The actress, who plays Dr. Heather Collins on Pittsburgh Family, told PEOPLE exclusively that the red fleece jacket her character has worn all season was added during filming. One particular staff member on set noticed she was cold and asked the wardrobe team for help.
“It was freezing cold on the stage we were filming on,” Ifeachor shared. “One day we could see our own breath.” The actress explained that she doesn’t like the cold, “My house is like a sauna everywhere I walk in. Sorry, environmentalists. I try, but I need warmth.”
Ifeachor added that she would keep multiple hot water bottles pressed against her body to stay warm between takes on the hit HBO Max medical drama.
“When we first started, John (executive producer) looked at me, and then the wardrobe guy came over and said, ‘I have six fleeces here. John said you look cold,'” she said. “So Collins wore that thick red cardigan.”
Given that the show follows a group of health care workers who work 15-hour shifts at a Pittsburgh emergency room, the cardigan has now become her character’s signature look. It’s no accident, as Evejore recalls having “goose bumps on my arms” while filming.
The gesture, she continued, was “very nice.”
Later in the shoot, she ran into the Abbott Elementary School crew, who were filming on the same soundstage, and she said they confirmed her experience. “We were always meeting and talking, and they were like, ‘No, it’s all like that. It’s freezing,’” she said. “I brought about four thermoses with me, and the [assistant directors] were filling them for me. They were so nice.”
The actress remained mum about what else happened between takes, telling People: “What happens on set stays on set.” However, she did reveal that she lost her wedding ring on set.
“I don’t know what happened,” Evejore said of the incident. “It was in my room, and then it was gone.”
Devastated by the loss of the meaningful ring, the actress sought comfort from her co-star Noah Wyle, who plays senior attending physician Dr. Michael “Robbie” Robinwich.
“I remember walking up to Noah [Wyle],” Ifeachor recalled. “I leaned my head on his shoulder and asked him, ‘Am I still married?'” According to the actress, Wyle simply replied, “Yes.”
After the show wrapped, the actress’ wedding ring never made an appearance on the busy set again, but she is “still hopeful” to be reunited with her special jewelry when filming begins for season two.
“However, I can say that so much blood, sweat, and tears went into the making of season one, even with the wedding rings,” Ifeachor joked. “I’m glad the show is getting such high praise because it really deserves it.”