This Thursday, The Pitt comes to the end of an incredibly eventful 15-hour shift. Along the way, the Max drama has earned many accolades for its medical accuracy, real-time structure and powerhouse performances. And even with veteran actors like Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor and Katherine LaNasa, there's one among them who stands out as the chief resident of fan popularity: Taylor Dearden.
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.
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"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!'"
Mel's cheerfulness, empathetic nature and kind disposition when especially dealing with children had made her arguably The Pitt's breakout character. Dearden is "shocked" by the overwhelmingly positive reception, largely because, as she puts it, "I think most of the stuff I've done, 20 people have seen it." But it means the world, even more so due to the fact that her performance represents neurodivergence in a way that often has not been shown on television.
"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.
Read on for our full chat with Taylor Dearden. The Pitt Season 1 finale airs Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET on Max.
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When I spoke with Fiona Dourif, she said she found a lot in common with McKay upon initially finding out about the character. But you've said in other interviews that Mel is a completely different character than what you're used to playing. So what was your first reaction upon finding out about Mel?I mean, yeah, if you know any of my work, I would have been cast as Santos more than anything else. And so just like being cast as someone called "peppy" was like, "Okay, don't know how to do that yet! I'll figure that out." I'm always the sarcastic, irreverent badass. And so it was definitely a totally new character to step into. I mean, I'm not a peppy person. So I had to kind of try and find something that looked like peppy. And I just went, "Oh, I have anxiety! That'll work."You've also mentioned in other interviews the fact that you're neurodivergent, and that was something you saw in Mel as well. Was that something you were able to talk with the writers about to help flesh out the script? Or was it more so in the way you were playing her?They had everything written when we started; we had all 15 episodes completely written. On some shows, sometimes there's adjustment based on the actor. They learn how we speak as our character, and they start writing a little bit based on that and stuff. So it was kind of more of us trying to fit the mold they made.To me, it was pretty obviously written. We had a meeting with John Wells and 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!" And I think some people were more trepidatious than others to fully go in for it. But I was just like, "I'm gonna play what I would I feel like on the inside instead of the cool exterior I usually have." And so, yeah, it was a mix of different things.Full disclosure, I'm somebody who has been recently diagnosed with ADHD. And recently, I have read ADHD Is Awesome by Penn Holderness, where he gets into how it should be seen as not a limitation but a "superpower." And I feel like we see that on display when, for example, in Episode 14, everyone on the staff is focused on wheeling the young boy Flynn out of the ambulance. And Mel is the only person to notice that his sister is there.Well, I mean, luckily, ADHD, one of our superpowers, is emergencies in general. And we are overly represented in emergency departments and firefighters. The amount of ADHD in both of those arenas is ridiculous. And I don't see an explanation of why. We just click in with emergencies. And we can pull up things we knew, like freshman year of high school, and be able to recall that and operate and do everything. It's really ridiculous. It happens to all of us. And with the hyper-focus ability, we're expert noticers. And I think being able to show that, because so often neurodivergence is shown, is "Here's all that sucks about it." And it's like, yeah, I mean, we have those. The world is not made for us. But we can also do this, and you can't. So ,I feel like I tried to put in as much of what makes us great, too.Between that instance, and seeing Mel interact with the sister of the girl who drowned in the pool, it seems like Mel has this penchant for handling children in particular in a way her co-workers don't. Do you think that comes from her familial situation? Or is that speaking to another part of her character?For that, it was just so easy for Mel to just see how easily that could have been her and her sister when they were younger. How Mel would have totally jumped in and totally saved her, and maybe she wouldn't have gotten out. And just to see all of that was...it's overwhelming. That's why she had to leave at one point just to gather thoughts again to be able to come back. I think kids are so often ignored. I was an only child, so that's doubly true for only children. And I think, especially in emergencies, they're all going towards whoever is in crisis, as opposed to realizing that this child is going to be traumatized and need therapy forever. A tube is getting stuck down their throat, and they have to watch their sibling get that kind of treatment. And I think what is probably lacking most is the realization of the consequences for everyone involved and how their lives will all be different after. And I think Mel's just really in tune with that. So she can always see that's gonna be incredibly traumatizing. I mean, even taking off the bloody gown was like, "Oh yeah, that's a terrible idea. You shouldn't see that. That's awful." And just being able to click in with who's also experiencing trauma that isn't necessarily sick or injured.Speaking of Mel's sister, I heard you say in another interview that you didn't necessarily get the full scope of her family's situation until after you got the part. So how much did finding out that information affect the way you played the character?Well, it's mentioned in the pilot. And so I knew that that was part of it. But I didn't know all of the specific things. They were 20-year-old orphans, essentially, which is nuts. No one should have to do that. Everything was so lonely for Mel. Going through med school with all the support in the world is still really hard, and to go through med school without pretty much anything must have been so much more lonely and difficult. And I think reading more scripts, and hearing from John and Scott, and just finding out more about Mel made me realize how lonely Mel is. How that desperation often just becomes awkward. And it's just desperation to find someone who, even if they don't get you, they at least like you.
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)
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