Shirt by Archival Jean Paul Gaultier
Bracelet by Talent's Own
Ring by Maiko Suzuki

Topping an extraordinarily busy time for the Pittsburgh native is his starring role in NBC’s heavily anticipated medical drama, Brilliant Minds. An apt title for this talented thespian.

By Richard Pérez-Feria / Photography by Mike Ruiz

Zachary Quinto is one of those actors who instantly cut through and become undeniably memorable forever. Not unlike, say, Brad Pitt’s debut in Thelma & Louise or Jack Nicholson’s haunting turn in The Shining, Quinto’s 2006 portrayal as Sylar in Tim Kring’s NBC’s smash Heroes is the stuff of nightmares—in the best possible way. Quinto’s multi-layered approach to Sylar and his score of other characters in other less talented hands could be interpreted as one note, has elevated the numerous television and movie roles he has inhabited to impressive heights. So, yeah, Zachary Quinto is one hell of a great actor.

Nearly two decades after Heroes, Quinto remains as busy—and critically acclaimed—as ever as he can currently be seen in two films Rightor Doyle’s Down Low (its debut was at 2023’s SXSW Film Festival) opposite Lukas Gage for FilmNation Entertainment; and He Went That Way (premiered at 2023’s Tribeca Film Festival) co-starring Jacob Elordi for Verdi Entertainment.

Coming off his incredibly well received West End debut as Gore Vidal in playwright James Graham’s Best Of Enemies, Quinto is gearing up for his return to NBC as the star of the network’s hugely anticipated Berlanti Productions’ medical drama, Brilliant Minds, starring as the genius neurologist Dr. Oliver Wolf, based on the real extraordinary life of Dr. Oliver Sacks. You may remember Sacks as the doctor portrayed by Robin Williams in the film Awakenings, and Quinto’s character shares many of Dr. Sacks’ attributes, including identifying as gay.

“To play an openly gay character on a primetime network show is an incredibly significant honor for me,” Quinto says. “I’m deeply grateful for this experience to tell these stories and to use Oliver Sacks’ life as the origin point for those stories. Oliver Sacks was somebody who was deeply influenced by the time in which he came of age and the social restrictions on people being able to live fully who they were. So he didn’t come out until very much later in life. He ended up meeting a partner and having a really happy relationship until the end of his life. So, to play a character who’s embracing that aspect of himself in the modern world, and in a way that’s vital and contemporary and forward-looking, is really special.”

Jacket by Terry Singh
Top by Landeros
Ring by Maiko Suzuki

Another role Quinto is forever forged with is his stellar turns as Spock in JJ Abram’s massively successful movie reboot of the Star Trek franchise. I mean, could anyone else play the complicated, intellectual blank slate Spock as nuanced, as perfectly as Quinto? Not in my book. And lest we forget, his Emmy nomination for his, again, memorable starring role in Ryan Murphy’s hit anthology series, American Horror Story.

So, now, the Pittsburgh native is taking on the role that will once again remind the world how brilliant Quinto’s mind truly is. In less confident hands, portraying a character largely based on Dr. Oliver Sacks—and seared in many people’s memory banks as Robin Williams in Awakenings—would be a fool’s errand. In Zachary Quinto’s more-than-capable grasp, Brilliant Minds becomes the fall season’s first definitive must-watch television show. I, for one, can’t wait to see Quinto work his unmistakable magic. Again.

Was your decision to take on Brilliant Minds an instant “yes,” or did the other factors (based on Oliver Sacks, Robin Williams’ performance in Awakenings) give you pause?
I wouldn’t say it was an instant “yes,” but not because of any of those considerations. It was more because I wasn’t 100% sure that attaching myself to a potentially ongoing series was exactly what I wanted to do at this moment in my career. It was actually because of Oliver Sachs- the more I learned about him I felt like it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. That, combined with my feelings about Michael Grassi, the showrunner. When we met it was so clear to me that he was going to be an incredibly generous and thoughtful collaborator and so that was ultimately the combination of factors that drew me in and made me realize that this was actually something I'd be really lucky to be involved with on an ongoing basis. I feel that way even more now that we’ve done the first season. So where I was a little bit more trepidatious at first, now I’m super hopeful that we get to keep doing it.

