If it’s a contest for who most deserves to lastly go house after the world’s longest hospital shift in Max’s “The Pitt,” few have a greater case to make than Dr. Cassie McKay.
Performed by Fiona Dourif, McKay is a talented, empathetic physician whose private drama has outmatched even that of her sufferers, culminating on this week’s 14th episode, aka “8:00 P.M.,” when she is arrested. However let’s again up.
Already this season, McKay has weathered a number of crises, together with the whispers about her court-mandated ankle monitor and the arrival of her deadbeat ex-husband Chad (Ron Heaps), who shattered a number of bones enjoying the a part of skateboarding dad for his or her son, Harrison (Henry Samiri). Add within the chaos of the mass casualty occasion, and McKay decides to name in reinforcements to rescue Harrison.
On this week’s episode, the cavalry arrives with the introduction of McKay’s dad, performed by Dourif’s actual father, Brad Dourif. In fact, this isn’t the primary time the 2 have shared the display. Since 2013, she has performed an integral position within the current TV collection and movie installments within the “Chucky” horror franchise, for which her dad has supplied the voice and human character for the reason that killer doll’s debut in 1988. Whereas Dourif was delighted to have her dad on set of her personal venture this time, she will be able to’t take credit score for the intelligent casting.
Courtesy of Max
“My suspicion is that it was Noah Wyle’s thought,” Dourif tells Selection. “He has talked to me about my dad’s profession in nice element earlier than, so I do know there wanted to be a tool to get Harrison house, and it was most likely thrown out within the writers’ room as a really cool thought.”
Instantly, it’s clear the place McKay will get her empathetic bedside method –– and her edge. First, he consoles his daughter, hugs his grandson after which takes a jab at his former son-in-law. “Chadwick Harrison Ashcraft III,” he says with disdain. “A douchebag title for a douchebag man.” He calls them like he sees them.
Concurrently, McKay’s determination to defy Robby (Noah Wyle) earlier on this unending shift additionally comes again to hang-out her this hour. She beforehand expressed concern after a youngster named David (Jackson Kelly, who additionally not too long ago starred within the “Chucky” TV collection) exhibited indicators of anger and presumably meant violence towards ladies in his highschool whereas within the ER together with his mom, Teresa (Joanna Going). Robby steered they not become involved, however McKay known as the police anyway when David ran away. Because the mass taking pictures at PittFest, McKay has questioned whether or not David was the shooter, one thing exacerbated by his bloodied return to the hospital in final week’s episode.
This episode confirms the shooter was another person, who has since been killed, leaving Robby, Teresa and McKay to confront a hostile and damage David. It doesn’t go nicely, and it’s made all of the tougher by Robby’s directive to McKay that “you made this fucking mess, you’re going to have to repair it.”
If her day weren’t unhealthy sufficient, the cops have been consistently calling McKay, who disabled her malfunctioning ankle monitor with an IO drill in the course of the chaos of the PittFest trauma. After she ignores their calls one too many occasions, they present as much as arrest her in entrance of the whole emergency room.
Talking with Selection, Dourif addressed the humiliation of the climactic arrest for each her character and herself, whether or not McKay appears like she made a mistake with David and why having her dad on set made the character really feel extra like herself.
McKay has been by means of loads in only a matter of hours. How do you suppose she’s holding up by hour 14?
I feel she is having a really, very lengthy day. There’s a humiliation that’s at play with the ankle monitor, after which the confrontation with Chad taking place at my office is sort of her nightmare. That she might get herself ready after which lose it to the purpose that I might be sporting this factor, after which for this manchild to indicate in entrance of all people I feel is sort of humiliating for her.
She additionally has her son to fret about within the different room. However fortunately her dad involves get him, and he’s performed by your father, Brad Dourif. How did that every one come collectively?
My suspicion is that it was Noah Wyle’s thought. He has talked to me about my dad’s profession in nice element earlier than, so I do know there wanted to be a tool to get Harrison house and it was most likely thrown out within the writers’ room as a really cool thought. I used to be approached by [executive producer and episode writer] Simran Baidwan, and he or she very respectfully needed to get my permission earlier than they put a proposal out to my dad — and I used to be delighted. We had been each delighted. It was a present, actually, and a really tender second to shoot.
You’ve clearly labored along with your dad a number of occasions prior to now, most notably within the “Chucky” films and TV collection. You even performed a model of his “Chucky” character on the TV collection. However what was it like performing reverse one another on this medical atmosphere, which can be new for you?
Every little thing about McKay feels very near house for me. All of it appears like a brand new factor. I principally have labored in sci-fi and horror and style stuff, which is my past love and I’ll all the time love that stuff. However these are wilder, sort of feral characters. This particular person is so shut to truly Fiona that it provides me confidence, but in addition it’s sort of scary since you both like me otherwise you don’t. There may be nowhere to essentially disguise. After which to carry my precise father into the context of my father, we simply carried out the scene that very a lot felt prefer it was simply Brad speaking to Fiona. The entire thing and actually this entire present has felt surreal. I didn’t anticipate it to occur. I really feel very fortunate.
