‘Brilliant Minds’: Brian Altemus on Why He’s So ‘Invested’ in Charlie’s Storyline Following Big Reveal in Midseason Finale (Exclusive)

Monday’s midseason finale of Brilliant Minds might have changed the course of the show, and star Brian Altemus spoke to PopCulture.com all about it.

In “The Resident,” Wolf and Charlie’s tense dynamic gets even more tense when the past comes back to haunt them both.

Altemus only joined the NBC medical drama this season as the second-year resident, but it was clear that his intentions for coming to Bronx General were more than just wanting to learn from Zachary Quinto’s Dr. Wolf. Charlie did eventually share more about his past, which shocked Wolf since it was connected to him. What this will mean for both of them moving forward is unknown, but take a look at what Altemus had to say and more below. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

PopCulture: Charlie is known for being a little cocky and wanting to do things his way. In a recent episode, Wolf blew up at him for something that he did. And this episode, we see him in therapy trying to work through it. And then he’s obviously still upset about Wolf’s reaction. Do you think therapy is helping at all?

Brian Altemus: That is a fantastic question because I was surprised that Charlie even had a therapist in the first place. I’m sure that therapy is helping in some regard, just like anyone in therapy, it only really truly works when you’re ready to heal. Not that you wanna be gratified or told that you’re doing something right or get an answer right or wrong, but when you’re just honest and forthcoming about where you are.

And I don’t think Charlie is necessarily being honest with this. I think he’s being honest with what he thinks is good for him. I don’t think he actually understands that revenge is not gonna solve all his problems in life. So, to his ability and his knowledge, he’s doing the best he can in his therapy. But we’re gonna see how that plays out.

PC: In this episode, we also really see Wolf and Charlie work together when a ballet dancer comes in, and we see that Wolf is still not a fan of Charlie, who is voicing alternative theories. Wolf goes so far as to wanting Charlie out of the program, saying that he’s a “lost cause.” At one point, he’s even locked out of the room. In your own opinion, how do you think Charlie has been acting, regardless of his background, which we later find out in the episode?

Altemus: I think this is exactly the reaction he’s been wanting to elicit. This is his plan. I don’t think he has much remorse for people’s emotions. I think when you’re on such a solitary path of, “Hey, I’m gonna get mine, and I’m gonna do it my way,” you don’t really care about the way that you’re gonna make other people feel. So I don’t think he thinks about it much other than kind of in a gratifying way. When a door is slammed in his face, and he can’t care for a patient, there’s the frustration of not being able to be included, involved, but he’s like, “You know what? Fine. That’s a win for me. I have other patients to be able to care about and be able to worry about.” But I think he kind of enjoys seeing Wolf unravel a little bit.

PC: At the gala, things start to come to a head, and Charlie makes a speech. And as soon as he brought up his mom, who had a brain tumor, I had an inkling of where this was going. He has all this pent-up anger, and he tells a story about how this doctor gave him and his father hope that his mom would get better when, in fact, there was no hope at all, and it turns out that Wolf was the doctor. Were you aware of Charlie’s backstory and the connection with Wolf when you first read for the role?

Altemus: When I first read for the role, no. I just knew there was gonna be a lot buried. I was gonna have to slowly, kinda come out along the way. We all know what that feels like in some way or another. There’s the things that you talk about. There’s the things that you don’t. So I just kinda focused on what it’s gonna feel like to play on top of the things that I don’t talk about.

And then it wasn’t until literally, I mean, halfway through filming this season, like, Episode 4 or 5, I even learned about my mom. I didn’t know about my dad until this episode, until I read the script. So it’s just fun. I think the day I read that episode, I was filming until, like, 11:45 or midnight, and I get home, and I’m getting into bed so tired, and then I see it come through my inbox, and I’m immediately awake. I’m as invested right now as I think everyone else is watching this. So you’re just kinda excited to see what comes next.

PC: Charlie ends up confronting Wolf after the speech, revealing that his dad drank himself to death a few years after his mom died. What was it like working off that dynamic with Zachary and having to deal with all those emotions?

Altemus: Anytime you get to work with Zach, it’s great. As much as he works, as tired as he is, he’s really present with you. He’ll go along with what it is that you’re feeling in a scene. And so, uncovering that other layer of seeing him be like, “Wait. You don’t get what’s going on here. There’s something else.” He just came along with me.

Which is all you can really ask for in a teammate and someone that you’re working with. So, there’s no matter what line of work you’re in or what you do, there’s people that you can surround yourself with that’ll make you better, and there’s people that you’ve been surrounding yourself with that’ll keep you kind of in the same place or make worse. And he’s definitely the first part.

PC: The surprises didn’t stop there as Charlie gives Wolf an address saying that it’s where his father is, and it almost sounded like a threat, saying, “We’ll see who breaks first.” But when Wolf gets to the address his dad is at, he has to break in, and we don’t really see what the outcome is. What can you tease about what that aftermath will look like?

Altemus: I can just tease that I hope that we’ll find some solace with this relationship with his dad, whether he’s there or not. We just hope that he can resolve some daddy issues because we’ve all got them. Mommy, daddy issues, even if they’re in our lives. We’ve all got them. So we’ll see.

PC: Now that we know Charlie’s true intentions of being at Bronx General, what can we expect as the season goes on?

Altemus: Charlie’s gonna continue to look for wins and continue to look to do stuff his way. But maybe we’ll see someone who’s really edgy, softened, potentially. I don’t know how much that’ll happen, but I mean, he’s committed to winning. So, he’s just gonna continue to look for the places where he can win.

New episodes of Brilliant Minds return on Monday, Jan. 5 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.