Brilliant Minds' Zachary Quinto on Star Trek 4 and Kamala Harris

Zachary Quinto has played “many dark characters” in his career.

When he was offered the lead role in “Brilliant Minds,” he jumped at the opportunity because the series “really comes from a place of light.”

In the NBC medical drama he plays Dr. Oliver Wolf, an eccentric neurologist who treats patients with rare mental illnesses at a hospital in the Bronx. It is inspired by the late Dr. Oliver Sacks, the neurologist and writer portrayed by Robin Williams in 1990's The Awakening.

“I think it's more important now than ever for people to look at the light and lean into the light. Because I think we're really seeing in a way that we haven't even been able to fully grasp that we're really in the middle of this battle between light and darkness, expanded consciousness and limited consciousness, and see the idea of ​​”evolution and whatnot.” is possible – as opposed to clinging to old constructs, old paradigms and previous ideas of how things should be, in the binary sense of yes, no, right, wrong, black, white,” Quinto says in this week's episode “Just for Variety” podcast.

“The reality is that we as a human race, as a civilization, no longer have the luxury of existing in these constructs. Things are changing beneath our feet in ways we don't yet understand. We see it politically, we see it technologically.”

Maybe he's just playing a doctor on TV, but Quinto sees himself in his TV alter ego. “I think Oliver Wolf is a character who has worked a lot on himself and dealt intensively with his own psyche,” explains Quinto. “I like to think that applies to me as a person. It's something that really drives me in my life. Therapy and meditation and expanding consciousness.”

MORE: You can listen to the full interview with Quinto on Just for Variety or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

How has looking inward changed Quinto?

“My big change was really motivated by the concept of non-attachment,” he says. “My big change was really about being in the moment that I'm in and understanding that that's exactly where I need to be right now. And I can neither control nor influence what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. To be here in this moment and to have everything in my life as loosely under control as possible was the biggest change I have experienced in my life.”

He adds: “It’s the result of a lot of work. I've worked a lot on myself. I have been in therapy for over 20 years. I have a really dedicated meditation practice. I really relied on tools to help me. And it wasn't easy. And there were many years in my life where I asked myself, 'Why am I doing this?' What's the point?'”

Like Quinto and Sacks, Dr. Wolf openly gay.

“The fact that I am an openly gay actor, a gay character, the lead, the face of a network primetime medical drama, in the tradition of many incredible shows that have come before ours, deserves recognition considering “How much.” “The progress we’ve made over the years,” says Quinto. “Since you and I met in the context of our work, things have changed irrevocably. I think there is something deeply valuable in acknowledging this. And at the same time, we also recognize that there is so much more progress we need to make, commit to and fight for. How can we move forward and prevent development from becoming so rooted in conflict?”

When we talk about conflict, we ultimately turn to politics. Quinto plans to travel to his native Pennsylvania to campaign for Kamala Harris with Gov. Josh Shapiro. Politics is in his blood. His maternal great-grandfather was a Pittsburgh city councilman and his grandfather was a Democratic U.S. Congressman.

“We need to recognize that the messages coming out of this flawed and broken two-party system need to change,” Quinto said. “You have to change. And now we are faced with two candidates, one of whom understands this much better than the other. And I really asked myself: How can I find compassion for the candidate and his supporters who have a very different point of view than I do? How can I find gentleness and compassion for her? And how can we all look beyond this mindset and hopefully look to the uncertain future with more connection, more togetherness, less division and less hate on both sides?”

He admits it's “hard” to find that compassion. “But I found compassion for how painful it must be to be stuck in a mindset that makes you feel like you have to dictate how other people live their lives,” Quinto says. “That must be a very painful place to be, not really understanding yourself or loving yourself enough to realize that your way of being, living and thinking doesn't necessarily have to influence that of others in any way, “We can actually create space in which everyone can live, think and feel the way they do.”

He says of the vice president: “I think there is tremendous momentum. I think she was born to do a job that no one should inherit at this moment, but she does it with grace and intelligence, and I was very impressed with the way she took on this role that I don't expect definitely that she will be there. I have great admiration and respect for how she has navigated this path so far… I know that the future I want to see is with her as President of the United States and with me doing everything I can to to support that.

READ: Zachary Quinto Casts Leonard Nimoy's Widow Susan as 80-Year-Old Nymphomaniac in Medical Drama 'Brilliant Minds' (EXCLUSIVE)

On a lighter note, Quinto expresses, as he always does, the hope that he will be able to play Spock again in another “Star Trek” film. “The great thing is that Star Trek is a limitless universe. Watch all the TV shows, watch all the stories, look at all the characters and timelines. “Everything is possible,” he says. “That’s the joy of franchising. That's why it lasted 55, 60 years. I'm open to it. I would love it. I would absolutely love it.”

No matter where and when.

“There is no cutoff,” says Quinto. “The original cast made films for decades, well into the fifties and sixties. The stories could be different. On the other planets we may not move as quickly, but I think anything is possible, and I think there's nothing more fulfilling as an artist than coming back to something after some time and cultivating a relationship with it from a completely different perspective , and a completely new perspective.”