Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares insights on smart, serious “Contagion”

"Contagion," a compelling bio-thriller that hit theaters on Friday, was partly filmed in Atlanta at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It stars Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle, Marion Cotillard and Laurence Fishburne -- and CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who plays himself in one scene. "They wanted to give it an air of authenticity," Gupta said. The movie concerns a mysterious and deadly virus that incites panic around the globe as  scientists  race to find a cure. In his scene, Gupta moderates a discussion for CNN with Fishburne's character, who leads the team trying to research and conquer the virus, and Law's character, a skeptical blogger.  "We did the scene five times. We shot for four or five hours," Gupta said. The scene lasts just a few minutes, giving Gupta some insight into the often laborious process of filming a movie. "It is remarkable to me how much they sit around and wait." (A little trivia for you: The CDC scenes were filmed at, but not inside, the CDC. The exterior of the building is shown a few times, but the interior scenes were filmed in a CDC set built at the CDC to replicate the CDC, in a more camera-friendly way). In stark contrast to the silly comedies and breezy romantic flicks of the summer, "Contagion" is a smart and serious movie that respects its audience's intelligence. It would have been understandable for a movie about a deadly modern plague to include lots of gross and gruesome scenes for shock value, but director Steven Soderbergh instead shows admirable restraint. Because of that mature approach, the audience is engaged on an intellectual rather than visceral level. "It's very real," Gupta said. "It's a real insight into what we can do to protect ourselves. When people get sick, social structure falls apart. Our compassion toward one another is the first thing to fall apart. Are we prepared for a disaster like this? I don't think we've answered that. How prepared can we be? I don't know. It's unsettling." The CNN host, author and medical doctor has his first work of fiction, "Monday Mornings," coming out this spring. Like the movie "Contagion," it is imagined yet plausible. "It's a peek behind the curtain," Gupta said. "It's all based on things that could happen." Pass the Purell, please.

Overscene

Justin Bieber had a little free time the other day so he stopped by the Georgia Aquarium and made a new friend: Beethoven, an adult male beluga whale.