Dana Delany Cozies Up to Real-Life Cadavers For “Body of Proof”

When it came to researching her upcoming role as a neurosurgeon-turned-medical examiner, Dana Delany wasn’t afraid of getting hands-on – literally.

“I got to hold a brain in my hands,” Delany said of her visit to the coroner’s office to prep for ABC’s midseason series “Body of Proof.” “It was very heavy – it's three pounds. The coolest thing to me was the pituitary gland is underneath the brain and it's boxed in this bone box that God or whoever designed, this beautiful little bone jewel case, and the pituitary is like the jewel of the crown and it wraps everything. It's safely nestled in this little box of bone underneath the brain. It's beautiful, really beautiful."

Perhaps due to her experience playing a Vietnam-era nurse on “China Beach” or all the skullduggery surrounding her on “Desperate Housewives,” Delany admitted that she wasn’t squeamish while cavorting with real-life cadavers.

“I really wasn't,” she said. “I got nervous because people told me I should be nervous, but once I saw it I loved it. I could've been there for hours. I didn't want it to end, and in fact I want to go see another one right away.”

“I like medical stuff, “ Delany said. “I think that's going to be the most fun part of the job for me, learning about all the medical stuff. It really is a miracle. I really don't know how you can't become religious after seeing an autopsy.”

ABC’s planning a major promotional for “Body of Proof” at midseason. The series stars Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt, a brilliant neurosurgeon who radically rethinks her life and career.

“She's someone who's been driven her whole life by work and is now realizing that that's not everything, that she needs to find more balance in her life,” Delany explained. “I see her as Charon, the guy who carried the bodies across the river Styx. She sees that as honoring these people and what their lives were, and letting them go with dignity.”
 

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