Posted in: Max, TV | Tagged: The Pitt

The Pitt Star Noah Wyle On Why Show Avoids Casting High-Profile Actors

Though not closed off to the idea, The Pitt star/EP Noah Wyle explains why they're not looking to bring on high-profile actors to appear.

HBO Max, EP John Wells, and series creator R. Scott Gemmill's Noah Wyle-starring and executive-producing medical drama The Pitt is a hit. That's just a fact. The streaming numbers, postive reviews, and Emmy nominations don't lie. With that kind of success comes some serious attention, including big-name actors who wouldn't mind making an appearance on one of the best shows of 2025. During an interview with Variety, Wyle praised casting director Cathy Sandrich for the team that was brought together for the streaming series. Though he's open to the idea of bringing in a big name,"if there's a role that requires somebody that has some real gravitas, that requires bringing somebody that would have a frame of reference," Wyle stresses that its the storylines and the characters who matter first and foremost.

"The success of this show has brought to our awareness that there's some really high-profile actors that would love to come on our show, and it's super tempting to want to go after them, but you run the risk of it being a little distracting," Wyle explained. "One of the great things about Cathy Sandrich, our casting director, is she brings in these people that you may know that work, but you don't necessarily bring their intended baggage to the role that they're playing for us; you're able to believe them totally in the situation that we're presenting. I feel like that's a model that's worth playing out as long as we can."

The Pitt Star Noah Wyle on How They're Appproaching Season 2

During an interview with Variety shortly after the season finale dropped, Wyle shared what it was like approaching a character for a second season after "you leave it all on the floor" during the first season, now knowing if Season 2 would become a reality. "That's a funny thing when you don't think you're going to do a second season; you leave it all on the floor in the first season. Then you suddenly go, 'Oh, my God. OK, life continues. So what do we do now?' The best way to answer that is to recognize that, in a perfect world, this show goes several seasons, so we don't have to rush this process. The responsibility is now on us to say, 'Where would these people be nine months later?' And answer that honestly and thoughtfully," he explained.

In terms of what Dr. Robby learned about himself, Wyle has a pretty clear understanding of what his character will confront immediately after the season's final episode. "He's going to go home after episode 15, drink that other beer, probably something else, so he can fall asleep, and he's going to wake up the next morning and no longer be able to pretend to himself that he doesn't need help," he revealed. "He can maybe pretend to a couple of people, but not for very long. So, even in a performative way, he's going to have to start exploring what different modalities are available and seeing which ones have resonance."

Of course, realizing he needed help was one major hurdle for Dr. Robby to clear, but seeing how he tries to make that happen – and self-sabotage along the way – is an aspect of his character's growth that Wyle is looking forward to tackling. "I'm really interested in the exploration of somebody who now wants to get help but is their own worst enemy in embracing it. He'll be devil's advocate. He'll try to shoot theories and holes in anything, but inadvertently, he'll find some kind of ladder, and in doing so, I hope that we are able to show a range of modalities of treatment, a range of options that people can make use of," he explained.

Joining Wyle (Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch) for the streaming series are Tracey Ifeachor (Dr. Collins), Patrick Marron Ball (Dr. Langdon), Supriya Ganesh (Dr. Mohan), Fiona Dourif (Dr. McKay), Taylor Dearden (Dr. King), Isa Briones (Dr. Santos), Gerran Howell (Whitaker), Shabana Azeez (Javadi), and Katherine LaNasa (Dana Evans). HBO's The Deuce star Sepideh Moafi has joined the cast for the second season in the series regular role of an attending physician in emergency medicine. In addition, Charles Baker (Breaking Bad), Irene Choi (Insatiable), Laëtitia Hollard (Trauma), Lucas Iverson (Shakespeare Theatre Co.'s Frankenstein), and Lawrence Robinson (Sistas) have been tapped for recurring roles.

Baker's Troy is "an unhoused man forgotten by most, and a patient in the ED." Choi's Joy is "a third-year medical student with strong boundaries and a vast knowledge of medicine that leans toward the macabre." Hollard's Emma is "a recent nursing school graduate who some may consider naive." Iverson's James is "a fourth-year medical student." Robinson's Brian Hancock is "a sweet, charming, and kind-hearted patient who turns a soccer injury into a possible meet-cute with one of the doctors" over what's expected to be the Fourth of July weekend.

Max's The Pitt is a co-production with Sky Studios, produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where JWP is under an overall deal. R. Scott Gemmill will write the first episode and executive produce the series alongside Noah Wyle (ER, "The Librarian" franchise, Falling Skies), Emmy-winner John Wells (Animal Kingdom, Shameless, The West Wing, ER) and JWP's Erin Jontow (Emperor Of Ocean Park, Rescue: HI-Surf, Maid), Simran Baidwan (Manifest, Ordinary Joe, The Good Doctor, Chicago Med), and Michael Hissrich (Shameless, The West Wing, Third Watch).

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