Of all of the cliffhangers in in the season 2 finale of The Pitt, Gerran Howell says we can finally put one to rest: The case of the missing badge will be solved. “All will be revealed,” he promises Gold Derby. He even reveals when the crime was committed — for all of those armchair detectives on the case.
But there are far deeper questions about Whitaker, which he also tackles in our video interview (watch above) — including his theories on why he’s spared the wrath of Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinovitch (Noah Wyle), lashing out at pretty much everyone in the emergency department, as well as what’s really going on with him and Santos (Isa Briones), and whether he’ll ever stop being such a — well — Huckleberry.
Gold Derby: Most important question: Will Whittaker get his badge back?
Gerran Howell: All will be revealed. Of all the threads that are out there, that is one thing that does have a conclusion for sure. I hope it’s satisfying for people.
Digby looked like he was having some fun.
It really has been a big mystery. I’ve seen people kind of try to catch where it happens in the show. I don’t think anyone’s actually caught the real moment yet, which is kind of cool.
So was there an actual moment when Digby stole it?
There was a moment where, yeah, it comes off me and we choreographed it, and I think they even shot it falling off, but didn’t keep it. But, yeah, when I bump into Natalie was the official moment.
Mystery solved! Moving on, how do you feel about Season 2 vs. Season 1? Whitaker is in a much different place.
Big time. It was lovely to come in as a very evolved Whitaker. I think that’s always a bit of a gift. I don’t think Whitaker Season 1 would survive Season 2. I think there has to be some evolution there. But he’s adapted to his environment a little bit, or at least he’s putting on a better front. He’s found his groove a little bit more, so that was really fun for me.
Is it just a front, or has he gotten better at his job?
I think he’s definitely more proficient. I think he has to be. I think he’s found his place. But I think there’s some intricacies there where he’s very internalized. So it’s kind of hard to know how much he’s struggling right now. And maybe that will be explored going on. But he definitely feels like he belongs now, at least, and that’s progress. I don’t think he doubts that. He knows that he’s good in this environment.
He has that great conversation with Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) where he really opens up. It does feel like he’s found his footing.
Yeah, definitely. He’s really parroting what kind of Robby has taught him and taking that mentor role very seriously to a point where he is repeating verbatim what Robby said, because it meant so much to him at a time when it was rocky. It was just a horrible time for him. So he’s taken that on board, and he’s passing the torch down.
There are many moments this season where we see him parroting Robby. How much does he look up to Robby as a mentor?
Oh, massively. What better mentor could you have? Something I’ve found very interesting in Season 2, is that Whitaker is probably one of the only characters who still has such an idealized version of Robby. I think everyone really, really respects him. But Whitaker doesn’t really experience Robby’s cracks forming and his outbursts with some of the new people in the ED. Whitaker is shielded from that. So he still has this idealized vision of Dr Robby, where everyone else is kind of going, “Wow, he’s really lashing out here.” But for Whitaker, he’s still the person who guided him through that horrible day.
Why do you think Whitaker is spared the worst of Robby?
Is it intentional from Robby? Maybe. I think they bonded a lot in Season 1 over trauma. When I find him [having the breakdown] in the Pediatrics room. I think that’s kind of bonded them, in a way. I think it’s intentional from Robby, if he’s kind of having these ideations, maybe he wants to leave some goodness and keep this really nice view of him. It’s messed up.
Do you think Whitaker sees what how badly Robby is behaving? Do you think he has blinders on?
Especially in the scene where Robby gives me the doctor’s badge, I think he definitely knows something is off. When we first got that scene, I thought it was going to go a very different way. Noah played up this really manic energy, and just plops these keys in my hand, where I think Whitaker was really expecting Dr. Robby to be the one to say this is an inappropriate relationship when he brings up Amy. I think he was expecting a bit of a firm hand from Dr. Robby. But instead, he gets the keys to his apartment, and it was all kind of thrust on him.
When you said you thought it was going to go a different way, did you mean you as the actor, or you as Whitaker?
Both. When that seed was planted in the script. I was like, “Yeah, this is inappropriate,” and it’s kind of taken as a joke. And I thought, Robby is going to come in, and this is where we’re going to have a little bit of a conflict. But as the actor, you never go in with a concrete vision. I think that’s a trap. I thought it would a bit more sentimental. And that moment where he does say, “keep an eye on that” would be a bit more [forceful] but he really kind of brushes over it. I remember being on the day just like, “Whoa. This is weird. This is odd. Something is off.” But it really worked for the scene. But Whitaker kind of goes, “OK, I guess that’s what’s happening.”
I wonder if he’s just not willing to challenge his mentor, especially knowing he’s going away for three months. What does that mean for him?
I think he’s really going to have to reevaluate where he stands. He has a lot of friends in the emergency department, like Santos. He’s found his place. But there’s real trust from Robby, and maybe a bit of favoritism there, for sure, a little bit of bias. So he’s going to find it very difficult to maintain that level of professional respect, and maybe have to speak up a bit louder. But I think it will probably do him a bit of good to find his own feet now a little bit.