Have you felt a common thread that exists with most of your most impactful roles: Sylar in Heroes; Spock in Star Trek; Sam Jones in American Horror Story; Gore Vidal in Best Of Enemies; and now Dr. Wolf in Brilliant Minds?
I think that all of the characters you just mentioned share an intellectual sensibility. They’re definitely characters that lead from their brains- their intellect- so I think there’s something about that that has been a point of entry for me in a lot of characters that I’ve played. They’re very different in so many ways- they exist on a continuum of moral spectrum and are all over the place in terms of what their goals and ambitions are, but I do think that they’re all highly intelligent characters. I’m not suggesting that that’s any reflection on me [laughs] but I just feel that it's something I've leaned into in terms of my relationship with each of those characters.

Suit and Top by Kid Super
Shoes by Terry Singh

I remember how funny you were in VH1’s sitcom, So NoTORIous, based on Tori Spelling’s life. Would you consider yourself a comedic genius buried in layers of angst and dramatic talent?
Well I think I’m hilarious [laughs], but no. I think my career trajectory was largely informed by the first role I was really known for, which was Sylar on Heroes. I just think our industry works in a way that once you do something, people associate you with that kind of tone or style or genre and they like to see you do the same thing. I’ve really worked to create a diverse career for myself, which I think I've done, but I've probably done it more in shades of dramatic stories.
I've done a few comedies that have been incredibly fun and fulfilling and I think relatively successful in their own right. I don't know that I'd consider myself a comic genius, but I do think I possess comic sensibilities and I would love to explore that more. There's actually a fair amount of levity on our show- it’s not all drama all the time. There’s heart and there's humor and I think that contrast is what makes the stories more relatable and more accessible and maybe a little more interesting. In the end- it's not just one thing.

Growing up in Pittsburgh in a Catholic household must have been challenging for you as an adolescent discovering your sexual identity. I’m curious about what you remember most from that period in your life.
My upbringing had a profound impact on my relationship to my authentic self and my ability to integrate and accept myself completely. I’m grateful for my upbringing and I also realize the many complex ways that it inhibited me. I've spent a lot of time doing the work to dig deeper in myself and to move beyond the limitations that may have been a result of my exposure as a younger person to social expectations and religious ideas and beliefs. I think what I remember about that time was knowing in my deepest self who I was, but spending many many years denying that part of me, so that was really challenging. Now I feel even more grateful that I've been able to fully step into myself and live a life that I'm proud of, that makes me really happy, and that is not hindered by shame or by self erected judgment.

But I think that’s true of anybody really - if you're a seeker in this world, you’re going to have to evolve beyond the imprints of your childhood and your upbringing. So I don’t think I’m special in that, but I do recognize that I've been on a profound journey in my life, and I'm at a very different place now than I was when I was a younger person.

Jacket and Wrap Skirt Suit by Terry Singh
Shirt by Archival Comme Des Garcons
Shoes by Kozaburo

What’s the biggest thing most people get wrong about you?
I think oftentimes people think I am intimidating or unapproachable because of a lot of the characters I’ve played and I'm sometimes fine with that actually. But the truth is: my goal in life is to be open and as soft and as easy as I can be in moving through the world. I really love life- not that people think I don’t- but I think people think I'm more intense than I am.

