Interview: Shawn Hatosy Breaks Down Jumping into ‘The Pitt,’ Learning Medical Jargon and his TikTok
It’s difficult to make an impression on a drama with so many moving parts. It’s even more difficult to make an impact, not return for ten episodes, then jump back in at the highest stakes of the season – but this is what Shawn Hatosy did on The Pitt.
The HBO Max drama introduces its audience to Dr. Jack Abbott in the first episode, an ER doctor at the end of his night shift. He has a few words with Dr. Robby that introduces a central plotpoint in the show – which is the loss of Robby’s mentor a few years prior – and then scuttles off until later in the season. Abbott is brought back in the throes of dealing with a mass casualty event in the ER, so Hatosy isn’t given much time to flesh out his character amongst the vast amount of medical jargon thrown around rapid-fire as the entire staff works to get through this event. Despite that, a journeyman actor like Hatosy (Animal Kingdom, Southland) provides the character with three dimensions where even slight mannerisms injected into small moments showcase the character work he’s put into the role.
I spoke with Hatosy about filming the pilot and coming back later to film the rest of the season, small moments in Abbott’s development, his relationship with Dr. Robby, and TikTok.
Tyler Doster: How much time did you spend with medical professionals and what impacted you the most out of your time with them, and what surprised you the most.
Shawn Hatosy: Well, I didn’t get the kind of extensive medical training that the regular cast received. They were… They got… I think they did a week and maybe even more before we started. I kind of came to the show late in my process. I think I started… I think I found out a week before that I was doing it when we actually started shooting.
And my first piece of work on my first day was the first day of filming season one, and I didn’t have any procedure stuff to do. So then I kind of went away for seven months or so, and then I came back for that. I did some exterior work, but neither of those scenes were medical either. It was the rooftop stuff and then the park scene at the end.
And then I come in for episode 12, and they gave me – I think we had about three or four hours with the medical tech advisor on the show. And because we were dealing with the mass casualty stuff, there were really three things that we focused on, and it was not enough. You know what I mean? It never feels like enough because the pressure is there, not only because I want to get it right for everybody to see as the people that understand what they’re doing, like you’re doing a chest tube, but also because the pressure involved in being in sync with this crew that’s sort of been doing it for so long and are already moving fluidly through it. So I did my best, thankfully.
Thankfully, there was a very collaborative team there who was helping me along. And that’s one of the cool things about The Pitt is the nurses… Of course, we have great technical advisors, but a lot of the nurses that are working in the scenes with us are actual emergency room nurses. So when I grab a phased array probe and I’m putting it in the wrong area, they will quietly not move their lips and help me get there, that kind of stuff.
TD: Like you just noted, you’re there at the beginning of the season, then you jump back in towards the end. Was it exciting for you to be kind of teased like that as a character and then to be able to come back and be full throttle in the show?
SH: Yes. A number of things come to mind. First of all, while I was aware that Abbott would come back, I didn’t understand the impact that he was going to have. I didn’t really… The information is given to you, but until you see it, you don’t really… you don’t know the weight that he carries. And I know that there’s that kind of… that meaningful scene at the beginning with him and Robby on the roof… you can see that they are colleagues on the same kind of level.
But I wasn’t really sure until I got there and started reading episode 12, 13, how much Robby really respected Abbott and how much he was sort of desperate to have somebody there who was on his level because of how that day had unfolded. And the writers really served Abbott up with the letter and the information that he gave Robby about the teen that needed mifepristone. This character was kind of kept alive even though he wasn’t there. And so that’s why his impact is so strong.
TD: Once the mass casualty event begins, Abbott is back and Robby is trying to save the young girl’s life to no avail. What do you think Abbott makes of Dr. Robby in those moments since they have that bond and that relationship?
SH: It’s unexpected because he’s a guy who would normally know we need this blood. And so I think Abbott astutely recognizes, because he’s seen it before, a little bit of combat fatigue.
But I also, one of the things that is a theme in this for Robby is that this is an anniversary of the loss of Adamson, his mentor. So in that rooftop scene, Abbott says, “I’m surprised you’re here today,” or something along those lines. “You’re here today” because he knows that this day has significance to Robby. He doesn’t usually come in on this day. So it is a trigger for him. And I think Abbott does understand that maybe what he’s doing to this girl is really something deeper and uncovered on Robby’s end.
TD: And it’s also a small detail, but Abbott actually hears about the shooting on his police scanner. Do you think about little details like that, and when it comes to your performance and the creation of the character in your mind, past what the writers have already written?
SH: Yeah. I mean, the show is incredibly nuanced with the character work and you get these small glimpses of character point of view in very small doses but they have a way of really displaying with high frequency who these characters are and what their points of views are, which is one of the things that is, I think, why the show works so well. And when you have a line like that, it really does… it does a lot of the work without exposition. Illustrating who Abbott is, you kind of understand that he’s a combat medic. He’s at home after a rough shift, sitting there listening to it.
So it does create a channel, and I guess a little bit of mystery about what he’s doing in his off time. I look at it as he’s devoted to this work. He’s a guy that should probably be sleeping or playing golf or something, but he doesn’t relax well because, as he later says, “We are the bees that protect the hive.” It’s an interesting dynamic because in that first scene, he says, “I don’t know why I keep coming back here” because had that rough day with the vet, but we also, throughout the series, learned that he’s a combat medic. He’s got a very personal relationship with those types of people.
