Yahoo News NCIS: New Orleans star explains how season premiere will address coronavirus
Dr Loretta Wade star CCH Pounder has explained how the coronavirus pandemic will be addressed in the next season of NCIS: New Orleans.
In conversation with TVLine, she recalled her "shocked" reaction over hearing that the series aimed to resume production in late August/early September, following a lengthy hiatus alongside the rest of the entertainment industry.
Initially, Pounder couldn't wrap her head around how NCIS was going to ignore the health crisis.
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"We are a part of it and we are living in it," she noted. "And that is when I got the call from [executive producers] Jan Nash and Chris Silber [who wrote the season opener], saying, 'This will be about COVID'."
As season 7 opens, Loretta will be devastated by one particular arrival at the morgue – someone she'd warned about protecting themselves from the deadly virus.
"It reflects on the first part of the situation with masks and people saying, 'No, I'm fine! I don't need to wear a mask'. All of those things you hear in the community," explained Pounder.
"It's quite a shock to her that she wasn't listened to, or that it wasn't that important to this person."
The actress also described season 7's storytelling as "remarkably reflective of how New Orleans was in terrible shape, until our mayor [LaToya Cantrell], with the help of her governor [John Bel Edwards], really put her foot down and was very, very strict".
NCIS airs on CBS in the US, and on FOX UK in the UK.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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