Interview: Fiona Dourif on Going Back Into ‘The Pitt’ and What’s Next for McKay
Fiona Dourif is feeling a bit more confident on her emergency room agility. After being thrown into medical bootcamp for season one of the Emmy-winning drama series The Pitt last year, for the actress, who plays Dr. Cassie McKay on the show, the learning curve has definitely leaned in her favor now. With a host of new cast members joining the new season (which begins January 7), Dourif was even able to be a go to for the newbies as their curve just began.
The actress broke out on HBO’s Deadwood, working both in front of and behind the camera, was a highlight on True Blood and The Blacklist, and was also in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, among other films. Horror fans will recognize her from the Chucky franchise, one of many times she’s been able to work with her father, Brad Dourif, famous as the voice of Chucky himself and a guest star on the first season of The Pitt.
In season two, the Pittsburgh ER is 10 months past the tragedy of Pitt Fest but the scars are still there. For McKay, who last season was going through it; arrested on the ER floor, ankle bracelets, a custody battle and more, the time has begun to give McKay a new lease on life and maybe even some romance on the horizon.
I talked with Dourif ahead of this week’s premiere about the changes McKay has made since season one, her character-centered stories this year and who her dream guest star for the show would be.
Erik Anderson: I wanted to ask you first about being a segment producer with The History Channel and TLC.
Fiona Dourif: Oh my God. You did your homework.
EA: I want to know how did that prepare you for the path that your career would take and where you are now?
FD: It was incredibly interesting work. So I started as a researcher and then was competent enough that was able to pretty quickly put shoots together. But I remember I worked on a show. I was 24 or something. They’d be like, all right, so if a spaceship… This was the concept I worked on. If a spaceship was real, what’s the baseline physics that would make it move? And so I was a 24-year-old kid like compiling binders and getting in touch with scientists that actually knew what they were talking about and trying to put that together, which is incredibly… I’m a curious person, so it was very cool, very cool work. But I remember I had moved back to Los Angeles and I remember I had been a PA on Deadwood and had taken my first adult acting class. And I remember making this decision when I was 25, which was I could go the kind of frightening big swing route or I could do this other intellectually interesting less brave thing, less brave for me.
I remember making the decision on courage. I was like, I think I just have to do the thing that’s scarier just for me. And then it took me a very long time. I mean, I was waiting tables and mopping barroom floors until I was 33. I started working really young and it was like, what, 18 years or something I worked in the service. I’m a great tipper. And actually minus those two years when I was working for Chaos Productions. But yeah, they’re unconnected, but there was a fork in the path, fork in the road, and I chose the long one.
EA: And you did Deadwood as a performer, but also as a PA.
FD: I was a PA. I mean, I was like whore number three.
EA: I know. Oh God, what was your name? Chez Ami?
FD: Whore (laughs).
EA: (laughs) Chez Ami Whore. I mean, come on. What a great resume name though.
FD: I mean, I thought whore number three is the funnier name, but Chez Ami Whore. Way to ruin it. (laughs)
EA: I did a lot of extra work back in the day and one of them was doing… I was nameless, but my primary interactions on one film were with ‘Whore Number Two.’ That’s how it works. That’s how the business is.
FD: That’s how it is. It’s good to have gotten people coffee and been background because you kind of just appreciate the whole mechanism a little bit more.
EA: Very much. I was obsessed during that period of doing background work. I loved every second of it.
FD: You did?
EA: I did. Even though it was hurry up and wait, 16-hour days and shooting for 30 minutes or whatever. But boy, yeah, it gave me just so much detail and information to be able to have a little bit on now both sides of what I do.
FD: Yeah, big time.
EA: I loved it. I loved it.
FD: Yeah.
EA: Let’s dig in-
FD: Please.
EA: To season two because it’s been 10 months since Pitt Fest and McKay was certainly having a very tough time getting arrested, hyper-stressed. What have the last 10 months been like for McKay? And as the person that plays her, did you fill that in to help who she is in season two?
FD: Oh, yes. I mean, my favorite thing about acting is the filling in backstory. I write pages and pages and pages, and until I write it down, it doesn’t feel developed. It’s like a dear diary. Yeah, season two, we meet McKay, her life is actually more settled. I mean, the custody situation has resolved itself. The ankle monitor is off, and she is sort of more present. And like the other doctors, she’s dealing with the aftermath of watching all of that death and all of that suffering. I mean, I think the mass casualty has really taken a toll on everybody.
