Transplanted actress find summer stardom

Let’s officially designate this as “The Summer of Laurence Leboeuf.”
For most of her 39 years, Leboeuf (shown here) has been in obscurity and/or Montreal. But now that can’t continue: Her subtly perfect performance in “Transplant” (8 p.m. Thursdays on NBC) demands attention.
Granted, Leboeuf is already fairly well-known in quieter (and, perhaps, saner) parts of the world. For two decades, she’s been busy in Canadian films and TV shows, working in French or English. She’s drawn nominations for roles ranging from a cop (“19-2”) to a teen tennis star (“15/Love”), a bike-racer caught in a cheating scandal (“The Little Queen”) and a free-spirited, post-apocalyptic hero (“Turbo Kid”).
But most of those never got here; her U.S. roles have been rare.
Two decades ago, she played a key victim in the Mira Sorvino mini-series, “Human Trafficking”; since then, a few Americans might have seen her as the friend in the “Being Erica” series. Then along came “Transplant,” a Canadian show that NBC runs in the summers.
At the core is Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Hamza Haq). A doctor for the Syrian rebels, he had to flee with his young sister. A Canadian doctor took an interest and steered him toward Toronto.
Now he’s in an the emergency department, alongside two opposites — Dr. June Curtis, towering, silent, emotionally closed; and Dr. Magalie Leblanc, small (5-foot-3 and slender) and high-energy.
Mags (Leboeuf’s role) grew up in Montreal, with parents who are wealthy, cultured and distant. Facing lifelong medical problems, she became ambitious to a fault. In this season (the fourth), her human side has started to unfold.
Then life threw a cruel twist: Only one of the residents — Bash or Mags — will have a job after the residency.
For Bash, supporting his sister’s education, this is tough. For Mags, intensely ambitious, it’s devastating.
Now all of that peaks over the next six episodes, starting May 29. A gifted and subtle actress captures a complicated person.