Platt relishes pulling double duty

'Chicago Med,' 'The Bear' let actor show range

- HILARY FOX

Timing is everything.

After nine years as Dr. Daniel Charles on “Chicago Med,” Oliver Platt decided to flex his acting muscles, asking his agent if there was someone else he could play for a bit.

The first offer that came in? Uncle Jimmy on “The Bear.”

This was before the hot kitchen comedy-drama had been on air and no one knew that Christopher Storer’s show would go on to be an award-winning, star-making smash hit.

“I felt like a guest for about five minutes on ‘The Bear,’ ” says Platt.

“Maybe that just makes me lucky or just makes me good at insinuating myself into a situation, I don’t know.”

And if anyone knows how to be a scene-stealing guest star, it’s Platt.

Three times he’s been in the running for an Emmy Award after making a special appearance on a TV series, notably “The West Wing” and “Nip/ Tuck.”

Platt’s most recent guest star nomination was for playing the mysterious Uncle on “The Bear” — and he returned for seasons two and three as a fan.

“I didn’t get to work in the kitchen the first season, I was so excited to meet them all,” he says, noting that in 2022 his only scenes were with Jeremy White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Carmy and Cousin, respectively.)