“The Pitt” stars Isa Briones and Gerran Howell say they’re no longer squeamish about the things they see on set. “It is weird that I don’t get grossed out anymore?” asks Howell, who plays resident doctor Dennis Whitaker. “Is that a red flag? It is gross, don’t get me wrong, especially when we’re about to do a take and they’ll rush in and make it look fresh by putting all sorts of liquids in!”
Briones, who plays fellow resident Dr. Trinity Santos, agrees that “it doesn’t feel as weird anymore. Everything’s so cool. I’m just so impressed by our team that they can make all this happen. I feel like Katherine [LaNasa, who plays Nurse Dana Evans] is the one who still gets the most grossed out, because she’s not always in all of those intense moments.”
But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some awkward moments.
“I remember walking to makeup one day, and seeing Tom, the fantastic SFX guy, with a clear box that just had a prosthetic erect penis,” Howell recalls. Adds Briones: “It was so funny in a box, as if you were at a Michelin star restaurant where they serve you something in a clear cloche.”
Briones and Howell stopped by the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast to talk about the unlikely friendship between Santos and Whitaker, some of the rabid fan reaction (including a candle depicting Santos swaddling Baby Whitaker) and what they’d most like to tell their characters. The duo also share what they know about Season 3 (not much!) and take our 10 Questions quiz. Listen below!
The sibling-like give-and-take between Santos and Whitaker on “The Pitt” has become a fan favorite part of the show. Santos and Whitaker are such an unlikely pairing — and yet they need each other. “I don’t think in any other situation they would be friends, actually,” Howell says. “They kind of have been thrown together a little, [Santos] discovering Whitaker’s living situation, and then inviting him [to be a roommate], but I think they can see each other in a lot of ways, they can see each others’ defense mechanisms.”
Adds Briones: “They both needed each other when they found each other, I think. Obviously from a more material standpoint, like how Whitaker didn’t have a home. But Santos is a very specific kind of person, and she could have easily been like, ‘sucks to suck!’ and leave him behind. But she let this boy that she had just met about 15 hours prior into her home. Clearly there was something there that they both needed from each other. At the end of the day, I think the people who put up the most barriers are the ones who have the biggest vulnerabilities. I think it’s cool that Whitaker is someone who gets to peek into that a little bit. As much as she tries to keep up her barriers, he gets to really see a different side of her.”
In Season 2, it’s revealed that Whitaker has been spending time with a widow (whose husband was a patient that died in Season 1) and working on her farm. Santos does not approve. Says Howell: “I think you can look at it from the empathetic view that he sees someone in need and this person maybe asked for help and he obliged. But I think there’s a bit of a selfish part of that where he’s getting a little bit of his homesickness out by being able to work on the farm, and his usefulness. But yeah, I mean, it’s not right. It’s not appropriate!”
What would he ask Whitaker? “What is he missing at the moment, and what kind of gap is he obviously trying to fill? I think he’s got a lot of defense mechanisms, not in the same way as Santos, but he’s got a lot of barriers up. I don’t think he likes asking for help himself, so that is something I’m kind of digging into. I guess it’s like, ‘what’s up, man?’”
What about Briones on Santos? “She’s had a rough road, and we know that she has struggled with a lot of mental health stuff. If I were talking to her as a friend, it’s like, ‘you chose life, you chose to live, so live!’ Don’t put up all these barriers, don’t push people away. Don’t say that you’re better off as a lone wolf. That’s actually not protecting you, that’s actually hurting you more than anything.”
What have they heard so far about Season 3? “Girl, nothing, we don’t know anything,” Briones says. “Not much. I know what I’m wearing! Since it’s only a few months later, it’s winter. So we get to come in with coats, that’s a whole other layer of costuming we’ve never had before.”
That’s going to be hot, filming in winter clothes in summertime Los Angeles. “I’ve heard they’ve upgraded the AC,” Howell reveals. “That’s some juicy goss!”
10 QUESTIONS WITH ISA BRIONES and GERRAN HOWELL:
1. Childhood nickname: Briones: “Isa Pizza.” Howell: “Big G.” [Says Briones: “Oh, that’s gonna stick!”]
2. Something you loved as a kid but can’t believe you were into it now: Briones: “I still love everything. My mind immediately went to Polly Pockets. And chewing on Polly Pocket clothes… i don’t regret Polly Pockets but I do regreat Bratz dolls because you can take off their entire foot and that’s so spooky to me.” Howell: “I went through a puppet phase when I was a kid.”
3. Go-to Karaoke or sing-in-the-shower song: Briones: “Wannabe by Spice Girls.” Howell: “Kiss from a Rose by Seal.”
4. Give me an alternate title for your show: Briones: “The Piss.” Howell: “Whitaker’s Very Bad, No Good Day.”
5. What’s your secret talent?: Briones: “Once I have a talent, it’s never secret. I’m telling everyone!” Howell: “Puppetry, apparently.”
6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Briones: “Van Leewen honeycomb. Also a classic, cookies and cream.” Howell: “Rum and raisin.”
7. The one item you couldn’t live without: Briones: “Fish sauce.” Howell: “Caffeine at the moment.”
8. What TV show in all of history do you wish you were a cast member of?: Howell: “Twin Peaks.” Briones: “New Girl” or “Parks and Recreation.”
9. Fictional character you most admire: Howell: The Dude from “The Big Lebowski.” Briones: Leslie Knope.
10. Your favorite piece of advice: Howell: “In the industry, I think the best advice I was given is being comfortable with uncertainty. It was basically kind of saying accept the powerlessness you have sometimes as an actor, but as long as you keep doing what you’re doing, stuff will find you.” Briones: “Celebrate the little things. Because if you’re constantly waiting for the big thing that you’re going to celebrate, then you’re going to be living in such disappointment until then. So actually celebrating like the little moments that, ‘that audition went really well. I felt really good about that.’ Or, ‘I got a call back. Like, how exciting is that?’ Always in my family, we would be like, if someone got a call back, then we’ll make a steak tonight. Those little things to kind of keep the magic in life. It’s all just these little steps forward.”
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.