest daughter Sarina was diagnosed with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) — a mitochondrial disease that affects the way the body breaks down energy — there were no scripts that could tell her how to react. Instead, while helping her daughter navigate her way through treatment, the Grey’s Anatomy star educated herself about the disease and became an advocate in the search for a cure.

On November 15th, Wilson will be directing her seventh installment of the long-running ABC drama, which will, thanks in large part to Wilson’s advocacy, place a spotlight on CVS. We recently caught up with the mother of three to discuss what it meant for her to direct the episode, additional things she’s doing to raise awareness, and the progress being made in finding a cure.

WD: It’s great speaking with you again, and especially about such an important topic. This episode of Grey’s Anatomy coming up on November 15th…

CW: Thanks for having me. It’s great speaking with you as well. And yes, I knew I was going to direct an episode this season. I had made a pitch at the beginning of the season to see if we could incorporate a character who was a CVS sufferer. In 2010, I became a spokesperson for the foundation that supports its work. And this was just one of those things that I had always kind of wanted to present in the best way that I could.

I got the OK for it. Not only the OK, but also on the episode that I was going to direct. So that was quite a coup for me. My hope is that somebody out their watching will see behavior that’s familiar either to themselves, or a family member, or their child and be able to finally put a name on something that they’ve been going through.

Definitely. You said that you had pitched this idea. So when the writers put this episode together, did they ask for your input?

The interesting thing about it was the writer, Bill Harper, had actually pitched a CVS idea before. But because CVS isn’t surgical, the challenge was being able to get the Grey’s doctors involved in a case that wasn’t surgical.

So his mission was to figure out a way to incorporate the character into our emergency room and still be able to come up with the diagnosis that wasn’t necessarily surgical. So they did ask for my input as far as behavior was concerned. That was the main thing. The medical was the medical. But it was really more about the behavior of the patient.

Were there any challenges in directing an episode that hit so close to home?

I am an incredibly anal director. [laughs] I am! I have this ability to compartmentalize. I think one of the most interesting parts of the episode is that I feel like, even though I know my character [Dr. Bailey] is a crucial part of the storyline, I also thought that she was just in the way! [laughs] Sometimes I just don’t want to pay attention to Dr. Bailey when I’m directing.

So it was very critical for me as far as that storyline was concerned. It was just really important for me to make sure that certain dialogue was accurate. There were keywords that I needed sufferers and their caregivers to hear so that we all know that we’re talking about the same thing.

So that kind of thing I just made sure was right. I could not ask for a better collaborative process as far as the input was concerned and how we brought it to fruition.

What stood out about the episode to you? What did you take away from it? Was there a scene or a piece of dialogue that you took away and said, “Yep. Nailed it”?

You know what? This was my seventh time directing the show, and I keep trying to expand myself each time, trying to expand new things to make sure that I’m getting the storytelling across. There were a lot of experiments that I did with my master shots in this episode to make sure that I didn’t just sit back and show the room, but that they actually took time telling the story, that they changed conditions.

So that was really kind of cool for me to watch in the editing room, how I could use the master in multiple places inside of the same scene.That’s exciting under my director hat. But the episode itself has a lot of action scenes and it’s very story-driven as far as regular characters are concerned.

I want to ask you more about your directing in a minute, but first, tell everyone about the walk that’s taking place to raise funds for CVS research, Cure Mito.

Yes. This coming February will be the second annual walk for Cure Mito. It will be the 2013 walk and run half marathon. And Cure Mito is still the beneficiary. So yes, I got myself out there [laughs]. I walked 13.1 miles and I got my medal.

This year we have incorporated a 5K mini-run, also around the Rose Bowl, with the hopes of getting more families involved. People are so intimidated by the 13.1 miles. And we give medals for that one, too. So I’ll be out there, I’ll be doing the mini-run this time and trying to jog it, if I can make it! But yes, it worked very well last year and I look forward to it being even more successful in 2013.

What, if any, advancements have been made in finding a cure for CVS?

The interesting thing about mitochondrial disease is the bulk of the work is done in genetics and figuring out genetic chains and what similar things happen throughout the course of a family. These kinds of research can take upwards of a year to complete with just one person in one family, and it could cost up to a million dollars sometimes, depending on how much work is done.

And now, a year later, we’re able to do those same tests in about 48 hours. And the cost of it is probably about $3,000. So I mean, that’s just in a year. That’s how rapidly the technology is advancing. So it’s allowing not only people to get the diagnosis quicker, but to be able to point to specific genes that are causing the problems so we can have more targeted treatment programs.

Sarina and I are in the middle of doing our genetic testing right now, so we’re doing that portion of it. We did very well for about two years. And then in the last month she had some relapsing. So we’re kind of reevaluating her medical protocol, just seeing if there is anything different that we can do to change it.

But one episode in a year as opposed to one every month, which is what she was doing, is a major step forward.

So glad to hear she’s doing a bit better. And glad that you were able to give the disease a much-needed spotlight by directing the episode. Is directing something that you’d like to pursue, because (knock on wood) the show can’t go on forever.

The show cannot go on forever, absolutely. Directing was one of those special little gifts that prove that if you keep your eyes and your ears and your possibility open, you never know what might happen. I never saw myself as a serious television director. Maybe theatre, because that’s kind of where I grew up. But here was this opportunity that I would have been silly not to grab a hold to, and I look forward to being able to carry it into the next project and be one of those directors knocking on doors, asking to guest-direct episodes of other shows.

So yes, that’s actually a whole different part of my career that I never would have imagined before.I watch other features and made-for-TV movies, and I look at their shots trying to figure out, “OK, are they doing anything different from me?” I have to know what the shots are. So I’m like, “OK, they’re there, so they’re going to go here and here.” And if I’m right I get excited, but then a little upset because I’m like, “Why are they doing the same thing I would do?” [laughs]

It’s interesting the things that my eye sees now that I never would have thought about before. Sometimes I catch myself breaking down every shot. I do it all with my fingers. My fingers are like, you know, my guides.

This important episode addressing CVS airs this week. Please let everyone know where they can go to find more information.

Of course. It’s a very important episode to me, and also very important that people get diagnosed and treated. If anyone wants to find out more about the disease, or if they think someone in their family might be suffering from it, they can go to www.cvsaonline.org. There they’ll get information that will assist them in getting necessary attention.

A lot of times, CVS goes undetected for untreated for too long. So I’m hoping that this episode can help bring attention to it, and help those who may not know they have it to recognize it and seek help.

2012 © Dawson’s Ink