After cutting her teeth on drier, more sarcastic roles in shows like Sweet/Vicious and American Vandal, the daughter of Bryan Cranston had a divergence against type as Mel King, a second-year resident at the titular Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. But despite having a difference in temperament, Dearden was able to find a main connector with her character: Their shared neurodivergency.
"To me, it was pretty obviously written," she tells Parade exclusively. "We had a meeting with John Wells and R. Scott Gemmell, and it was just kind of like, 'So the way I'm reading this feels very less than coded.' And they said they had originally written her to be somewhere on the spectrum. But they were like, 'But then we'd have to cast a spectrum actor.' And I went, 'Well, it's your lucky day. Hello!' because ADHD and autism are on the same spectrum now. And so it's just kind of like, 'I can do that!'"
"I just feel so lucky to be able to be the person who – and I'll continue to strive for realism – is able to portray what we've never seen for ourselves. We're not robots!" she quips.
Related: Everything to Know About The Pitt Season 1
Related: The Pitt Star Fiona Dourif Reveals How McKay's Shocking Arrest Sets Up the Finale (Exclusive)Arguably Mel's first major arc comes when she treats an older woman who lives with her daughter. You're able to personally relate to the daughter as a caretaker yourself. But it leads to a worst-case scenario for Mel when the daughter is missing, and she believes she drove her away with her talk. You talk about remaining calm under pressure. That's one of the only times we really see her become undone.What's interesting is it's not the medicine, it's the human that is tough for Mel. I think it's just the totally human part where you also understand both sides very easily. "Yeah, you must be so incredibly overwhelmed that any break would be perfect for you. I mean, it would help your health a lot." And so I think it's it's guilt, but it's also completely understanding why someone would have that feeling of running away.Let's talk about some of Mel's relationships. She spends the day shadowing Langdon, and they develop a nice mentor/mentee dynamic where she's even able to teach him a bit. But, in the last third of the season, due to everything that goes down, she has absolutely no idea about his addiction or his dismissal because of it. Talk to me about that dynamic.I think it's looking for a friend and finding a mentor, like, "Sure, yeah, let's do that. We can do that path. I can find a friend later." Mel comes in, so ready to learn, and just wanting someone to just go, "Let me scoop you up and just be your mentor." And I think Langdon has always just wanted to mentor someone, and no one lets him. Everyone's like, "Yeah, no, whatever. We're leaving." And so for him to find someone who's taking notes and can't wait for the next thing. Yeah, Mel has no idea, no clue whatsoever. [Laughs.]There is a rare moment where the roles are reversed, though. Langdon struggles in treating an autistic patient after he sustains an injury playing table tennis. And it's actually Mel who is able to accommodate him, showing him that, despite coming across at the hotshot know-it-all, he can still learn.Oh, yeah. And I think it's just that's so easy for Mel. That comes so naturally for Mel, I think, to listen and to think of ways to get people calmer. I mean, with Trish, too, just the ability to go, "I think she needs an empty room," those things that no one else comes up with. And I think showing that deep empathy that I assume is usually much more of a nurse thing. And getting to see how all of it was calmly done and also efficient. It didn't take more time, necessarily. It was just like, "Oh, but he's calm now. And we can get the tests and we can figure it out, and it's fine." It's definitely something that happens constantly, treating people all the same in a way that you miss so much.You mention Trish. I would be remiss not to mention a moment from last episode, when Mel gets overwhelmed at hearing her story of shielding her husband during PittFest and not being able to find her daughter. When Robby finds her crying, she immediately apologizes. And he replies, "Never apologize for feeling something for your patients. Today was chaos, you were awesome. Really glad you're with us." It's a moment that reminds us that, to treat humans, you have to be human.Yeah. And I think it was also interesting, because after Robby's breakdown, he was hard on everyone for being emotional. Except for Mel, for some reason. It was just like, "No, back up, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine." And then the one person who, in a way, kind of finally breaks. And he's all of a sudden able to be softer and recognize that that's actually helpful too. I thought it was very revealing of Robby's character as well.The Pitt has earned many deserved accolades. But it's safe to say Mel has become one of the most beloved characters of the show. And we spoke earlier about you being able to show your neurodivergency through this performance, something many fans love about the character. Talk to me about your response to Mel's reception.It does feel like a responsibility in a good way. I mean, it's not a responsibility [in] that I don't know how to do it. Because it's like, "Oh, I know how my brain works," meaning that it's always a mystery! [Laughs.] But it's an undertaking, for sure. And I think I'm shocked by how people have been receiving, not just the show, but my character. And it's amazing, but it's weird. It's really weird. Because I think most of the stuff I've done, 20 people have seen it. It has never been a big audience, and so this has been trippy for sure.Have you gotten any messages in particular from those who have ADHD or are on the spectrum?I don't respond on Instagram. But every once in a while, I'll see some snippets of a message someone sent. And it's mostly incredibly positive. And it's about neurodivergence. I just feel so lucky to be able to be the person who – and I'll continue to strive for realism – is able to portray what we've never seen for ourselves. We're not robots! We're not weird robots, emotionless. You don't understand when someone gets angry, like, "Why is this angry?" Oh God, stop that. That's weird.
Related: 'The Pitt' Showrunners Break Down Robby's Meltdown and That Shocking Death (Exclusive)
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 'The Pitt' Star Taylor Dearden Reveals How Her ADHD Helped Create Her Fan-Favorite Charater (Exclusive) )
Also on site :