{"id":503313,"date":"2026-06-16T23:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/503313\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:17:09","slug":"the-pitts-isa-briones-and-gerran-howell-on-santos-whitaker-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/503313\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pitt’s Isa Briones and Gerran Howell on Santos\/Whitaker Friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cThe Pitt<\/a>\u201d stars Isa Briones<\/a> and Gerran Howell<\/a> say they\u2019re no longer squeamish about the things they see on set. \u201cIt is weird that I don\u2019t get grossed out anymore?\u201d asks Howell, who plays resident doctor Dennis Whitaker. \u201cIs that a red flag? \u00a0It is gross, don\u2019t get me wrong, especially when we\u2019re about to do a take and they\u2019ll rush in and make it look fresh by putting all sorts of liquids in!\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tBriones, who plays fellow resident Dr. Trinity Santos, agrees that \u201cit doesn\u2019t feel as weird anymore. Everything\u2019s so cool. I\u2019m just so impressed by our team that they can make all this happen. I feel like Katherine [LaNasa, who plays Nurse Dana Evans] is the one who still gets the most grossed out, because she\u2019s not always in all of those intense moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut that doesn\u2019t mean there still aren\u2019t some awkward moments.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI remember walking to makeup one day, and seeing Tom, the fantastic SFX guy, with a clear box that just had a prosthetic erect penis,\u201d Howell recalls. Adds Briones: \u201cIt was so funny in a box, as if you were at a Michelin star restaurant where they serve you something in a clear cloche.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBriones and Howell stopped by the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast<\/a> to talk about the unlikely friendship between Santos and Whitaker, some of the rabid fan reaction (including a candle depicting Santos swaddling Baby Whitaker) and what they\u2019d most like to tell their characters. The duo also share what they know about Season 3 (not much!) and take our 10 Questions quiz. Listen below!<\/p>\n

\n\tThe sibling-like give-and-take between Santos and Whitaker on \u201cThe Pitt\u201d has become a fan favorite part of the show. Santos and Whitaker are such an unlikely pairing \u2014 and yet they need each other.\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t think in any other situation they would be friends, actually,\u201d Howell says. \u201cThey kind of have been thrown together a little, [Santos] discovering Whitaker\u2019s living situation, and then inviting him [to be a roommate], but I think they can see each other in a lot of ways, they can see each others\u2019 defense mechanisms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAdds Briones: \u201cThey both needed each other when they found each other, I think. Obviously from a more material standpoint, like how Whitaker didn\u2019t have a home. But Santos is a very specific kind of person, and she could have easily been like, \u2018sucks to suck!\u2019 and leave him behind. But she let this boy that she had just met about 15 hours prior into her home. Clearly there was something there that they both needed from each other. At the end of the day, I think the people who put up the most barriers are the ones who have the biggest vulnerabilities. I think it\u2019s cool that Whitaker is someone who gets to peek into that a little bit. As much as she tries to keep up her barriers, he gets to really see a different side of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Season 2, it\u2019s revealed that Whitaker has been spending time with a widow (whose husband was a patient that died in Season 1) and working on her farm. Santos does not approve. Says Howell: \u201cI think you can look at it from the empathetic view that he sees someone in need and this person maybe asked for help and he obliged. But I think there\u2019s a bit of a selfish part of that where he\u2019s getting a little bit of his homesickness out by being able to work on the farm, and his usefulness. But yeah, I mean, it\u2019s not right. It\u2019s not appropriate!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat would he ask Whitaker? \u201cWhat is he missing at the moment, and what kind of gap is he obviously trying to fill? I think he\u2019s got a lot of defense mechanisms, not in the same way as Santos, but he\u2019s got a lot of barriers up. I don\u2019t think he likes asking for help himself, so that is something I\u2019m kind of digging into. I guess it\u2019s like, \u2018what\u2019s up, man?’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat about Briones on Santos? \u201cShe\u2019s had a rough road, and we know that she has struggled with a lot of mental health stuff. If I were talking to her as a friend, it\u2019s like, \u2018you chose life, you chose to live, so live!\u2019 Don\u2019t put up all these barriers, don\u2019t push people away. Don\u2019t say that you\u2019re better off as a lone wolf. That\u2019s actually not protecting you, that\u2019s actually hurting you more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat have they heard so far about Season 3? \u201cGirl, nothing, we don\u2019t know anything,\u201d Briones says. \u201cNot much. I know what I\u2019m wearing! Since it\u2019s only a few months later, it\u2019s winter. So we get to come in with coats, that\u2019s a whole other layer of costuming we\u2019ve never had before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s going to be hot, filming in winter clothes in summertime Los Angeles. \u201cI\u2019ve heard they\u2019ve upgraded the AC,\u201d Howell reveals. \u201cThat\u2019s some juicy goss!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t10 QUESTIONS WITH ISA BRIONES and GERRAN HOWELL:<\/p>\n

