The Pitt stars haven’t been that surprised by cast exits after there were jokes made on set about people being written off.
“That was something that was just always spoken about when we were filming, just that there’s characters that are gonna come and go,” Supriya Ganesh told Entertainment Weekly on Thursday, June 11.
Ganesh recalled executive producer and star Noah Wyle mentioning it.
“Noah would joke around and laugh and go like, ‘Who am I gonna get rid of this season’ as a joke, so it just was very much something that was just part of how they structured the show,” she recalled. “I think the idea of living in a day is super helpful because eventually the character doesn’t know what’s gonna happen to her or the show really also at times doesn’t really know what’s gonna happen to her at any point. I think it’s just, like, you have to live within the context of a day.”
Ganesh made her mark on HBO Max’s The Pitt when she was introduced in the role of Samira Mohan. Ganesh appeared in two seasons before news broke in March that she would be written out of the show after season 2. The decision received backlash from fans who were still upset about Tracy Ifeachor’s exit after season 1. Both departures were referred to as a creative choice.
“It’s sort of the nature of the show. Unfortunately, the way the medical profession works, you come in, you learn, you move on, and we want to try and be as truthful to that process as possible,” Gemmill explained to Us Weekly at the time. “So we’re going to turn over our cast. But I think it’s a great launching pad for people, and that’s the best we can do.”
Noah Wyle, Ned Brower, Supriya Ganesh in “The Pitt.” Courtesy Warrick Page / HBO MAX/ Courtesy Everett Collection
In a separate interview, Gemmill addressed the criticism surrounding multiple women of color leaving The Pitt.
“It eliminates the false jeopardy some shows have,” he told Vulture. “[Mohan] is somebody who doesn’t have a job lined up and might not know where she’s going next, and we’re trying to build up the uncertainty that these young physicians face.”
The interviewer pointed out to Gemmill that the show’s two major departures have both been women of color. In response, Gemmill called it “just a by-product of having a diverse cast,” adding, “We have a lot of women, and a lot of women of color. It’s just a coincidence more than anything else.”
Wyle, 54, also defended the casting shakeup.
“Emergency rooms have a high revolving door,” Wyle told Variety at PaleyFest’s screening of The Pitt earlier this month. “As always, we try to bring in new characters or promote from within as we go through these cast changes and try to keep the story lines fresh.”
Wyle didn’t rule out more departures before the show starts filming season 3, adding, “It’s an inevitability that’s going to happen every season with this show, because as writers we’re hard-pressed to figure out what a lapse of time we can have and keep most of the ensemble together realistically.”
He concluded: “Obviously Supriya has been a huge part of our show since the beginning. Dr. Mohan is a beloved character, and I love playing with her and working with Supriya, and we wish her all the best in her next endeavors, and we’re going to miss her.”
The Pitt has been renewed for season 3 on HBO Max.
