Interview: Shawn Hatosy on Being Present in ‘The Pitt’

If there are no small parts and only small actors, then Shawn Hatosy is a titan. Though no stranger to TV screens, the veteran actor left an indelible mark on HBO Max’s hit medical drama The Pitt as fan favorite Doctor Jack Abbot.

“Abbot doesn’t have a lot of words or screen time, but because of the way the writers drew him in that first scene on the roof…all of that is a masterclass,” Hatosy says about the role. “We’ve not seen Abbot for eleven episodes, but when he shows up the writers have kept the balls juggling in the air…..It’s welcoming to see him show up because the audience and Doctor Robby know that we need him.”

Screen time aside, Dr. Abbot ushered in a wave of online fervor from fans. “It’s hard to say what I make of it,” he admits. “I do think it is a character that I really love…. His footprint is small but it has landed in a substantial way again because I think it’s expertly drawn. I think also there’s something very understated and real about him.”

As expertly drawn as the character is, there were moments during shooting where Hatosy had to surrender and be present. Filming of both the now-iconic scenes on the roof of the hospital with Doctor Robby (Noah Wyle) occurred in the middle of production, which meant that Hatosy had no context as to how Robby ended up on the roof to begin with.

“The spontaneity of it, being there with Noah who was so locked in, having somebody like John [Wells] behind the camera, I just accepted it as it was on the page,” he recalls. “It became one of those scenes where planning wasn’t part of the prep and it was just sort of truth and…being present.”

In fact, Hatosy’s experience with The Pitt mirrored the experience of fans. “Until I saw it on the air, I didn’t know that Robby read that letter, I didn’t know that there was this whole story that occurred,” he explains. “I kind of forgot I was on the show for ten episodes. I became a fan. It was exciting, I got to go through it with the audience in the same way.”

The Pitt also marks “a full circle moment” for Hatosy as the latest in a long line of collaborations between him and director Wells. “…I auditioned as a guest star for E.R. in 2006. I ended up getting the role and he directed it and it was a great character…. And since then, we’ve gone on to make some television that I’m pretty damn proud of…. Having somebody like John… in your corner, backing you…I don’t know where I’d be without him…both as an actor and a director.”

Because of this collaboration, Hatosy got the opportunity to dive into some new territory as a performer.

“Look I’ve never played a doctor before,” he says. “There were times when the opportunity came up I doubted myself. I’m like, ‘Wait, can I do this?’ My vision of what a doctor would be is shaped by what I’ve seen on TV and I see very…intelligent, cerebral…perfectly coifed guys and I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can do that’. But then I remembered it’s John, that’s not what we do. And I watched this documentary called Code Black which was about an L.A. County E.R. and it…was so eye-opening. And I saw attending physicians who were like get your hands dirty, working class types of guys who just happened to have…big brains…. And I thought…this is my way in. And so because of that, because of John’s belief…I’ve found this character who I wasn’t even sure I could do. It’s that kind of mentoring…that I’m so grateful for.”

You can watch Shawn Hatosy’s incredible work as Dr. Abbot on season one of The Pitt, streaming entirely on HBO Max. Awards Radar sat down with Hatosy to discuss those pivotal roof scenes, his Twitter presence, and coming into the show late in the game. Watch the full video below.