Taylor Dearden earned her first Emmy nomination last month for portraying The Pitt‘s neurodivergent resident Dr. Mel King, and she readily admits the idea of attending TV’s biggest night as a nominee is anxiety-inducing. “To have people I know so well [there] will really help any nerves,” Dearden tells Gold Derby, referring to her cast mates’ many nominations. “And just having the idea of, ‘We’re just going to have fun and party.’ Weird that it’s on a Monday though. Really weird that it’s on a Monday.”
Gold Derby sat down with Dearden to discuss the moments that ultimately earned her awards recognition, the scene she didn’t get to film, and why Mel deserves actual friends on the Emmy-winning series.
Gold Derby: Congratulations on your first Emmy nomination! Now that some time has gone by, have you been able to take it in? How does it feel being nominated with your co-stars?
Taylor Dearden: It doesn’t feel real. I don’t think it ever will, but to have people I know so well [there] will really help any nerves. And just having the idea of, ‘We’re just going to have fun and party.’ Weird that it’s on a Monday. Really weird that it’s on a Monday, and knowing us, it’s like, ‘Oh, we’ll definitely work the next day,’ so that’s going to be tough. But yeah, it was great.
In the episode you submitted, Mel finds out how independent Becca has become, and that initial scene between you and Tal Anderson, where Mel loses her cool for a second, feels so real and vulnerable on both your parts. How did working with Tal and the connection you developed with her elevate your performance?
I think there were a lot of things I asked her — like what someone who knows her well would know to do and what not to do — just so we could get kind of a rapport, because Mel would know what’s helpful and hurtful to Becca. And so just trying to get through a lot of that stuff, being able to talk to Tal was great, and she had notes that she gave to our writer and was able to change, which is great, because I think we both feel that it’s so often so stereotyped and not nuanced or true to the individual. [The fact] that she got to shape her reactions as Becca, that felt more honest. So getting to be a part of those talks, too, is also really helpful.
We also find out that Mel’s deposition didn’t go well. Did you know from the beginning we wouldn’t actually see the deposition scene, or was it a surprise as you were getting the scripts?
Complete surprise. I really was so looking forward to it, and I think a lot of people were just keeping their mouths shut because I was like, “I can’t wait for this deposition thing.” And Noah [Wyle] was like, “Uh-huh,” and walked away and I was like, “That’s a weird reaction.” Yeah, I didn’t know until that script. It was like, “Oh, I just leave?”
How did not having the opportunity to act that out impact how you prepared to show the fallout from it?
It was definitely odd. I didn’t really know. Taylor didn’t really know what happened, so it kind of worked. It’s kind of like, ‘Oh, I was supposed to have a thing, and now’ … It felt very real to Mel.
You’ve stressed that Mel being able to develop friendships is incredibly important for her character. One of those burgeoning friendships is with Langdon [Patrick Ball], one is possibly with Santos [Isa Briones] after their karaoke night. Since it seems like Mel is new to friendship as an adult, what do you think would make her an excellent friend? Let’s pitch her to the other staff on The Pitt.
Well, she’s incredibly kind and honest, which also could be a negative, but I think it’s usually in a positive way. She’s super supportive of everyone and everyone’s choices and believes people for who they are and who they say they are, and just really believes the best in everyone. I think she’s awesome, so I don’t understand why we can’t have more friends for Mel.
What’s a piece of direction you were given in Season 2 that you found really helpful or illuminating?
I think it was not a piece of direction as much as an ongoing discussion with the writers and directors of shaping Mel’s reaction to Becca’s news, that it has nothing to do with sex or that it’s her sister and feeling protective. It’s all about realizing she’s not needed or wanted anymore, and kind of making sure it stayed on that side as opposed to being a sex joke that she’s uncomfortable with it or anything like that, and just keeping it that she’s stripped of having a person that needs her.
Which scene in Season 2 was the toughest for you to get through?
A lot of the stairwell scene with Mel and Dana [Katherine LaNasa] was tough. We didn’t have a lot of scenes for Mel to kind of figure out what was going on before. It was just kind of like fun, but tough.
