{"id":448198,"date":"2026-05-14T09:20:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/448198\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T09:20:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:20:11","slug":"finding-baby-jane-doe-how-the-pitt-and-other-shows-cast-and-pay-their-infant-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/448198\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Baby Jane Doe: How ‘The Pitt’ and Other Shows Cast (and Pay!) Their Infant Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWhen filming \u201cThe Pitt<\/a>,\u201d a number of things must go exactly right; the medical drama\u2019s 360-degree hospital set and painstakingly produced prosthetics leave little room for error. So for Season 2, creator R. Scott Gemmill upped the ante by introducing the most unpredictable element of all: a baby.<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than 12 adorably swaddled infants played the abandoned newborn Baby Jane Doe over the seven-month shoot, including 4-month-old twins Luca and Luna; Luca can be spotted nestled on the shoulder of Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) in the finale\u2019s concluding scene, an overdue moment of catharsis for the anguished attending physician. \u201cThey really needed a sleeping baby,\u201d says their mom, Desanka Pinder. \u201cLucky for him, he just happened to be tired.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSafe to say, Luca has bragging rights for life \u2014 how many babies can say they\u2019ve shared the screen with an Emmy-winning star? More than you\u2019d think: Amid a slowdown of on-screen jobs for tots, infant actors are back in the spotlight on TV shows like \u201c9-1-1,\u201d \u201cShrinking\u201d and \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles.\u201d And while it might seem like an unusual gig, agents and parents insist it\u2019s not all that different from any other extracurricular \u2014 except, Pinder says, \u201cour kids also get paid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLuna (who made her TV debut on Season 22 of \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d) and Luca\u2019s careers began in utero. Once their parents learned they were expecting twins (an advantage in the industry, since it promises a matching backup on set), they contacted a few agencies before signing with Julie Cruz, who heads Paloma Model & Talent\u2019s baby division. (With newborns, \u201cit almost doesn\u2019t even matter what they look like,\u201d says Cruz, given most parents are understandably uneager to head to set postpartum.) \u201cI was literally in the hospital when I emailed her,\u201d recalls Pinder. \u201cI was like, \u2018They\u2019re here!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor babies recruited post-birth, the submission process typically entails sending off a selection of photos via email. (castings also typically happen off shots alone). But more important than cuteness is affect: easygoing equals bookable. Stranger anxiety is an early disqualifier. \u201cYou can\u2019t rationalize and argue with the baby,\u201d explains casting agent Katie Taylor. \u201cYou know, \u2018Angelina Jolie\u2019s going to hold you for two minutes!\u2019\u201d Often, there isn\u2019t much time for familiarization; when 6-month-old River Cabrera-Kelley (also repped by Cruz) was called back for her \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u201d screen test, she was handed over to Elle Fanning immediately \u2014 and without fuss. She was booked the next day.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tElle Fanning holds River while shooting \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlternating with Graham Hendrix, another baby actor, River filmed for nearly four months. Fanning even attended her first birthday party. It\u2019s rare to hear of anyone having a bad time, says Kathy Bolde, Zuri Agency\u2019s young talent division lead, due in part to evolved work requirements. In California, babies between 15 days and 6 months can only work for 20 minutes at a time and spend two hours on set per day; also mandatory is a nurse, a guardian and a studio teacher, who ensures the baby\u2019s wellbeing is looked after. \u201cIt\u2019s very easy for babies,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cThey have such limited hours; they have such great protections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe paycheck, of course, is also enticing. Rates can range from a few hundred to a thousand dollars a day (regardless of whether the baby even films). For parents looking to set their child up for financial success, this is one method \u2014 just don\u2019t expect to secure a college fund. There\u2019s no guarantee a baby will book anything, especially as the industry continues to contract. Compared with 20 years ago, there are \u201cvery few jobs for babies now,\u201d says Anne Henry, co-founder of entertainment education nonprofit BizParentz. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like they\u2019re writing them out.\u201d Henry attributes this to their infamous unreliability: \u201cBaby\u2019s gonna do what a baby does,\u201d she laughs. In fact, productions are increasingly using AI or fake babies, which are easier to manage and less expensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, there\u2019s something unbeatable about the real thing. \u201cYou can\u2019t replicate the emotions that a baby brings,\u201d says Bolde. Dr. Robby\u2019s soliloquy would have been just a little less moving had Baby Jane Doe been a doll.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When filming \u201cThe Pitt,\u201d a number of things must go exactly right; the medical drama\u2019s 360-degree hospital set…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[93,61,60,14807,29910,282],"class_list":["post-448198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-margos-got-money-troubles","tag-the-pitt","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}