Jon Ecker as Jake Heller in DocImage via Fox
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Jen Vestuto
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Jen Vestuto is a TV Features Writer for Collider. A born and raised New Yorker, she started her career on set as a production assistant for shows like Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest. In LA, she worked in the writers' rooms for The Vampire Diaries and Nancy Drew. Along with her writing partner, she joined the writing staff of Nancy Drew in Season 2 and stayed on the run of the show, which ended in 2022 with Season 4.
Jen grew up on Long Island in a loud Italian family. She's been writing creatively since she was in elementary school and would often make her younger sister act out scenes from her favorite movies with her. Jen is also a massive sports fan and was an athlete herself growing up.
Writing features for Collider gives her the opportunity to share her passion for great storytelling and compelling characters.
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Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 9 of Doc.Episode 8 of Doc's second season gave audiences a deeper look into Jake Heller’s (Jon Ecker) personal life with the revelation that his father had suddenly passed away. In the midseason finale, Episode 9, we see Jake attend his father’s funeral with support from his family, friends and coworkers, including Amy (Molly Parker), whom he specifically asked to be there, while a flashback sequence reveals the origins of their relationship. Collider spoke with star Jon Ecker about what it was like to learn and play out these storylines, how Jake and Amy’s backstory informs his performance moving forward, and what it was like working with his real-life wife, Laura James, earlier this season.
Jon Ecker on Getting More Into Jake's Story in Season 2
"I think the audience likes seeing a little bit more backstory to these characters."
Jon Ecker as Jake Heller in DocImage via Fox
COLLDER: First, I love what the writers are doing with Jake. He's getting so much great material this season. How did you feel about the story you were given in Season 2?
JON ECKER: I think we were all excited when we found out we got picked up for more episodes in Season 2. Mainly because that means the show was doing well, but also because the writers would have more time to explore to bring in new characters and explore the existing characters a bit more. Until the episodes came out, I really didn't know how they would explore Jake. I had the hopes that we'd get into my family history, mainly with my wife and daughter, because it was mentioned in Season 1, but we didn't really meet them. So getting to do that, and then on top of it, bringing in the death of my father, which I didn't know was gonna happen until pretty close to shooting those episodes, which was great, because I think the audience likes seeing a little bit more backstory to these characters. And for us, as actors, we like doing it because it informs us, and it's also nice to get out of the hospital every now and then.
Episode 8 brings back Dante and mirrors his story with Jake’s own emotional journey. How was it to film and embody that duality?
ECKER: I think the writers did a really great job with that. Hank [Steinberg] and Barbie [Kligman] have been great about the overlap between the patient of the week and what's going on with the doctors. I think it just brought a whole new layer, and I loved working with the character of Dante in the first season, and him coming back was awesome. It would have been a great episode just dealing with that, but then learning that my Dad just died adds another layer, and it shows how I cope with it by just diving into my job and Dante's case, and it just makes it more nuanced. I thought it was really great how they did that.
Ecker on His Storyline With Jake's Dad in Episodes 8 & 9 of 'Doc'
"It's his way of dealing with tragedy and loss."
Jon Ecker as Jake Heller and Lara Delikanli as Mia Heller in DocImage via Fox
Losing someone and throwing yourself into work is such a relatable coping mechanism. What was it like bringing that realism to Jake’s story?
ECKER: The way I thought about it, it wasn't a distraction. To me, it was more Jake dealing with the things he wished he would've said or done, or wishing he had tried harder, or that they spent more time together. It's his way of dealing with tragedy and loss. He's more projecting and putting his time and energy into Dante, trying to save him in a way that he wishes he could have with is Dad. And I bring it up in Episode 9 that it was that way when my Mom. Jake was 12, so he didn't really know how to do it. But in a way, he's trying to kind of make up for that.
It was bittersweet meeting Jake’s dad already knowing he was gone, and Peter Friedman is such a great actor. Even though was a very short scene, what was it like filming that flashback scene with him?
ECKER: It was great, but like you said, unfortunately, it was short and bittersweet. While I'm obsessed with the whole cast, it's always fun when a new character gets thrown in, because you get to show new dynamics, especially with a character like Jake's father. Like a lot of people, I was a fan of Peter Friedman in Succession and a lot of his other work, but at least right now, all we have on screen is our flashback scene with Amy at the restaurant. But you know, the show does consist of a lot of flashbacks, so I keep my fingers crossed he could come back.
Related
‘Doc’ Star Molly Parker Questions Amy’s Reality in Season 2: "How Reliable Are the Narrators in Her Life?"
Parker also discusses the new arrival, Dr. Joan Ridley, played by Felicity Huffman.
Posts By Jen Vestuto Oct 2, 2025Ecker on Learning More Backstory Between Jake and Amy
"I think it was an important piece of the puzzle."
Molly Parker as Amy and Jon Ecker as Jake in DocImage via Fox
Episode 9 ends with Jake and Amy giving their relationship another shot. What has it been like exploring that dynamic this season, and how do you see it shaping what’s ahead, especially with Joan and the fallout that could bring?
ECKER: Yeah, there's just a lot going on. Relationships are always complicated, and this one is just extra complicated. You have the fact that Amy forgot eight years of her life and doesn't remember falling in love with Jake, and us dealing with HR and Joan (Felicity Huffman), and how do we do this in a work environment? But now throw on that Jake's dad just died, and she's got somebody trying to AI attack her, and then, on top of it, Jake's ex-wife is around more. I think it's great, we're having fun with it, and they keep me on my toes, too.
Episode 9 gives us a lot of Jake and Amy’s backstory, from him not liking her at looking to transfer to another hospital, and setting that during COVID adds another layer of drama. How did learning those early pieces of their relationship inform how you approached them moving forward, and how much of that backstory did you know going in?
ECKER: Yeah, I'm hoping that there's going to be more flashbacks to that era, or at least now filling in the gaps between that flashback of that I was about to quit, and then I didn't, because we really haven't seen anything between that and us getting together. But I think that was an important piece of the puzzle, seeing how our relationship developed and starting to see their mutual professional respect for each other. I know she's a great doctor and I can learn a lot from her, but in that flashback, we see when she starts respecting me and sees something in me, and why he decided to stay. So that was a great piece of the puzzle to add in.
Ecker on Working with Wife Laura James in Season 2 of 'Doc'
"We didn't really know what to expect... but it was like riding a bike."
Jon Ecker as Jake and Laura James as Casey in DocImage via Fox
Earlier this season, you got to work with your real-life wife, Laura James. What was that experience like on the show, and how did that opportunity come about?
ECKER: Yeah, that was a surprise and a lot of fun. We've been together for a long time now, so we always talk about getting to work together, but you know, as actors, we're lucky enough for one of us to book a job, or for both of us, much less the same gig. But the role came up, and she put herself on tape. I didn't tell anybody, and she booked it. And she comes to set and brings our daughters, so she already knows everybody. We didn't really know what to expect. I thought at first it might be kind of weird acting together. But then we quickly realized we'd done thousands of self-tapes together, so it was like riding a bike, just with a lot more people setting up the cameras for us. And, she was a fun character, so it was just more lighthearted and a lot of fun.
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Like Follow Followed Drama Release Date January 7, 2025 Network FOX Directors Russell Lee Fine, Rebecca Thomas, Jono Oliver, Michael Goi, Nicole Rubio, Amanda Row, Marisol Adler Writers Judith McCreary, Katie VarneyCast
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