Long before she was part of the main cast of “Chicago Med,” S. Epatha Merkerson portrayed Reba the Mail Lady, the bearer of Pee-wee Herman’s pen pal letters. Merkerson had not one, but two auditions for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and met Paul Reubens for the first time when she answered a second casting call. Despite having no prior knowledge of his early work, the duo’s chemistry was undeniable. “We sit and we talk, and we immediately hit it off,” Merkerson divulged in a 2014 interview with the Archive of American Television. “I mean, immediately he knows he can make me laugh. And we read the scene, and I’m just laughing at him, ’cause he’s so funny.”
Merkerson, of course, landed the gig, which happened to mark her first TV role. However, the pair’s relationship extended beyond the 1991 end of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” Following the announcement of Reubens’ death, Merkerson issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly, which read in part, “I always called him Pablo. I will truly miss my friend.”
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Merkerson would move on from “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” to “Law & Order,” and these days, she’s best known for portraying Sharon Goodwin in the NBC drama series “Chicago Med” since 2015. This role, however, is anything but funny. A former operating room nurse-turned-chief administrator, Sharon Goodwin abides by the rules and manages to show compassion to her colleagues at the same time, since she’s been in their shoes. She’s also reprised the character on both “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.”