And I think McKay, along with most of the doctors, it’s sort of like a journey of self-care season two. So I think she’s starting to turn inward and ask… It’s pretty existential questions like, what do I want my life to look like when I die? What is my life filled with actually? How many years am I going to simply take care of other people, both in the hospital, then at home with my son? When is the next time I’m going to have sex for God’s sake? It’s a cool journey. And also, I think it’s a journey that’s reflected with a lot of working women who 10 years can pass like that. So it’s cool. It feels like something I should pay attention to also for imitating life. Yeah.
EA: I love that you mentioned that because I’ve seen eight episodes.
FD: Oh my God, you know-
EA: I know, but that’s only half. We haven’t even really gotten to nighttime yet. But in those, you have these two patients which give you the two storylines that you just mentioned where it is with Michael Nouri, who is so wonderful and talking about his very vibrant love life. And you have this patient that is really trying to get with you, and then you have this ‘I think I need to get laid’ moment. It’s great. And that really kind of happens for you. I love that.
FD: Yeah, it was lovely that they wrote that for the woman in her forties, I thought, because it would be so easy to go with a young sort of more fresh-faced character. Yeah, it also felt like, I think, probably the most vulnerable moment I’ve ever performed on The Pitt because I remember shooting it when I have to turn around and ask the guy out. And I remember my heart pounding because it is something that I feel like the fear of rejection is a full body shake, that type of rejection because it really kind of cuts to the core. It’s like, am I worth it? So it was fun to play that scene and also to be whipped around and twirled by Michael Nouri. I mean, I felt like I was in Dirty Dancing for goodness sake.
EA: It was lovely. And then at the same time, you do have this parallel story of a married woman with children in hospice and the choices that have to be made for that. I don’t want to spoil, we’re just really kind of talking, talking, talking. They have this moment, I think, in what you’re saying where these parallels sort of intersect a little bit. And yeah, it is for a woman that is in her forties and this cast is Gen Z and millennials and Gen X and everything in between. It’s a different side of McKay than we have gotten to see before.
FD: I haven’t seen it, so you’re lucky. But yeah, I think that storyline, I think it was a very existential journey for McKay. I mean, that’s how it felt shooting it. It’s watching somebody who is my age who has a son my son’s age, who could be me, but for the grace of God, and watching her at the end of her life. And watching the love of the family and the companionship and the loyalty and all of that play out in front of you, I think it does, certainly just even as the actress watching it, I thought to myself often how fleeting it all is and what’s going to matter when you’re on your deathbed. And I don’t think it’s the film you made.
EA: Very much so. I was wondering how long it takes to shoot a single episode. I imagine it is shot chronologically.
FD: We shoot chronologically, which is unheard of, absolutely unheard of and is so wonderful for the actors because we know exactly where we’ve been. None of it is confusing. Each episode is nine shooting days, so it’s just under two weeks, and we run like clockwork. I mean, we have it extremely down. It feels like this ant farm organism where everybody knows what to do. It’s sort of seamless. There was not a lot of production in Los Angeles. So John Wells, and that’s also John Wells, he was able to just get the best in every department. And everybody’s very chill, which is another thing that comes with I think people who are really good at their job is there’s just no drama. Yeah, it’s such a beautiful thing to be a part of. I can’t even believe I got this lucky.
EA: So in season one, everyone went to their medical bootcamp and was learning language and CPR. And so I have a two-part question. Do you feel more seasoned and comfortable with the language and the actions now? And you also have all of these new people that were in your position a year ago. How have they integrated?
FD: I think I do feel more seasoned. I feel like I know what to expect. And it really feels like we all sort of made something that worked together. So there’s some confidence that comes from that. The new people, Joy and Ogilvy and Emma, those are all the character names, but they were really… Oh, and also Dr. Al Hashimi.
EA: Yes.
FD: I think everybody was really excited to be there. And so there was a lot of preparation by all of them. Everybody came in very prepared, and then it was sort of off to the races. I mean, I think it’s always a little bit harder to not be there from the beginning, but yeah, they slipped right in. And it’s a big cast, so it’s easier to meld your way in.
