With production underway on the second season of “The Pitt,” creator R. Scott Gemmill said the HBO Max drama’s return showed how “hungry” people are to work in Los Angeles, pointing to the thousands of casting submissions that came in for each new role.
“When we get casting, I think they get like 3,000 submissions for each role — that’s how hungry the people are out there to work in Los Angeles,” Gemmill told press backstage minutes after receiving the Emmy for best drama series.
Gemmill added that it’s important the team do their “small part” to keep production in L.A., but he hopes other producers “take note” of the show’s commitment to the city. “I think one of the things we showed was that you can make a show in Los Angeles, and you can make it for a price,” he said.
The push to stay in L.A. is also near and dear to “The Pitt” star Noah Wyle, who took home the Emmy for lead drama actor on Sunday. Wyle recalled to press that he spoke at the ceremony celebrating the expansion of California’s film tax credit program with Gov. Gavin Newsom, he brought up “The Pitt’s” special effects coordinator, Rob Nary, whose father and grandfather both worked in the craft.
“I said it to highlight the fact that there’s generational talent of this city that’s worked in this industry for over 100 years,” Wyle said on Sunday. “When you shoot a show here, you benefit of three generations of talent. You get a Rob Nary. You can put up a sound stage in another state, but they don’t come with Rob Narys.”
Gemmill added that the most important thing about shooting in L.A. is enabling cast and crew to go home to their families every night.
In total, “The Pitt” took home five Emmys, including casting and guest actor for Shawn Hatosy at the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, as well as lead actor in a drama series for Wyle, supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa and, of course, the coveted win for best drama series.
“It was designed as a love letter to first responders to talk about the aggregate toll that these ships have taken on them since COVID, these tours of beauty that they’ve done without a break,” Wyle said. “This is an attempt to put the spotlight back on these trenches, which are flagging in morale and in personnel, and try to inspire the next generation to want to go into this line of work because we’re going to need them, and that was the audience we made the show for. That was the first audience that responded overwhelmingly, and it was their word of mouth that gave us the stamp of approval that really had this resonate elsewhere.”
“The Pitt” Season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max.