\n\t1. Childhood nickname:\u00a0Briones: \u201cIsa Pizza.\u201d Howell: \u201cBig G.\u201d [Says Briones: \u201cOh, that\u2019s gonna stick!\u201d]<\/p>\n

\n\t2. Something you loved as a kid but can\u2019t believe you were into it now:\u00a0Briones: \u201cI still love everything. My mind immediately went to Polly Pockets. And chewing on Polly Pocket clothes\u2026 i don\u2019t regret Polly Pockets but I do regreat Bratz dolls because you can take off their entire foot and that\u2019s so spooky to me.\u201d Howell: \u201cI went through a puppet phase when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t3. Go-to Karaoke or sing-in-the-shower song:\u00a0Briones: \u201cWannabe by Spice Girls.\u201d Howell: \u201cKiss from a Rose by Seal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t4. Give me an alternate title for your show:\u00a0\u00a0Briones: \u201cThe Piss.\u201d Howell: \u201cWhitaker\u2019s Very Bad, No Good Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t5. What\u2019s your secret talent?: Briones: \u201cOnce I have a talent, it\u2019s never secret. I\u2019m telling everyone!\u201d Howell: \u201cPuppetry, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Briones: \u201cVan Leewen honeycomb. Also a classic, cookies and cream.\u201d Howell: \u201cRum and raisin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t7. The one item you couldn\u2019t live without: Briones: \u201cFish sauce.\u201d Howell: \u201cCaffeine at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t8. What TV show in all of history do you wish you were a cast member of?: Howell: \u201cTwin Peaks.\u201d Briones: \u201cNew Girl\u201d or \u201cParks and Recreation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t9. Fictional character you most admire: Howell: The Dude from \u201cThe Big Lebowski.\u201d Briones: Leslie Knope.<\/p>\n

\n\t10. Your favorite piece of advice: Howell: \u201cIn the industry, I think the best advice I was given is being comfortable with uncertainty. It was basically kind of saying accept the powerlessness you have sometimes as an actor, but as long as you keep doing what you\u2019re doing, stuff will find you.\u201d Briones: \u201cCelebrate the little things. Because if you\u2019re constantly waiting for the big thing that you\u2019re going to celebrate, then you\u2019re going to be living in such disappointment until then. So actually celebrating like the little moments that, \u2018that audition went really well. I felt really good about that.\u2019 Or, \u2018I got a call back. Like, how exciting is that?\u2019 Always in my family, we would be like, if someone got a call back, then we\u2019ll make a steak tonight. Those little things to kind of keep the magic in life. It\u2019s all just these little steps forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Variety\u2019s \u201cAwards Circuit\u201d podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, \u201cAwards Circuit\u201d features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Pitt\u201d stars Isa Briones and Gerran Howell say they\u2019re no longer squeamish about the things they see…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[86405,9960,93,120049,61,60,156011,29910,282],"class_list":["post-503313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-awards-circuit-podcast","tag-emmys","tag-entertainment","tag-gerran-howell","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-isa-briones","tag-the-pitt","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503313","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=503313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/503314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}