EA: Speaking of that, because it’s an ensemble and you don’t always get to work with every person, is there anyone that you, in future episodes or seasons, would like to have more story time with?
FD: I mean, I think that McKay and Langdon have a potential for some more interaction just because we’re coming from such a similar place and we’re closer in age than the other characters. And then Taylor Dearden, Mel, I just love her performance and I’ve gotten to know Taylor better this year, and I think that that would be a really fun, kind of opposite mirrored. She’s quite sheltered, but lonely in the same way I think McKay is. So I think there’s some meat there too.
EA: Definitely. And Mel has her own flirtation thing that happens, which turns out a little differently. But yeah, I think McKay and Langdon are a good duo because there are not a lot of people that have been very welcoming to Langdon’s return. So maybe, we’ll see. We’ll see.
FD: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, I think he’s had it pretty hard.
EA: Yeah.
FD: Yeah, but McKay knows what’s up.
EA: Yeah, I think so too. So your dad got to guest star on season one, and that had to be wonderful to get to work with him again because you have a few times.
FD: Yes.
EA: Is there anybody that you have on a wishlist that you would love to guest on the show?
FD: God, are you kidding? I saw this really good movie yesterday, Dust Bunny, that nobody’s heard of, but it’s with Mads Mikkelson and Sigourney Weaver. Watching Mads Mikkelson and I think he’s such an interesting actor and such an interesting face. He sort of looks like… I don’t know. He looks like he could be a revolutionary war re-enactor. I would love to have Mads Mikkelson.
EA: I love that. I can see the machinations there, so we’ll have to get that to John Wells.
FD: Imagine him and Robbie talking to each other. Who wins that fight? I’m unsure.
EA: We’ll see. Well, it depends on what happens with Robbie after this because his plans might be… I don’t know. We’ll see.
FD: It gets wilder. He’s got a journey this season.
EA: Oh my God. Speaking of that, I want to close with-
FD: Oh, no.
EA: You’re kind of notoriously the Tom Holland of The Pitt revealing trailers and spoilers and things.
FD: (laughs)
EA: One, can you be trusted with highly sensitive material? And two, what can you-
FD: Obviously not. The answer’s obviously not. (laughs)
EA: I did see your Instagram the other day where you specifically said, “It’s okay for me to post this.”
FD: (laughs) Swear to God. I swear to God, I have permission.
EA: That was the best. That was amazing.
FD: (laughs) I can sometimes be a boomer. I just didn’t read the email carefully. And then I try not to keep my phone on me, so I didn’t read the email and I was like, oh, I’ve got to do this thing. And I did it. And then I walked a dog and I came home to 47 phone calls. I was like, oh, I’m so sorry. And then it was already everywhere. There was no-
EA: Yeah, it was great. I was talking to Patrick [Ball] the other day and I said, “I’ve seen six episodes. It’s looking great.” He’s like, “Don’t spoil me. I’ve only seen one.”
FD: Yeah, it’s the same. It’s the same. (laughs)
EA: Yeah, you’re in it. You’re not on the outside looking at it yet.
FD: And also, it’s really hard to remember what happens. You have to remind me who my patients are. I mean, I remember the big ones and the tumor with Derek Cecil was-
EA: Yeah.
FD: That was, I think, a real life story that happened to one of the writers. And then of course, Roxy.
EA: Yeah.
FD: That cancer.
EA: My goodness. Yeah, that is a storyline. I think this is the storyline that’s going to have the impact that last year’s did with the young guy in season one.
FD: Brutal.
EA: The march through the hall. That was incredible. And I think this has the feeling of that, that this is-
FD: Oh, good. Yeah.
EA: This is what’s going to connect us.
FD: I mean, it was extraordinarily exhausting to shoot. And I felt like there was really beautiful actors playing something that was very grounded.
EA: It’s beautiful. And I really love seeing McKay go from who she is in season one to season two.
FD: Thank you so much.
EA: Fiona, this was so nice. Thank you for taking time.
FD: Oh, I appreciate it. You have a great day. Thank you.
The 15-episode season two of The Pitt begins streaming weekly on HBO Max January 7.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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