‘Scarpetta’ Cast and Showrunner on Autopsy Training and the Rise of AI Simulations to Speak With the Dead: ‘It’s a Terrible Misuse’

Nicole Kidman and Rosy McEwen, who share the role of the titular forensic pathologist in the Prime Video series “Scarpetta,” worked with medical examiner Dr. Amy Hawes to ensure the autopsy scenes felt authentic.

“[Hawes] taught them how to hold a scalpel, how to remove an organ — and they got quite good at it, actually,” showrunner Liz Sarnoff told Variety at the series’ New York premiere on Tuesday night. “We never did a crime scene, a scene in the morgue or anything without her.”

“Scarpetta” is split between two time periods, with McEwen playing the younger Kay Scarpetta and Kidman as…