Adam Patla
When The Pitt debuted, Gerran Howell quickly became a fan favorite as Dennis Whitaker, an anxious med student with a proclivity from walking away from cases covered in some sort of bodily fluid. However, on season two, we meet a new version of Whitaker with ten months of experience in the ED under his belt.
“He had to be different,” Howell says. “He’s had to have progressed here. Season one, I think there was a lot of embracing the fear as an actor when you kind of go into a job and you’re like, ‘God I don’t know what I’m doing or you feel like an imposter’ which are usually the things you put in a little box and hide away. But season one was all about letting that run a little bit which maybe wasn’t very healthy. But you know, Whitaker is very fearful and kind of out of his depth and keeping his head above water so going into season two it was just about getting rid of that as much as I could or at least kind of masking it as Whitaker. He’s blossomed a lot more.”
Howell imbues his performance with intentional subtleties that beautifully showcase Whitaker’s transformation. From the way he physically occupies the space to his delivery of instruction to Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) and Joy (Irene Choi), Whitaker no longer feels like a frightened student. Howell ensures his competency and comfort is felt from the moment he steps back onto our screens.
But, just because Whitaker is more confident in his job, doesn’t mean he’s completely fine. Howell says, “…I don’t think he wants to be asked how he is at the moment. I think it would collapse a lot of things for him.”
One major impactful moment for Whitaker comes when beloved patient Louie (Ernest Harden Jr.) passes away under his care. Howell allows for flickers of an earlier version of Whitaker to come through, but this time up against the mechanisms Whitaker uses to navigate the Pitt.
“It is interesting how quickly he gets over it for all intents and purposes,” Howell explains when asked about having those Season 1 anxieties creep in. “It definitely does affect him and brings him back to a place he doesn’t wanna be in. But I think there might be an element of him not going about it in the right way and is maybe compartmentalizing…. I think Whitaker is more proficient and he’s found his groove for sure but he’s kind of not reaching out to anyone. Everything is very internalized and quite structured…. He’s taking on too much I think without sharing the load. I don’t think that’s something that’s sustainable.”
That internalization trickles into his dynamics with his coworkers.
“Yeah, he’s very omnipresent this season, isn’t he?” Howell muses. “He’s there but…keeping a level between everyone and maybe not committing to relationships. Even with Santos who is someone he is very close to, you know, he’s not committing to them being ‘friends.’ I don’t think that’s something either of them have said. However much Whitaker cares for her he’s not…I don’t think he commits to relationships very well.”
Whitaker’s relationship with Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) became a major focal point this season as we finally get a glimpse at how they navigate being roommates and coworkers. Briones and Howell play so well together, pulling off a relationship that is simultaneously overly familiar and walled off.
“Ultimately I think…it’s unspoken,” he says about the relationship. “I think they came together. They wouldn’t normally together but Season 1 brought them together through the experience they had and they both kind of come to realize how much they need each other in a very strange way. I think Santos makes Whitaker feel visible…. He knows Santos better than anyone I think in Season 2.”
A more playful exchange comes when Whitaker demands Santos admit she likes living with him after she gets mad he may move into Robby’s apartment. The moment is delightful but has this air of melancholy underneath as we watch two characters who prefer to operate at a distance begrudgingly realize they need each other. Howell adds, “Neither of them are putting it in concrete yet and I wonder if they ever will.”
Whitaker’s most prominent relationship comes in the form of his mentorship with Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle). Howell walks an interesting line when it comes to Whitaker and Robby. While Whitaker looks on with adoration, the rest of the ED walks on eggshells as Robby’s mental health unravels further and further.
“It was interesting as we were getting the scripts I kept realizing, ‘Oh yeah, Robby’s really lashing out at people here…in a really bad way that doesn’t put him in a good light’ but then I was like ‘I’m not there, I’m not seeing this really,'” says Howell. “Whitaker has this idealized version of him still and I wonder how much of that is intentional by Robby. I think it is…. He’s kind of reserving whatever he’s thinking about doing and how he wants to leave the emergency room for his sabbatical or whatever it is… I think he’s kind of selfishly leaving the good parts for Whitaker for whatever reason…. He’s a bit of a false idol to Whitaker…”
After spending an entire season watching Howell grow and flex as a performer, the groundwork feels set for an event eeper dive into Whitaker as we all brace for Season 3.The groundwork feels set for Howell to dive even deeper into this character as we brace for Season 3. Wherever The Pitt takes Whitaker, though, he’s in the most competent and curious hands.
You can watch Gerran Howell‘s brilliant work on The Pitt Season Two, now streaming entirely on HBO Max. Be sure to check out our full conversation with Gerran below!
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