One of many extra unruffled characters on Max’s The Pitt is Dr. Cassie McKay, a second-year resident who’s life expertise (and unlucky skeletons) make her an easy-to-like standout within the emergency room.
Right here, journeyman actor Fiona Dourif — whose earlier credit on the small display have included Chucky, The Blacklist and The Purge — talks about taking part in a doc who turns heads for her bedside method and the digital bracelet round her ankle.
DEADLINE How would you describe Dr. McKay?
FIONA DOURIF I feel one of many issues that differentiates McKay is that there was this hole in between highschool and school and medical college the place she made a number of unhealthy selections and acquired herself in a number of locations which can be just a little questionable and scary. So there’s been this wealth of life expertise that makes her a contact unflappable. Possibly it’s just a little little bit of knowledge. She has a contact of empathy for folks in tough conditions as a result of she appears like she’s been there.
DEADLINE She’s undoubtedly older than the children operating round, proper?
DOURIF Sure. She’s a 42-year-old second-year resident. So it will be like her sixth yr.
DEADLINE How did this function first discover you?
DOURIF I used to be really in Europe on the time, and when the audition got here in and I learn the bio, I believed to myself, I’m a model of that character. I acquired a name a couple of week later saying that they had been and that I wanted to fly again to LA for the audition course of. I keep in mind all these good issues had been taking place on the airport. This girl picked me out of line and had me go as much as the entrance. It was only a bizarre, charmed 15-hour flight. No one sat subsequent to me. After which as soon as we had been forged, I used to be introduced in they usually gave us a backstory, which was about three paragraphs of what they thought my life was. They did this for every character, the place we got here from. It was so near my precise life. In order that’s good.
DEADLINE What did you make of the set-up once you first got here on set, that you simply and the others had been going to be on this one room for a number of weeks?
DOURIF A number of months! Eight months. It doesn’t really feel like a daily TV present. It doesn’t really feel like something I’ve ever carried out earlier than. There’s probably not an infrastructure there to make you are feeling tremendous snug or one which treats one individual higher than one other. It’s all very favored nations. You go in, you alter into your scrubs, you get fundamental hair and make-up, and then you definitely stroll into this set, which is a hospital with no breakaway partitions like a ceiling. It simply seems such as you’re strolling right into a hospital and also you don’t actually have time to return to a dressing room or something as a result of there’s probably not a lot lighting for every setup. We shoot so as. It feels very very like a play. There are such a lot of characters in every shot behind you and in entrance of you, and the digicam’s whipping round so you possibly can’t actually cease in the course of a take.
DEADLINE Apart from Noah Wyle, this was a forged of largely unknowns. Did you marvel if it was going to be a sluggish construct?
DOURIF I by no means suppose something nice goes to occur to me. I imply, I knew that the present was completely different and I knew that the present was good, however I couldn’t think about having gotten this fortunate. It’s simply the entire thing felt like I gained some form of loopy lottery later in my profession, which doesn’t normally occur. I imply, I used to be 42 once I was forged in undoubtedly the largest function of my life. So I’ve waited a number of tables in my life and carried out a number of visitor stars so I felt very conscious of how particular the present is. When John Wells screened the primary episode for everyone, it was clear that we had been making one thing particular.
DEADLINE So it appeared early on for McKay that maybe you rubbed Noah Wyle’s Robby the fallacious manner and there may very well be rigidity. Does that proceed?
DOURIF I feel the primary feeling Cassie has of Robby is admiration, to be sincere. I feel that he was dragging his ft on making a call concerning the suspected shooter, which was irritating. I feel folks can have blind spots and he was having a blind spot concerning the potential menace and the implications if we acquired this fallacious. However he additionally took duty for it. And proper towards the tip of the mass capturing, it turns into clear that his adopted stepson was there. Watching someone who feels just like the spine of the hospital get examined to that diploma was truthfully unnerving for everyone. I feel it was true for many of us, we glance as much as Noah Wyle. He’s extremely gracious, but additionally his efficiency is simply so easy. We additionally look as much as Robby.
DEADLINE Why is it necessary to point out what’s taking place at residence for McKay?
DOURIF I feel the themes that we discover with McKay are the challenges of constructing it by yourself. She has not been coddled in her life and he or she’s made unhealthy selections and remains to be coping with the repercussions of them. It’s form of her power as a health care provider. However it’s all fairly embarrassing. I don’t suppose she would discuss it. The first feeling that I used to be get whereas performing is that it’s identical to humiliation. It’s so embarrassing that I might get to a place the place I must put on an ankle monitor after which to be in relationship with a man-child who thinks that I nonetheless wrestle with habit. The entire thing is sort of humiliating.
DEADLINE There hasn’t been a transparent clarification on your ankle monitor, proper?
DOURIF It’s very clear to me. However it’s left just a little bit to your creativeness.
DEADLINE Will we ever study?
DOURIF Possibly. I feel there’s a number of room for extra discovery. I’m curious the place they take it in season two.
DEADLINE The mass casualties have resulted in a heck of a number of blood and gore in that area. Any probability it made you are feeling just a little queasy?
DOURIF No. I’ve a number of historical past with taking part in serial killers in very bloody conditions, in order that half felt very regular. I really feel like I’ve spent my thirties lined in pretend blood. The first expertise was how each single individual within the forged was there from 6 AM to six PM day by day. We reported for work and we had been all within the background of one another’s scenes. So it felt overwhelming and tiring in a manner that type of helped the efficiency. It’s additionally a fairly joyful set. All people actually likes one another and there’s no egos flying round.
DEADLINE Have you ever been mistaken for a health care provider whereas out and about within the wild?
DOURIF I’m getting a number of strangers on the road coming as much as me and being like, ‘Did we go to highschool collectively? The place are you from?’ I don’t know learn how to deal with it. I don’t need to be like, ‘I’m an actor.’ I do really feel like I might intubate someone since I’ve carried out it so many instances. I’m right here for you, guys.
