Luke Mitchell talks new role and Australian roots on NBC’s ‘Chicago Med’

(NBC) — NBC’s “Chicago” dramas are all new Wednesday, including “Chicago Med.”

One of the show’s newer cast members, Luke Mitchell, who plays Dr. Mitch Ripley, spoke about his character and opened up about his international connection that might surprise some “Chicago” fans.

Pretending is Mitchell’s job, playing Dr. Ripley and sounding like an American. A lot of fans do not realize he is from Australia.

“I started auditioning for some American things when I was still in Australia, and I guess I just hired a dialect coach to teach me what we call a Standard American Accent,” said Mitchell.

It’s been more than a decade since coming stateside from Sydney, yet Mitchell still must prep to sound “American.”

“I have to do a lot of vocal warmups to kind of build the train tracks so that my mouth can glide along and hopefully not make any mistakes,” said Mitchell.

But his character’s loyalty to a childhood friend has caused mistakes both personal and professional.

“It’s not a great time for Ripley to meet somebody like Dr. Lennox,” said Mitchell. “She’s going to ruffle some feathers, and Ripley’s feathers are definitely in line for some ruffling.”

Which only adds to his stress.

“Ripley’s going to go on a big journey this season and he’s going to need to learn to communicate better,” said Mitchell.

Minus an Aussie accent.

“Chicago Med” airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC4, followed by “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.