Given that we’re a short time from a major presidential election in this country, are you excited, nervous, neither?
I’ve never been more concerned about the integrity of our democracy. I've never been more fired up about making sure that Kamala Harris wins. I’m excited because I think that there is the potential for a real kind of awakening and recognition. Look, obviously I think things need to change in the way that our government works. But the only way that's going to happen is to elect someone to the highest office of the land who respects the office and understands that democracy has to be a living and breathing and immediate experience. I just feel like where we’ve arrived in this current political moment is so binary. It has never been so dire, so I am both excited and incredibly concerned and really involved and committed. I’m doing every single thing I possibly can to make sure that we are moving forward and evolving and not returning to this broken, old, white, homophobic, racist, intolerable mindset that seems to have caught fire as a result of the figurehead of that movement. I find this a really critical moment. I don't think we’ve ever seen in the history of our country a more important and definitive election. I think the way that this election goes will determine the future of our country, the future of the world. Certainly for our lifetime and I think really for the lifetimes of the next two generations. I’m just doing everything I can to make it work.

**Left:**
Jacket by Terry Singh
Top by Landeros
Ring by Maiko Suzuki
**Right:**
Outfit by Landeros

Are you prepared for Dr. Oliver Wolf to capture America’s heart? What do you hope audiences take away from this show?
I’ve always said that if audiences see themselves in the stories that we’re telling then we’re doing our jobs. It's a show that deals with mental health and wellness and neurological disorders and I think that these are issues that are increasingly affecting people’s lives and that are

increasingly being talked about in a way that they weren’t ten years ago. So I hope that our show represents an optimistic view of how to deal with challenges that arise in people's lives and I'm excited for people to know that healing doesn’t necessarily mean fixing - that healing can mean adapting. And that this is a show where most of the cases are not resolvable. Most of the people that we treat on BRILLIANT MINDS are never going to return to the life that they lived before. My feeling is how can we still find integrity and joy in life even in the face of seemingly catastrophic adversities? I really think that ultimately there is a message of hope in our show and I hope that that's what people take away.

I was a huge fan of the Tina Fey and Robert Carlock created Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, so I know you appeared in a couple of episodes as Eli Rubin. Any memories from that gig?
I was doing Boys in the Band on Broadway at that time, so it was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time to go and film that during the day, and then go do a play at night. Working with Jane Krakowsky, who I love, - the whole experience really. I'm such a fan of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock and 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - it was just pure fun, really. I’ve done things like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt or Girls or Down Low - comedy experiences that I've had that are such a departure from what people have come to know me for. It’s kind of like being let out into the playground for recess and just having a good time. It’s not that deep, it’s just fun. I had a blast doing that show and I'd love to work with those people again.

What are major differences or takeaways in your experiences in supporting roles such as this versus leading roles such as Dr. Wolf?
I’ve never worked as hard as Ii've worked on BRILLIANT MINDS in terms of commitment of hours, so for me it was about stamina. It was about preservation of my energy and also really working to be an example of investment in the work. Being number one on the call sheet is a responsibility that goes above and beyond just the work as an actor and I felt that on this show more than anything I've ever done; that that responsibility was resting on my shoulders. I took it very seriously and I really wanted to show up that way, not only for myself but for my castmates and for the crew and for everyone that was working so hard to make the show.

I think that the attitude and the energy on the set does trickle down from the top. Michael Grassi is the top for our show and so I took a page from his book. I’ve never worked with someone who is so unilaterally positive and optimistic and joyful about the work in such an unmitigated way. So I just followed that sensibility and really tried to embrace it as I was working. I learned so much and I grew so much from that experience that I feel really grateful. I had so much fun. I think a lot of that had to do with the joy that Michael brings to his projects.

If you could create your perfect film, what would be the topic and who would be your principal co-star?
There are so many actors that I’d love to work with. Tilda Swinton springs to mind. I love stories that are unexpected and surprising and a little bit iconoclastic. A little against the grain. I’m always looking for opportunities that are moving me in a new direction. It’s hard to narrow that down a little more. Let me just do a fun, surprising movie with Tilda Swinton.

Complete this sentence... Zachary Quinto is...deeply grateful.

The Undeniable Zachary Quinto