What do you think are the challenges and benefits of often having to perform background work in-character during scenes you’re not the focus of?
It really hurts our bodies, actually, because we’re often standing and we don’t have chairs on set. And so I remember, there’s one scene where I realized I was standing for seven and a half hours without sitting and it was like, “Oh yeah, that’s why my back hurts.” And so it is a challenge to try and keep stretching and moving, and walking is always better, but I think it’s just realistic. [When] you don’t see your main characters in the background for other shows, there’s no realism to that. I was watching The Office, though, and I was like, “That’s the other show that did it well.” It’s like you might be called in for a day of just background work because it’s like, yeah, because it should be that.
Is there a background moment you wish fans had picked up on?
I’m very not online, but there are some times when I peak online and I think a lot of Santos stuff is missed. There’s a lot of stuff there and I think you have to rewatch it, both first and second season, and just watch it with a different lens and go, “Oh, they’re giving us a lot of hints and we might not be picking up on it.”
We obviously learn details about these characters sparingly because of the show’s structure. What’s a detail about another character you’re desperate to learn about?
I love that we don’t always talk about every backstory piece, but I also want to hear more about them. And because we did it privately, me and Fiona [Dourif, who plays Dr. McKay] were paired up, so we know each other’s backstories well, but I wasn’t there for anyone else’s download. And so every time there’s a hint of something, I’ll go up and ask. I’m like, “Wait, did you know this?” And they’re like, “Yeah, of course.” And it’s like, “Oh my God, tell me more.” So it’s fun to learn about the other characters while doing it.
Something will be mentioned in a scene, and I remember the first season with Santos and the father that might be molesting his daughter. And I went up to her, I’m like, “So you’ve got history here?” And she’s like, “Yeah.” And I was like, “Oh, I had no idea.” But it was so rich in the scene that it was so obvious to me. Having a thick backstory where you can just pull from is amazing.
What continues to excite you about playing Mel?
Showing up and being kind in different ways is always fun with Mel. Everything is from the heart for Mel. And so sometimes I will read something and I will have a way different reaction than Mel will, and it’s just like, oh, I love that she’s always going heart first for everything. But it also makes her very fragile and sensitive, but it’s also, I think, her best quality. I think especially nowadays, it feels more rare to have that. And there’s a show of just openheartedness, Ted Lasso. That’s the whole show. But I think especially in a show like The Pitt where it’s so fast-paced and it’s so much competent medicine, that to have something or a character to take you away and remind you of the human aspect is really important, and I’m so lucky that it gets to be Mel.
What aspects of Mel as a character are the easiest and most difficult for you to access?
I think Mel’s curiosity is easy for me. Always trying to figure stuff out or even playing the role of knowing she’s curious, knowing I can experiment with that. And as I tell the directors, I’m like, “Just think of me as a dial. You can be like, ‘Way less than that.'” Yeah, it’s never more, usually. It’s usually less. And it’s like, I’m totally fine with that, and so having that is really fun. And then I think trying to see the world through Mel’s eyes as myself has also been something that doesn’t come naturally to me, but I also feel like it’s the better way to see everything. So [I’m] trying to get more of her in my actual life, too.
We recently spoke to Shawn Hatosy [who plays Dr. Abbot], who said he’d trust Mel to treat him as his doctor. Which doctor on the show would you want to treat you?
I think probably Robby, because Mel really looks up to Robby, but also Al-Hashimi [played by Sepideh Moafi]. She’s incredibly competent and does the kindness on top of that with the humanitarian aspect, and she’s kind of like the whole package. And I know my character looks up to her, and so I feel like I would also feel very safe in her hands. She also doesn’t dismiss people. She’ll try and find out what’s actually wrong as opposed to being like, “I think it’s this.”
What does it mean to you to have Mel be the role that earned you your first Emmy nomination?
I think it’s extra special just because of, well, a lot of things. Being neurodivergent and actually, instead of masking, playing into it feels really validating personally because the rest of us usually feel like we’re on the outside always. And so I think having the acknowledgement that it’s something that’s wanted as opposed to something that’s very much banished feels different.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
