Posted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: The Pitt

The Pitt Star Fiona Dourif Discusses Season 3, Robby, Roxie & More

The Pitt star Fiona Dourif discusses her journey as McKay, her terminal cancer patient Roxie, Robby, Season 3 themes, and much more.

When it comes to the tireless staff working at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, the focus of The Pitt is a natural exercise in catharsis, especially when doctors and nurses try their best not to form any deep attachments with their patients, but like in real life, to deny their feelings is to deny their humanity. As part of the ensemble cast, Fiona Dourif has had her share of heartbreaking moments as Dr. Cassie McKay in the R. Scott Gemmill-created series. Speaking with TV Line, Dourif discussed McKay's relationship with her boss, Dr. Michael "Robby" Rabinovich (Noah Wyle), her regret at not being there for her terminal cancer patient, Roxie (Brittany Allen), in her final moments, and some of the themes of the third season.

The Pitt Star Fiona Dourif Reflects on Dr. McKay's Season 2 Moments and Teases Season 3

As far as Dourif's thoughts on how The Pitt captures the doctor-patient experience of how every lost patient becomes soul-sucking, "I think that happens in the medical field, yeah. I mean, I think part of what 'The Pitt' is really trying to do is tell the actual story of what it's like to be in this position," she said. "In order to make it exciting television, it's like an entire career in one shift. A real day in the ER can include much more downtime. But the coolest and most unexpected turn of this job is just getting to know so many actual doctors. Walking around in my life, doctors talk to me all the time now. It's wild how many actual medical professionals watch the show, and then they feel like they want to approach me and say something, and it's been lovely, and I hope they continue to do it."

When it came to McKay and Roxie's interaction with her family, mortality, and faith, "You know, I don't mean to be too self-serious, but the experience of showing up that day to shoot it felt a little bit like I imagine church does. Like, there's something that's special and delicate," Dourif said. "I try to approach almost every scene on this show as not really being about me. It's about the person I'm talking to, and who is going through this pivotal moment in their life. That's how I approached it, and then just let the whole thing hit me as truthfully and in the moment as I could. The writing is so good that you can do that. I didn't want to over-prepare. I didn't need to. Brittany is such a beautiful actress, and I think part of what they were doing there was showing Cassie's own mortality, because it's a person who's my age, and has a kid my kid's age. There is no justifiable reason why her body is breaking down, and mine is not. The whole thing was existential and really interesting. I think it affected both me and Brittany in the same way. We didn't want to do it too many times. I felt very protective of her, and the set is really good at protecting the actual work and the actors. It feels like a very special thing to do with your life, like church."

As far as Robby's self-destructive path going on his motorcycle sabbatical to get away from his stress and how McKay can relate given her dark turns on her path to sobriety, "Oh no, I think that comes from Cassie's life. Cassie took a lot of twists and turns before she hit rock bottom in her late 20s/early 30s, and then got her life together and made the decision to get into medical school much later. I mean, she's 10-15 years older than the other residents, right? That thing that she sees — that recklessness and potential for self-destruction — I think she understands it, or she thinks she understands it, more than he does. Like, 'Are you aware of what you're doing? Are you conscious of what you're feeling?' It's just a road she's been down. It's a road I've been down, actually. I understood it completely," Dourif said. "In those situations, you can make decisions you don't come back from, which is something that I have seen in people very close to me. I have also experimented with those periods of time in my life and luckily made decisions that I could come back from. I think it's part of the reason I was hired for Cassie. There have been these life experiences that feel very close to what they were looking for in the character, so it was just this kismet thing. But yeah, I understood it perfectly."

As far as what little she can share about season three, "…There is one particular theme that's going to be explored with Season 3 that is quite personal to me, and is exciting and scary and cool," Dourif said adding what she learned as McKay from last season going in, "Though this wasn't obvious or written in, but by the time I wrapped Season 2, I was aware that there is a yearning — this unspecified yearning that colors her life and that, again, I relate to. I think it's pretty common, but it wasn't something that I had initially read into her. I think it's a yearning for meaning and intimacy and relationships, and very human things."

For more on Dourif talking about McKay-Roxie, Piper, shutting down emotions, and more, you can check out the entire interview.

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