The Pitt‘s Isa Briones weighed in on how much story was still left to tell with Samira Mohan before costar Supriya Ganesh‘s controversial exit.
“I can’t really speak to it,” Briones, 27, told Vulture on Friday, April 17. “But I’m really bummed, because I think Mohan was a wonderful character and there was way more to explore with her.”
Briones isn’t the only cast member to show support for Ganesh, 28. Shawn Hatosy reacted to the news that Ganesh will not return for the upcoming third season of the hit HBO Max series.
“I can’t really comment because I don’t really know exactly what’s going on there, but he’s obviously disappointed,” Hatosy, 50, told Gold Derby earlier this month while referring to his character, Jack Abbot. “I’m disappointed just because of this dynamic [and] this relationship that they have … the writers teased these moments throughout season 1 and we explored it.”
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He continued: “I would say that Dr. Abbot is the head of [Mohan’s] fan club, you know, and early on he’s believed in her and he sees her as the future. He says that she’s the smartest one here. … I think the power dynamic is obvious, so I don’t see Abbot as someone who would cross that line. I think that’s what makes the relationship so special because it’s clear that he’s got that attraction, but there’s nowhere to go with it. That creates this excitement, you know?”
News broke earlier this month that Ganesh 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,” creator R. Scott Gemmill explained to Us Weekly. “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.”
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.”
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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.”
The Pitt’s Noah Wyle also defended the casting shakeup.
“Emergency rooms have a high revolving door,” Wyle, 54, 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 is currently streaming on HBO Max.
