Stars of TRANSPLANT Shine at Screening Event in Advance of Big Debut Wednesday on CTV

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Hearts are beating faster as the series debut of TRANSPLANT approaches, Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on CTV. A screening event for the groundbreaking medical drama/immigrant story was held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto on Monday, with cast members from TRANSPLANT – including Hamza Haq, Laurence Leboeuf, John Hannah, Jim Watson, and Ayisha Issa – on hand to watch the first episode on the big screen. As the main cast members were taking their seats, someone in the crowd shouted out, “We love you, Hamza!” Haq, who plays lead character Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, shouted back, “I love you, too.” Afterward, Lainey Lui (THE SOCIAL, ETALK, CRAVINGS: THE AFTERSHOW) moderated a Q-and-A panel. Haq – whose character Bash is a Syrian doctor with battle-tested skills in emergency medicine who is trying to make a new life for himself and his young sister in Canada – got emotional with the very first question, as he acknowledged that his parents were in attendance. “My family and I immigrated to Canada 20 years ago and I’m sure some people in the crowd can relate to coming to Canada, either by choice or by misfortune, and then being fortunate enough to be here as opposed to someplace else that wouldn’t be as receptive,” said Haq, pausing to gather himself. “To be able to tell this story, that is so #RelatableContent for so many of us, and to do it with a team like this, it’s a dream come true, not only for me, but for them. It’s a result of my parents’ hard work and dedication and the sacrifices they made to ensure a better life for their kids. So it was really easy for me to channel that sort of dedication in this show, because I grew up with a very good example.” Leboeuf and Issa talked about how fun it was to dive into the friendly competition between their two characters, Dr. Magalie “Mags” Leblanc and Dr. June Curtis, respectively. Watson suggested that the writers had no choice but to make his character, Dr. Theo Hunter, and Bash fast friends, because he and Haq became fast friends in real life. And Hannah, who plays Dr. Jed Bishop, insisted that it didn’t take long for him to fit right in, even though – as Lainey jokingly pointed out – he was the only non-Canadian on the stage. “Poutine was a bit weird, but I ended up loving it,” the veteran Scottish actor said. In the first episode of TRANSPLANT, Bash finds himself at the site of a tragic accident and his medical training takes over as he works to save the wounded. At Toronto’s York Memorial Hospital, the staff – including Dr. Leblanc, Dr. Hunter, and Dr. Curtis – work frantically to treat patients from the accident while concerns arise about the whereabouts of Dr. Bishop. So here’s what TV viewers should do with their schedules, Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET: “CLEAR!” See below for photos from the TRANSPLANT screening event:

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