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The women at the center of The Pitt spoke out about how the show has addressed Robby’s sexism and other problematic behavior.
Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Shabana Azeez and Sepideh Moafi took part in a joint interview for The Wrap on Monday, June 15, where they weighed in on how Noah Wyle‘s character, Robby, has allowed for a larger conversation about how women are treated in the workplace.
“I noticed the whole time, and there are conversations I had with other cast members being like, ‘Wow, OK.’ We’re not in the writers’ room. We don’t know exactly what they were thinking or wanting to show,” Dearden, 33, who plays Mel King, recalled about how Robby interacts with women on screen.
Dearden noted the response Robby has gotten, adding, “If it wasn’t purposeful, then it’s like, ‘Hey! Notice the feedback?’ That’s really good for everyone to know that this is also what sexism looks like. It doesn’t have to be someone who hates women.”
While Dearden wasn’t sure how intentional those scenes were, she was glad a conversation was started.
“If it was purposeful, then what a great way to show a fallible character, someone that you love also being a f***ed-up person and having really, really bad ideas in his head,” she continued. “At least from my perspective, Robby’s whole journey this season, this guy’s brain is not working the way it should. It’s showing what depression and PTSD look like.”
Season 2 of The Pitt was a rough journey for Robby, who faced backlash on social media for the way he addressed issues with his female employees compared to their male counterparts. Moafi, 40, pointed to a key scene when her character, Baran Al-Hashimi, disclosed her epilepsy to Robby.
“People with disabilities, specifically physicians who have disabilities or carry chronic health conditions, including epilepsy — that was deeply moving for me, because even though they are legally protected by the ADA, they still are discriminated against,” she explained. “We saw Robby’s response [to her epilepsy] being kind of problematic and ableist, and that’s something that they face throughout their career.”
She added: “I was very moved by how much it meant to people. Every message that I’ve received I keep, whether it’s by mail or online or on the street, or whatever. It’s really beautiful.”
Wyle, 55, meanwhile, previously recalled viewers being divided on some of the story lines on The Pitt — including Robby’s scenes with Ganesh’s Samira Mohan.
“I’m less honed in than you would think,” he told ScreenRant in May. “But I do have children who keep me very aware of what most people are saying.”
Wyle heard about some of the feedback on social media.
“My son calls me and goes, ‘Dad, America is really mad at you. You’ve got to stop yelling at Mohan,’” he quipped. “Or, ‘Dad, everybody’s really worried about you. They think you’re going to kill yourself.’ So that’s usually how I get my feedback.”
The Pitt has been renewed for season 3 on HBO Max.
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