‘New Amsterdam’s Jocko Sims Talks Playing a Black Surgeon On TV

We chatted with Jocko Sims, the star of NBC’s hit medical drama New Amsterdam while attending the network’s press luncheon on Thursday, March 5.

When he was young, Jocko Sims enjoyed science and dreamed of becoming a doctor one day. But as it sometimes happens in life, another passion took over. As a young student at UCLA’s School of Theater Film and Television, Sims knew that acting was the path for him and he followed it gladly. Eventually, fate and hard work will manage to somehow bring things to a full circle for him. Now as an experienced actor, Sims gets to play a doctor on one of the biggest national television networks.

Sims says portraying Dr. Floyd Reynolds on NBC’s New Amsterdam has been a blessing. Not just because the role is perfect for him but also because playing a Black surgeon on national television has impacted many people who watch the show. Sims recalled a tweet he received from a mother whose young son wanted to now become a doctor after seeing surgeon Reynolds on screen.

Inspired by Dr. Eric Manheimer’s memoir Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital, the show chronicles everyday dealings of the hospital, its staff, and patients. The show does an outstanding job highlighting some of the most controversial topics, including public healthcare. “I kept hearing that the healthcare system is broken,” says Sims, “now I get to see the details and it’s frustrating and eyeopening.”

Before becoming Dr. Reynolds, Sims played a Navy captain Carlton Burk on TNT’s The Last Ship, guest-starred on The Resident, Grey’s Anatomy, MacGyver, CSI, Bones, Masters of Sex and many more.

Sims’ talents, however, go well beyond just acting. The actor now writes and produces. He currently has a comedy in the works that he penned.

You can watch ‘New Amsterdam’ on Tuesday nights at 10 e/p on NBC.