When Taylor Dearden was cast as a trauma doctor on “The Pitt”, she had no idea she’d end up using blood splatter as blocking marks. But then again, very little about “The Pitt” follows the usual television playbook.
Created by John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill, “The Pitt” is set in a high-intensity hospital in Pittsburgh, where healthcare professionals deliver urgent care under extreme pressure. Alongside Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball, and Isa Briones, Dearden shines as Dr. Mel, a first-day resident whose quick thinking and emotional acuity have made her a breakout cast member.
With awards attention mounting and a second season already in the works, the show has quickly become a standout in the crowded TV drama landscape.
One of the most unexpected behind-the-scenes dynamics is how scenes are constructed. “What happens is actually the director steps out and the doctor steps in,” Dearden explained. “All of our trauma scenes, all the medical procedure scenes, a doctor does all the blocking.” That level of authenticity isn’t just for show—it gave the cast a living, breathing hospital to work inside, where the choreography of saving a life came instinctively.
That realism extended beyond the movements. What Dearden wasn’t expecting, though, was how real it all began to feel physically. “It doesn’t matter that it’s fake,” she said. “Our bodies were flooded with adrenaline. Our hearts are going crazy. It happened every single time.” Those intense, breathless scenes weren’t just performance—they created visceral reactions and a testament to how immersive the experience became.
The result is a show that feels electric, relentless, deeply human, and at the heart is Dearden’s performance as Dr. Mel, measured and decisive.
Taylor Dearden spoke with Awards Focus about the camaraderie built on medical mispronunciations, her pride in portraying a neurodivergent character without compromise, the overwhelming speed of production, and the unexpected joy of getting something exactly right.
Awards Focus: What’s been the most surprising thing to you about the reception of the show?
Taylor Dearden: I think it was yesterday or the day before, I had my mask on and my glasses that are tinted, and someone came up to me. In my head, I thought I looked like a superhero trying to disguise my identity. It was totally shocking to me.
AF: As you’ve reflected on the show and your experience on the first season, what stands out to you?
Dearden: I think something that’s always fun for actors, that I especially love, is when you get to learn a new skill for your job. I feel like I have become such a medical nerd. My whole family is texting me now, and it’s been such a cool experience to have learned something new that actually does carry over, as opposed to like, “Oh, I’m really good at knitting lace now.” But, you know, how often does that come up?
AF: When you stop thinking about it, that’s when it comes up.
Dearden: [laughs] Yeah.
AF: I would love to talk a bit about that accumulation of knowledge. Was there a boot camp for all the newcomers for the medical expertise, and to be able to understand the procedures and medical vernacular in the script?
Dearden: We had a bootcamp for the actual physically doing the things we do, but we didn’t have any like, here’s some basic Latin and Greek help for you. It definitely took us all by surprise, and we were wondering how we’ll say those words. It was tough, and it stayed tough. Noah would show off, and we’re like, “Oh, come on, man, you’re making us look bad.” He told us about one horribly long word from his days on “ER” that he had to take so much time to learn. He was in the shower, driving, putting gas in his car, just saying it over and over again, and he could still do it. And it was possibly the longest word I’ve ever heard.
AF: Was there time during production to look ahead at the upcoming episodes and have time to cover the techniques and pronunciation of medical terms?
Dearden: Not really, no. There were times when we would get the script a little late, which made it incredibly nerve-wracking. We did have a key in the front that had the phonetic pronunciation. I came in once, and I had the word. I got it, I said it over and over again, and I came in, I said it, and they went, “That’s not how it’s pronounced.” After having had so much time going over this one word and then having to completely trick my brain and go backwards, it was really tough, but it was also like, now I know how to see ‘Hemotympanum’.
AF: Did you initially self-tape for the role of Dr. Mel, and at what point were you meeting the rest of the cast?
Dearden: It started off with a self-tape, and then a lot of time passed for me. And apparently, we talked at the beginning of boot camp last year, and every single person had a completely different experience with casting. None of us had the same thing. I was asked for a producer’s session callback, and I was like “Wait, they believed me as a doctor? That’s wild.” And then I went in for the producer session at John Wells Company, and I went into a room, and it was Noah Wiley, John Wells, and Scott Gemmill. I did my reading with them, and that was kind of it. I heard later they were doing a test, and I’m so used to going in an auditorium with a bunch of people who don’t laugh or make noise and just judge you in the dark, but they were just showing my tapes again. I had never heard of that being a test before, and it turned out that a while after, I was just stepping on a plane to do a short film in Utah, and I got a phone call saying I got it. And I’m like, “They still bought me as a doctor?”
