Glassman’s final story on The Good Doctor packs even more of an emotional punch because of a behind-the-scenes fact. Dr, Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) has been Shaun’s mentor and surrogate father since The Good Doctor began. Throughout the series’ seven-season run, Glassman has had many emotional stories, including his battle with brain cancer during season 1 and a rift between him and Shaun during season 6 after Shaun’s interference demonstrated that Glassman was no longer capable of performing surgery. The Good Doctor is ending after season 7 but has given Glassman one final story.

The Good Doctor season 7 trailer promises a heartbreaking ending, which could involve Glassman once again. During the latter half of the season, Glassman began working with a patient who is around the same age his daughter was when she passed away from a drug overdose. This patient also is addicted to opioids, and Glassman has become determined to help her get sober. He has risked his career by allowing the patient to stay in his home and giving her Oxy on a strict schedule. This poignant storyline is enhanced by a fact about the actress who plays her.

The Family Connection Between The Good Doctor Actors Playing Hannah And Glassman

Their Relationship Makes Their Scenes Even More Poignant

Hannah is played by Ruby Kelley. Kelley is a 23-year-old actress and producer who is the perfect age to play Hannah, who is a young woman the same age Glassman’s daughter Maddie was when Maddie died. She is also Richard Schiff’s real-life daughter. This relationship creates an interesting situation in which Kelley is playing a woman her real-life father looks upon almost as if she were his surrogate daughter.

Kelley will appear in the final two episodes of The Good Doctor. It is ironic that she will close out the show because her mother, who is still married to Schiff in real life, played Glassman’s love interest, Debbie, for the first four seasons of The Good Doctor. Debbie (Sheila Kelley) was written out after she and Glassman decided not to remain married to each other.

Why This Family Connection Helps The Story

It Would Be Emotional Either Way But The Real Life Relationship Enhances the Drama

This story requires Glassman to pour all the love, fear, and grief he feels about his daughter’s death onto a stranger who reminds him of his daughter, so it would offer heavy drama regardless of who played Hannah. However, Richard Schiff’s real-life relationship with the actress who plays Hannah adds an extra level of intensity to these scenes, as Schiff can draw on his feelings for his daughter during emotional moments. For example, when Glassman found Hannah passed out on the bathroom floor in episode 8, his panic, determination, and anger undoubtedly mirrored his real-life emotions about this scenario.

Schiff and Kelley are excellent actors and Schiff has over 40 years of experience in the industry, so they’d do their jobs well regardless of who they were playing against. However, including his daughter in Glassman’s final storyline in The Good Doctor adds an extra level of emotion to these already intense scenes. Casting Schiff’s daughter as Glassman’s surrogate daughter also mirrors the series’ beginning, as Schiff’s wife played his love interest for the first four seasons.