Ever since he played the sweet-faced teenage boy who stands up for Kevin Kline’s outed gay teacher at the end of 1997’s “In & Out,” Shawn Hatosy has endeared himself to a wide audience.
In the intervening years, he has worked nonstop, popping up in films directed by Robert Rodriguez (“The Faculty)”, Werner Herzog (“Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”) and Michael Mann (“Public Enemies”) and on TV in acclaimed series like NBC/TNT’s cop drama “Southland” and TNT’s crime saga “Animal Kingdom.” Now his supporting turn as Dr. Jack Abbot, an ER doctor in Max’s “The Pitt,” is earning him a new kind of acclaim. Never mind that the character appears in less than a third of the series’ first 15 episodes.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Hatosy said. Dr. Abbot works the night shift, initially only crossing paths with Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby when he’s getting ready to punch out. But a mass shooting brings him back to the hospital, and over time we learn that he is a military vet and amputee harboring a well of pain.
“The response has been so tremendous — within the industry, of course, which has been nice — but also to play a character who is universally liked,” he said. “I’ve played some characters where it could go either way, you know? Also, just going out into the world and meeting people who watch the show, who were affected by it, where a doctor or a single-leg amputee says to me, ‘This is a life-changing show for me. Nobody’s ever given a voice to me.’”
Part of the appeal of Dr. Abbot, Hatosy believes, is how honestly he handles the messiness of his job and his life. “He’s someone who’s learned to lead without ever asking for it, and that built from this idea that in combat, you don’t really get to decide. You just step up. And that’s what he brings into the ER. He’s not polished or overly intellectual. His instincts were shaped by necessity, and that became the spine of how I played him.”
Playing Dr. Abbot is something of a full-circle moment for Hatosy, who in 2006 had a guest-starring role as a patient in NBC’s “ER.” In the mid-aughts, Hatosy reteamed with “ER” creator John Wells for “Southland.” “Our creative
relationship has evolved and deepened over the years, and with each project, that trust has grown,” Hatosy said. “John’s belief in me makes me feel like I can take risks, push deeper and fully live inside the character.”
Hatosy is currently shooting the horror comedy sequel “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” with his Faculty costar Elijah Wood, but with a second season of “The Pitt” in the works, he’ll be back in scrubs soon enough. Whether or not Dr. Abbot is featured more prominently in Season 2, as many fans are hoping, Hatosy won’t say. He is, he said, just grateful to be a part of such a well-received series. “There are thousands of actors out there who have stepped into John’s office at some point to audition for a guest role on “ER,” and I was lucky to be one of them,” he said. “I’m just so glad I did, because it began this creative collaboration that has gone on now for 20 years.”
This story first ran in the Drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the issue here.