So let’s talk about his relationship with Santos. Does he realize how she feels about him? I’m not saying that there’s something romantic, but how dependent she is on him.
One hundred percent that. I think Whitaker is probably one of the only people who can see how much pain she’s in, and maybe sees her outside of the walls that she puts up, I think he’s started to see what she’s really like. Isa plays it beautifully. She’s a person who’s in so much pain, and she’ll do so much to deflect that so nobody notices. But Whitaker is the person who notices. I think he knows she has issues with people leaving her so I think he’s in a real kind of quandary now. I want her to admit, lare we friends? I don’t think she’s ever said, “Yeah, we’re friends.” They’re just kind of coexisting. But each of them kind of know that they weirdly need each other. It’s a bit of a trauma bonding, and in any other context, I don’t think they would be friends, but they both have a lot of admiration for each other, whether they admit it or not. I think it’s a lovely relationship.
Robby’s housesitting offer definitely hits a nerve for her. Do you think he’s going to end up housesitting?
Well, we’ll see. It’s a hard offer to turn down. I think there’s a part of Whitaker that feels maybe I’m just getting on her nerves, so maybe it’s for the best, because Santos is unwilling to say out loud, “I want you around,” but he knows that. Whatever he decides to do, it’s going to be rough, I think, but we’ll see.
How does he really feel about the nickname Huckleberry? Has he come to accept it? Does he like it?
Yes, I think he 100% feels it’s a term of endearment for him. I think nicknames are a lovely thing. I think he loves it.
What nickname would he give her?
Oh, my God. I’ve never been asked that before! I’d love him to just say something just really, really cutting one time to her. Just have a really mean nickname! I’ll have to think about that. I’ll workshop it.
What do you think about his relationship with Amy? Is it healthy? Is it good for him?
I think right now, it is healthy for him. It’s a vehicle again, for him to show usefulness in that environment. I think it is very innocent. I think he is just kind of happy to have an opportunity to help someone. If there’s any kind of selfishness, it’s maybe alleviating some of the homesickness being able to be on a farm. It is definitely inappropriate, but again, it’s a bit of a symptom of him being altruistic to a fault.
Is there a romance between them?
If there is, I don’t think Whitaker is aware of it. I couldn’t speak for Amy, but no, I don’t think there is.
Can he preserve his altruism in the chaos that is the ED? We see it have repercussions for him, like with the patient who abused the Lyft driver.
No, I don’t think anyone can do that. I think it’s quite a common thing in that kind of profession finding the right line where how much do you give of yourself to patients. How much do you attach to these patients? But I don’t think it’s sustainable for anyone. For Whitaker, just letting everyone else put emotions on him is actually a way for him to deflect attention off him. He’s taking on a massive amount of patients and people are venting on him, and he isn’t necessarily saying how he feels, which I find really interesting. I don’t think that’s sustainable. It would be cool to see when that comes to a head for Whitaker. That could be bad.
Did you see that Lyft offered to restore his account?
That was great! But that moment was a direct consequence of his being too empathetic. So I’m glad they showed that. But I don’t think he’s getting it right now that he needs to think for himself a little bit. I really don’t think he is.
What was the toughest case for you this season?
It was the Louie case, for sure. Thing is a tough one for all of us. He’s a frequent flyer, so it just goes to show the nature of the ED. It’s not just the workers. It’s the patients who you think are invincible and a staple and give you a bit of grounding, because they’re there every day, and they become part of your routine. So to lose someone like that, I think, hits Whitaker pretty hard.
What do you want to see for him in Season 3?
I want to see how he’s managed without Robby. I want to really see him needing help, maybe reaching out for help. I want to see him get angry, and maybe just think for himself a little bit. But we’re in very good hands with the writers, so I’m very interested to see where they’ll go with it.
Who else is he closest with in the ED besides Santos?
Oh, that’s a good question. Santos is his safe space, for sure. Even though he’s called nicknames, it gives him visibility. But I think with Javadi, he’s found a little bit of a friendship there and is a person who he sees when she’s struggling. They have a real banter and a friendship without the nastiness of Santos. I think he gets on with everyone. I don’t think he has anything bad to say about anyone, really, except Garcia. I think Garcia puts the fear of God in him. I think he’s experienced too much in that apartment with very thin walls. He’s had enough of her. Housemate troubles.
There have been a lot of headlines about the cast changes. How do you feel about it?
It’s something we’re always warned about. Of course, it’s terrifying, but it’s the nature of the ED. It is a revolving door. And people come in and out all the time. And it gives opportunities for new stories. So it’s something I was prepared for from the beginning.
Could you ever imagine Whitaker on the night shift?
Oh that would be juicy! They’d be juicy with Abbot. I think the relationship that Whitaker has with Robby, I mean, the fans have run away with it, of course, but he’s a bit of a golden boy. So it’d be really cool to see Abbot, who is so close to Robby, and maybe Robby not being there, I would like Abbott to dissect that relationship, or even to be like, why is this kid so special, and challenge him a little bit. I think that would be fun.