It means something to him. It’s way bigger than anything else. When you serve your country, these guys… you don’t leave any of them behind. So I appreciate that kind of writing from the writers, again, because I don’t have to explain who I am, and the audience just understands. And then, as we got to the end of the season, the end of our day, we learned that he was standing up on that roof on one leg. And then it really is an emotional punch to the audience and a surprise to the new members of the staff. And we see Abbott as a very fully formed character in that moment.
TD: Everything on the show is three-dimensional. Even the smallest moments bring out so much that you might not be expecting from them. Is there excitement on set to perform on a show that is so fast-paced?
SH: There is. The first time I had to, after Abbott comes back after the police… the line about the police scanner and when him and Robby are in front of the staff and walking them through the procedure of how they’re going to handle this mass casualty event, which they’ve planned for – that was terrifying first of all, because that was really my first big day in there and I had a lot of [medical jargon] and a lot of physical props that I had to kind of navigate, which it’s really my first time being in front of everybody and having to present as this very in command kind of guy without being rattled and deep in my heart I was shitting my pants.
So then we kind of go in, and the gurneys start rolling in, and I’m doing chest tubes and intubating and all of that kind of stuff, and the energy… First of all, we medical-rehearsed before the director comes and sees it. So all of the medical stuff is pretty well choreographed based on how it would actually happen. The tech will let us know. And I think it was a Friday when we started that stuff, and I remember going through it, and a gurney would come in, and then we would intubate and If we had to put a chest tube in, and then we would push a gurney out, and Noah’s in there, and he is coming over, and we’re lifting a body over and inspecting a bullet. I mean, it was just such… my heart was pounding. I felt like I was in it. And I went home that night, and I said to my wife, “I am buzzing. I cannot come down from this adrenaline rush.” I’ve not really had this feeling before working on something. It is so electric, and it is the realest I’ve ever felt doing anything as a performer. And it’s because of the style and how we try to get it as close to being real as possible.
TD: It’s funny you mentioned the electricity being as a performer because it was, of course, reported today in Deadline that you’ll also be stepping into the director’s chair for season two. And I was wondering what are you allowed to say about that so far?
SH: I don’t know. I still don’t know in terms of what the script is, but I… having experienced the work through Abbott’s eyes and as a performer, my perspective on it is unique. Whenever, and I can’t wait, I know Noah will be directing as well, and just having been on this side of it, having to deal with the medical parts, and there are just so many things that until you’ve actually been in front of the camera, you just don’t know.
And so, having that perspective, I can’t wait to get in there. And understanding the characters and being literally a fan of the show. Because remember, I was in one episode and I didn’t read any scripts. I kind of had to watch them with you guys. I’m like a fan as well. I forgot for 11 episodes that I wasn’t on the show, really. And I was like, “Oh, now I’m part of it.”
So I have become really protective of these characters, as we all are. We love them because they’re inherently good, and it is a world that is very divided, and they’re doing their job and saving people. So, just as a performer, I will have a lot to offer the beautiful ensemble, just because they will respect that I’ve been in their shoes. And that’s a unique position to be in as a director.
TD: Yeah, I’m excited for you too. It’s been since Animal Kingdom, since you’ve directed TV, right?
SH: Well, yeah. I did four of Animal Kingdom, and I also directed an episode of Rescue: HI-Surf, which was another one of John’s shows. And so yeah, it’s been… Well, I directed last year. So, you always, or at least for me, it’s a scary thing, directing. It can be, but that’s good. I think like anything that scares you, it scares me in the best possible way. It’s something that, since I was a young actor, I’ve wanted to do.
I’ve wanted to be a director, and the reasons for that are exactly what I was just talking about, because as a young kid, I was working on a project, and I was 12, 13, and the director… It was a commercial. So the notes come from a lot of different voices when you’re working on that kind of project. And I just remember being very confused, and the director didn’t know how to communicate with me to get me to do what he needed.
And it was around that time where I seriously thought, “Man, I wish I could do this” because actors have a language that they communicate in, and every actor’s process is different. And some directors will come in and treat all of them the same, but it’s a delicate thing to be vulnerable in front of people and doing things that are super challenging that we look very fluid, but it’s hard.
And so that kind of understanding and attention towards the performer is something that I’m very good at, and I’m excited. And of course, like I said, this world is something that I am very comfortable in having seen it through Abbott’s eyes, and also working with John and knowing the kind of… there are rules and ways to do things. And so I’m just excited to get to it.
TD: Well, just as a last question, does HBO know they could also get you as one additional role as a perfect social media manager because your TikToks are incredible.
SH: (laughs) Oh, man. I have fun with it. And there’s been this groundswell of support around both The Pitt and Animal Kingdom. It’s been a really special time to see people enjoying the work and work that I’m proud of. So when it comes to the social media aspects of it, I’ve always… I try not to take it too seriously and have fun. And so that’s another avenue that is bringing me a lot of joy.
Shawn Hatosy is Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the season finale episode “9:00 P.M.” of The Pitt.
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