The Pitt’s Gerran Howell Thinks Robby Is Avoiding Whitaker

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This article contains spoilers from the second season of The Pitt, specifically up to and including the ninth episode, “3:00 P.M.,” which was released on HBO Max on March 5th.

Dennis Whitaker, a first-year resident, is full of surprises, but nude yoga isn’t one of them. He’s already shown his unexpected background in theology, his secret living situation at the hospital, and earned the nickname “White Chocolate.” This makes him the more likely choice to housesit for Dr. Robby while he’s on a motorcycle trip, beating out the yoga-loving Dr. Abbot. However, as usual on The Pitt, the seemingly simple situation is layered with deeper meaning. Whitaker’s connection with Amy, the widow of a patient who died last season, is questioned – is it genuine attraction or just extreme empathy? His frequent visits to her farm are starting to look unprofessional. Similarly, Robby’s need for this trip is also unclear. Is he truly feeling trapped by his job, or is he still grieving from the COVID pandemic and the shooting at PittFest, which Whitaker witnessed? Robby’s behavior is also bordering on unprofessional. Both men seem to be dealing with hidden issues beneath the surface.

A quiet conversation between Robby and Whitaker provides a rare moment of honesty amidst the chaos of their work. Actor Gerran Howell used the scene to explore Whitaker’s complex feelings about his close, but complicated, relationship with the farmer’s wife, his friendship with Trinity Santos, and his struggle to keep work and personal life separate. Howell notes that the ten-month time jump has helped Whitaker settle into his job, but he was still surprised by Robby’s seemingly reckless act of trust. “Whitaker recognizes something is wrong with Robby – he seems erratic,” Howell explains. “It caught me off guard, and I think it also catches Whitaker off guard: he’s glad Robby trusts him, but worried about what Robby is doing.”

In the second season, we see Whitaker as a first-year resident taking on a mentoring role. The scripts showed us how he’d changed and matured. It’s been ten months, and he’s now responsible for medical students, meaning he can’t act like he did in the first season – he’d lose his job! It was fun playing a character who was often overwhelmed, but that couldn’t be his constant state. Actually, having these students to guide has helped him focus outward a bit. He’s had to overcome a lot of his anxiety and developed ways to cope. I was surprised by how much attitude I brought to the first couple of episodes! He’s leading the students, but not always happily. He feels like they’re driving him crazy, and he’s responsible for their mistakes. He’s less focused on impressing people and more on being helpful and efficient. He’s developed a sort of professional facade now.

His attitude immediately reminded me of when he threw the protein bar at Joy. It’s true, there just isn’t time for that kind of behavior. Both Ogilvy and Joy seem reluctant to even be there, and you can only do so much to motivate them. He’s really trying to prevent them from reflecting poorly on him. He’s usually understanding, but these two are different – Ogilvy is a wonderfully crazy character, and he really contrasts with everyone else.

I was surprised when Robby asked Whitaker to house-sit, mostly because we usually don’t get much notice about things like that. Given the existing storyline about Whitaker and the widow, I felt their relationship was already inappropriate and becoming more complicated. I thought Robby would really scold Whitaker, but instead, he just warned him to be careful and handed over the keys! It happened so fast, and it felt like Robby was avoiding addressing the issue. I expected a stronger reaction from Robby, but I didn’t get it. This made Whitaker realize Robby is in a strange state of mind right now. He’s grateful for the trust, but I don’t think he fully understands why Robby is acting this way.

I worked with Noah by bouncing ideas off each other and experimenting during scenes. He’s very adaptable, and that extends to his dynamic with Robby. They have a relaxed relationship, and I think Noah realizes Robby looks up to him. Back in season one, Robby found Noah in the trauma room having a breakdown. It seems Robby sees a bit of his younger self in Noah, but it’s a bit awkward for him – knowing I witnessed him at his most vulnerable. That’s reflected in our scene together; he’s less involved with me now. It’s fast-paced, and he doesn’t give me much time to speak. He quickly puts me in his apartment and leaves. He does this a lot with Noah now – being friendly, but essentially avoiding showing any weakness himself.

When I think back to how we played that scene, I initially focused on the idea that the character was giving me something important – his keys. But I was surprised by how rushed and energetic it actually became. We originally rehearsed the lines as a genuine attempt to make amends, but on set, it took on a really unusual feel. It was fast-paced, disorienting, and unexpected, and we just went with that energy.

While you were reading, did you picture what Robby’s apartment might be like? I think it would be a classic man cave, a lot like Noah’s place. Noah’s a collector – he even admits to being a bit of a hoarder. I bet Robby has collected some interesting things during his travels, maybe not expensive items, but definitely impressive and unique, like a lot of books.

Santos expresses her concern to Robby about Whitaker’s connection with Amy, leading Robby to suggest Whitaker housesit as a way to distract him from the farm. It’s unclear exactly what’s happening between Whitaker and Amy, even by the season’s end, but it definitely shows Whitaker being overly empathetic and possibly getting used. Being on the farm seems to be more beneficial for Whitaker than his relationship with Amy; he finds purpose and a sense of escape there, feeling a sense of belonging he’s lacking elsewhere.

It’s clear Santos values her friendship with Whitaker, even though she doesn’t openly express it. A central theme this season is the depth of their connection. Santos wouldn’t directly tell me if she thought someone was using me; she’d subtly suggest it with teasing. Like Robby, Whitaker seems to truly understand Santos, seeing past her tough exterior and jokes. He probably hears a lot from her about Langdon and Garcia – he’s often the one she vents to and keeps up-to-date on all the drama. They’ve become very close, but there’s a noticeable tension. I can tell when she’s upset – especially today – and she’s definitely keeping her distance. Despite that, I believe they genuinely care for each other now.

Honestly, one of the most memorable scenes this season was when Whitaker showed Ogilvy how to do a… well, let’s just call it a disimpaction. It was both disgusting and strangely fascinating! Filming it was… an experience. Whenever the script mentioned anything involving bodily fluids, I’d immediately brace myself, thinking, ‘Here it comes!’ We jokingly called the whole setup the ‘poop cannon.’ They were experimenting with different mixtures, shooting them out of a pressurized tube. I had to dodge out of the way pretty fast – it had a surprisingly powerful kick! It was definitely gross, but thankfully, Whitaker’s pretty unfazed by that stuff now. He’s seen it all, really – he’s got his ‘yellow wings’ and everything!

Your hair is noticeably longer and a bit curlier this season. Was that your choice, or did the show’s producers suggest it? It was my idea! I think a simple way to show a character developing is through a physical change, like letting their hair grow. [Laughs] It also helps to visually mark the passage of time and show how much more comfortable he’s becoming. The mullet, in particular, might have represented how much he was longing for home. He’s really starting to discover who he is. Santos definitely played a part in that, giving him some advice. She even took him to a gay bar and told him he needed to be a little more polished if he wanted to spend time with her.

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2026-03-06 07:56