When background actors secure a job, most expect to be working a few days, at most. They don’t expect to be working every day for months.
Last July, a casting call went out for a new show, “The Pitt,” which had a unique request: it was looking for background actors with open availability. “They gave us a loose date of July until February,” says Shaun Lagadi, who plays a nurse on the show.
The Max medical drama takes place throughout one 15-hour shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, led by Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. That continuity meant the background actors were needed every single day.
Kylie Judd plays a pregnant patient in the hub, concerned over her high blood pressure and the health of her unborn child, while Lagadi spends most of his time checking vitals on patients. Both Judd and Lagadi spoke with Variety about playing background actors for seven months.
As a background actor, what did it mean to get a role like this, where you’re needed for an entire episodic run as opposed to working for a few days?
SHAUN LAGADI: I was so excited to hear that, especially at a time when there are a lot of things up in the air, and work hasn’t been too busy. I feel so lucky and blessed because not everyone gets this opportunity. Not even the main cast are here every day, but as background actors we were needed every day, and it was such a unique experience.
KYLIE JUDD: I’m an aspiring actor, and so I have worked a couple of background jobs, and yes, it’s a day or two. So to work the whole season on such an incredible show was a dream come true. Just being on set every day, seeing how all the incredible actors work together and meeting such lovely crew members, they were all just so welcoming to all the background people.
What research did you have to do to play the part?
LAGADI: You don’t know what’s needed of you until you get there. My mom and sister are nurses, so that world is always around me. I’m familiar with what a day looks like for a nurse in a hospital. They taught us what we needed to do and how to properly take care of a patient. As a background actor, you’re normally having to pantomime all of that, but because of the show, and how real they wanted it to be, they taught us a lot of the basics of being a nurse.
What about playing a pregnant woman? What was a typical day for you, having to play someone on a gurney?
JUDD: It was an experience going to the costume department every day, and getting my belly bump being eight months pregnant. A lot of people didn’t know if I was really pregnant when we first started. But it was nice to have this opportunity to be a sick pregnant patient, and to figure out what that was like, because I don’t have any kids. So it was a great extra challenge for me as an actor to experience that every day.
What kind of backstory, if any, did you give your character?
LAGADI: You have to develop it as you go. I wanted to show that I was familiar with that work. I know how it is to work at a busy, understaffed emergency room. That’s what I wanted to make it feel like, and this was any other day.
JUDD: I came in for high blood pressure. They were drawing blood and checking my heart rate. So it’s just having this anxiety that I’m doing okay, and making sure the baby is ok. The second AD would also give us a lot of direction on what we should do in the scene as well, so that helped.
What direction did you get on that first day?
JUDD: John Wells directed the first episode, and that really set the standard of how the whole season was going to go. The second AD worked a lot with us. You never know when they’re going to yell action or cut. But I had doctors coming up to me, having conversations and checking on my IV. Every take, we were doing something.
What about makeup and costume for you, Shaun?
LAGADI: We had the same scrubs we’ve been wearing and the same props. There were people in production to make sure that our stethoscope was in the right place. All the supplies that are in the bag that we’re carrying, they’re all still there, and we had to reflect that, it’s only one day in the storyline, not seven months. We’d check in with hair to make sure that from day one to seven months later, our hair was still exactly the same.
You mention pantomime, but what other skills are needed to be a background actor, because you’re seen, but not heard?
LAGADI: I think one of the biggest things is to be aware of what’s happening around you. For this, we really had to make sure we knew what patient we were dealing with and what their symptoms were, and check them accordingly.
This was different from your typical background acting job, being there for seven months. Was it different from what you normally get paid?
LAGADI: The compensation is basically based on the whole seven months of us being there. So it definitely was different from a one-day to two-day job, as opposed to seven months. I’m feeling lucky that I’m able to get paid for a job at a time when there’s not a lot of work out there.
JUDD: The rate didn’t change. The pay didn’t change – [it was to SAG-AFTRA scale]. I had the lovely opportunity to do the promo photo shoot.
What skills did you learn about being in the middle of the action in ‘The Pitt’?
JUDD: I learned what an actor goes through day-to-day, especially Noah, because he worked every day for the most part. So, to see him giving it all and with these long hours showed me what it takes to be a great actor. Watching him, I learned so much and was inspired by the kind of actor that I want to be.
LAGADI: I learned that all of what happens [on the show] reflects what nurses have to deal with and having to deal with patients who are sick. But you’re also having to deal with the family members of the people who are sick. I already have the most respect for nurses, but to be able to have to manage your emotions when dealing with patients that you’re not even related to, but you’ve formed these bonds with these people, and it felt real. It’s something I don’t think I could ever do in real life, but I definitely learned a lot about just being a nurse and what you’re having to deal with emotionally and physically.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