Which is more durable: spouting all this medical jargon or making an attempt to grasp your dad’s “Chucky” character?
It was most likely simpler to grasp my dad’s voice. Properly, and the key is, that’s accomplished principally by means of make-up! There may be really fairly little lifting.
This episode marks a fruits of some of the stressors of McKay’s day. We see the confrontation between her dad and Chad, and the exit of Harrison from the ER. Then, we see her should face the state of affairs with David, who seems to not be the PittFest shooter. Realizing this now, do you suppose McKay regrets calling the police?
I feel, ultimately, McKay doesn’t know if she made the suitable name. All she is aware of is that she did the perfect that she might beneath the circumstances, and I feel she provides herself a bit little bit of credit score for doing the courageous factor. It was most likely more durable to go towards Robby when the trail of least resistance was for him to make the decision. However I feel ultimately, she is saving face for herself. McKay is a personality who has made quite a lot of unhealthy selections, particularly in these late teenagers and early 20s the place you’re feeling like you might be invincible. You’ll be able to see these individuals who made a foul determination and by no means fairly can get better. So she is taking a look at David as someone who’s a part of her tribe, and tries to assist him, finally.
Within the second try at speaking to David together with his mom, McKay is visibly shaken by the encounter. Why do you suppose it actually hit her on this second? As a result of she is a mom whose son has actually been ft away for the previous few hours?
Yeah, and it’s as a result of she is aware of how straightforward it’s to make the flawed determination. I consider it as sort of like your coronary heart is strolling round outdoors of your chest. She can be a single mom, and so is Teresa. There are only a lot of parallels to her personal life. Watching these performers on the day, that scene was actually fairly troublesome. When he’s screaming for his mom, you could possibly actually really feel it on set. That always occurred on “The Pitt,” really. The entire set would acclimate to what’s going on. It was heavy stuff.
Now we have seen Robby be a agency however finally a guiding hand for the employees. But, on this second, he tells McKay to repair her personal mess. What do you suppose she feels about this very blunt directive from him?
I feel she appreciates it. I consider McKay as somebody who was not coddled, and appreciates directness, and appears as much as Robby. He’s the spine and coronary heart of the hospital. I feel there was a frustration in her that he was kicking the can down the highway with making a call about David initially, and I needed to go behind his again and do it anyway. However he has sufficient integrity, which I feel is essentially the most spectacular second on this storyline, the place he cops to it and takes duty for it. He’s a formidable particular person. He’s a formidable man too, Noah Wyle is. Very gracious, simply an unimaginable crew chief. It’s true, and it doesn’t all the time occur.
She appears to be in search of a spot to place her emotions about David and do some good on the finish of the episode, going as much as the nurses asking if there are any instances she will be able to bounce in on.
McKay doesn’t actually know easy methods to cope with her life that nicely. I feel she has a reasonably poor private life, really. She has made actually unhealthy selections with males. I feel her life is principally caring for her child and work, so that is the one lane the place she appears like she is aware of easy methods to give again and performance. All of her life experiences have sort of culminated into this second, they usually weren’t all the time good. They had been sort of more durable than different people who find themselves her friends. However they culminated on this one ability, which is the power to attach and have empathy for individuals in fairly troublesome conditions as a result of she has been there. She’s been on the social gathering the place the particular person was shot.
You talked about that her ankle monitor is a supply of humiliation for McKay, so what does it do to her to have it known as out so publicly in entrance of everybody when she is arrested for disabling it?
It was a reminder for her. Even filming it was humiliating, as a result of it was this flood of remembering that you’re not ok. It was that, after which in a short time it grew to become rage on the state of affairs and the injustice of it. Nonetheless the internal thread of it’s that it was my fault. Largely, it’s simply utter humiliation that it’s taking place in entrance of all people.
However we get a really temporary glimpse earlier than the episode cuts to black the place a few of her colleagues like Dana (Katherine LaNasa) and Langdon (Patrick Ball) bounce to her protection. That has to imply one thing to her once we decide again up within the finale?
Yeah, I feel so. And it very a lot feels that manner once we are filming. Everyone likes one another, which additionally doesn’t all the time occur. The hours are lengthy, and all people works each day, so particularly after the mass casualty, it felt like we had coalesced into this collective organism that I feel lends itself nicely to what would occur in that circumstance. It stops being about you and begins being about ensuring this factor is functioning as a result of the stakes are so excessive.
Did it really feel like “Groundhog Day” going again to the identical garments and tales each day as you filmed this real-time season?
I began to essentially hate my hair by month six! I simply needed to take that ponytail out so badly.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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