AF: What was the flow of production like in terms of blocking each scene and knowing where to hit your mark?
Dearden: It was tough, especially because we didn’t have marks. It actually got easier with the mass casualty scenes because I would use blood spots as my mark. I’d be like, “All right, the weird octopus-shaped one, that’s where I stop. Got it.” What happens is actually the director steps out and the doctor steps in. All of our trauma scenes, all the medical procedure scenes, a doctor does all the blocking. Then, the director steps in to see it. The director might ask the doctor, “Would it be possible for them to do this here?” And the doctor will say whether that makes sense. So, it is up to the doctor only to do those scenes. It’s pretty incredible, actually.
AF: How did that evolve over the season? Did it become more natural for you and the cast, from episode one to episode fifteen, to understand the movements of the procedures and the dynamics of the character’s role within that environment?
Dearden: For me, the format that they chose and the way they decided to film it and the way they decided to light it was a learning process. At the beginning, there were times when we’d be doing our procedures, and then I’d get a little bump on my head, and it was the camera. It was really trying to figure out this advanced choreography that was completely spur of the moment and changed constantly. It was bizarre because it works completely against what we’re used to. We’re so used to having exactly what you’re supposed to do, where you’re supposed to stand, knowing this happens here, and to have the more gorilla filmmaking was an adjustment.
Also, the lighting is in the ceiling, so it’s literally one take and to the next one. They adjust the lighting, they have an iPad, and all of the lights change on the ceiling. There’s no setting up lights, there’s no C-stands at all. It’s bizarre because you might get a note, and then you’re going again right away, and you’re like, “Yes, I will try and do this as fast as possible.” It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done or I’m sure anyone’s ever done. Even Noah, because I mean, how often are there no C-stands, no waiting for lights to be adjusted or anything?
AF: It doesn’t sound like a regular set or that there was a way to switch off from the hospital environment.
Dearden: There was something that happened that I felt I should have anticipated, but it did take me by surprise. Whenever we did any of the trauma scenes, adrenaline was released from our bodies, and so it doesn’t matter that it’s fake. Our bodies were flooded with adrenaline. Our hearts are going crazy. It’ll be a cut, and you’re just like buzzing. It happened every single time. I remember the first time it was episode two or three. Gerran [Howell] had never done a trauma scene yet. I told him adrenaline’s going to get released and it’s going to be very real, and to take it easy on himself, and as soon as the first take was over, he came back to me and was like, “Why is this happening?”
There were times, too, like in the moment when Dr. Mel high-fived Robbie and Nurse Jesse. The first few times I did it, I was buzzing so much that I leapt in the air. I had a crazy vertical jump and a high five. I remember the director being like, “You’re not that excited.” I was just buzzing and having to calm down is hard when your body responds the way it does.
AF: What kind of support was provided for you and the other cast members for those kinds of physiological responses?
Dearden: I think it took us by such surprise because, normally, the way a day goes, there are enough little breaks in between that your body measures itself out and it allows you to fake the adrenaline. But because it happened so fast, we couldn’t. I think season two will be different because I don’t think I had a way to explain it to anyone else at the time. It was just feeling like I was sweating a lot and shaking. I couldn’t figure out what was going on until enough time had passed, and I was like, “Oh, it’s adrenaline.” So, we all found ourselves completely drained and exhausted after every day.
AF: In what ways do you think playing Mel has had an impact on you?
Dearden: Being neurodivergent, it is so rare to see in media or in our real lives that we can do extraordinary things, or that it’s acknowledged that we’re doing extraordinary things. For me, successfully cleaning a room is a huge deal. What happens is I’ll clean my room, and then I’ll just be down on myself for how long it took. Not being able to do it sooner, and just never celebrating the things that are actually hard. And I think getting to have all of the neurodivergence that I have, to see that it can be a superpower and acknowledged by others, is really effective.