Michelle Trachtenberg

Mercy for Michelle Trachtenberg

Buffy’s kid sister no more, the actress talks to IGN about her new TV series.

US, June 23, 2009 - I recently sat down with Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress whose impressive list of credits go back to her childhood and through her teen years, including her stint on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy’s little sister Dawn Summers. Trachtenberg, who also currently has a recurring role on Gossip Girl, will be seen next year on NBC’s new medical drama Mercy, which takes a look at the goings on at a hospital through the eyes of the nurses.

The 23-year old Trachtenberg — who plays a teenager on Gossip Girl, but has played older roles in the past — told me why Mercy is a nice, relatable change of pace for her.

IGN TV: Can you talk about your character on Mercy?

Michelle Trachtenberg: No!

IGN: [Laughs] Oh, alright… I’ll leave then…

Trachtenberg: [Laughs] I know, you weren’t expecting that one! Yes, I play a nurse, Chloe Payne. The show centers around the lives of three nurses and Chloe is the fresh fish in the water. She’s new, she’s fresh out of school and everything that she experiences in the show is her first time experience, whether it be good or traumatic. So that’s always going to be interesting, as she battles through the different obstacles that come when you’re a nurse.

IGN: What’s the tone of the show? Is it pretty dramatic or is there comedy involved too?

Trachtenberg: I think there’s both. Some would argue it’s kind of like a black comedy. It’s not overt in its comedy, but I think, as it is in real life, sometimes in dramatic moments you have to find a reason to life, because otherwise, it’s hard to get through anything. So I think a lot of people will appreciate that and relate to that.

IGN: A lot of actors have said their bane can be medical jargon. Did they throw anything at you in the pilot that made you go, "What?!"

Trachtenberg: Yeah, I’ve had a few words I’ve had to have the medical experts spell out for me phonetically. I guess, probably for me, [the difficult thing] is feeding catheters and playing with needles, because I’m pretty scared of needles. So it has been an interesting experience.

IGN: This is a bit more of an adult role than some of the others we’ve seen you in. Is it nice to make that transition, somewhat literally it seems, since the character is also making that transition?

Trachtenberg: Right. Well, I think I’d like to say it’s less to classify it as an adult role and more of a to-age role, because I am essentially playing to [my own] age. I think she is maybe a year or so on the other side of my own age. I have played more adult roles in the past and as I’m growing up and maturing in Hollywood, it’s nice to have that be more of a same level situation. But I also do have the luxuiry of going back l and forth, so that’s nice.

IGN: What’s your character’s relationship like with the other nurses?

Trachtenberg: I think a hospital is a very close knit community and the newbie is always going to be speculated about and starred at under a magnifying glass. So there’s a little bit of that, but I think the three women will definitely continue to forge a friendship and each one will bring new, fun elements to their relationship.