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The Pitt’s Katherine LaNasa relied on some of the most difficult moments of her personal life to help bring her beloved character Dana to life — including her battle with breast cancer.
“When I had cancer, I was really surprised at how kind the nurses were to me in that hospital and — and just in general, everyone at Piedmont in Atlanta [were] incredibly kind and it mattered so much,” LaNasa, 59, exclusively told Us on Wednesday, September 9, while discussing her new partnership with Novartis on the “Your Attention, Please” campaign to encourage women to prioritize their health via annual screenings and with the knowledge that early detection can save lives.
“All the little details mattered, whether they brought you a warm blanket before a screening or if they really took the time that maybe,” she continued. “Maybe the doctor took extra time to explain what was happening, [or] another nurse took extra time to explain what was happening. All those little considerations and those moments of compassion mattered so much.”
LeNasa was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in February 2023, writing in an essay for Women’s Health that her diagnosis “hit her like a ton of bricks.” She subsequently underwent surgery and three weeks of daily radiation treatments, suffering some complications and making several visits to the emergency room before she was diagnosed cancer-free.
“I was able to bring that into Dana — that knowledge. And also, I was really connected with how scary it is going into the hospital when you’re getting radiation,” she told Us. “You’re going to the hospital regularly, and so I got to be in touch with what it felt like to be a patient. I think that informed the way I played Dana as well.”
Fans met LaNasa’s tough-love matriarch and charge nurse Dana during the hit HBO series’ January 9, 2025, debut. The Pitt follows a group of employees at a fictional Pittsburgh hospital’s ER working a single 15-hour shift — one hour per episode.
In addition to Dana, the series is led by Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle), Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball), Dr. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh), Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif), Dr. King (Taylor Dearden), Dr. Santos (Isa Briones), Dr. Whitaker (Gerran Howell) and Javadi (Shabana Azeez). (Ganesh has since left the series.)
LaNasa’s character steers the ship as the staff navigate the various ups and downs of emergency care, including a pediatric drowning death, a mass shooting, fentanyl overdoses, ICE raids and more. Dana is physically attacked by a disgruntled patient in season 1, administers a rape kit and spars with Dr. Robby as he battles PTSD.
The actress told Us that it was her experience fighting cancer that made it possible for her to play such a versatile character who is strong, steadfast and no-nonsense yet soft enough to retain her humanity through it all.
“The ‘both sides’ of [my cancer battle] really helped me play the character,” she explained. “I don’t think I would have been able to play this part in this way and to know how to do it if I hadn’t had that experience.”
LaNasa’s willingness to revisit a difficult time in her life has certainly paid off — she took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in September 2025 for her portrayal.
“[It’s an] incredible silver lining,” she says of her ability to play Dana. “I didn’t know it until I got to the set. And it was this big hospital set. Our set is incredibly immersive — it feels very, very real. There’s no end to it. You walk in and it is literally like you’re on the floor of an emergency department. And I was like, “Oh wow, okay.’ It made me feel a little bit stressed, but it also just clicked right then.”
She added, “Like, ‘Oh my god, this is what I’ve been doing. I’ve been going to the hospital. Yeah, I’m really familiar with this.” And it helps so much.”
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, will air live on Monday, September 14, at 8 pm ET/5pm PT. You can watch live on NBC or stream it live and on-demand on Peacock.
Season 1 and 2 of The Pitt are streaming now on HBO Max.
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