00:07As 13 Reasons Why heads into its final season, the Netflix high school series has enrolled
00:11a familiar face to play a pivotal role. Gary Sinise is set to join the young adult drama
00:16as a series regular for the fourth and final season. Season 3 was recently released on the
00:21streaming service. Now in season 4, Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor Sinise will
00:36play Dr. Robert Ellman, an adolescent and family therapist who's been brought in to address
00:41the mental health of the show's main protagonist, Clay Jensen, played by Dylan Manette. Dr. Ellman
00:47will help the senior high school student who's been put through the wringer on the first three
00:51seasons battle his anxiety, depression, and grief. According to Dr. Ellman's character
00:55description, he is compassionate, intense, deeply humane, and steadfast in guiding Clay to accept
01:01the help he needs so desperately, to come to terms with the trauma in his past, and begin
01:06the process of healing.
01:07I found this.
01:08Play Jensen!
01:11I didn't do anything.
01:12But the police think that you did.
01:14Series creator and showrunner Brian Yorkey said of the casting,
01:17from the first moments we conceived of the role, I thought of Gary Sinise, but hardly dared to dream
01:21it might happen.
01:22Since debuting as a breakout drama for the streaming giant, 13 Reasons Why has seen its fair share of
01:27controversy, as the first two seasons heavily explored suicide, depression, gun violence, and sexual assault.
01:33And the third season tackled hot-button issues like abortion and immigration. The introduction of
01:38Sinise's therapist signals a chance for Yorkey and the writers to dig into the major issues the series
01:43covered in an in-depth way.
01:44For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:47Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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