The Pitt star Supriya Ganesh sat down with The Direct's Russ Milheim to explain why her character, Dr. Samira Mohan, wanted to keep going after her intensive fifteen-hour shift.
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for The Pitt Season 1, Episode 15.
In The Pitt's season finale, despite a very traumatic shift, Dr. Samira Mohan really didn't want to clock out—instead she seemed more energized than ever before. But It was clear that this wasn't the most healthy reaction to everything that's happened.
The Pitt Star Supriya Ganesh Explain Dr. Mohan's Adrenaline Rush
"I Think She's Hit This Career High In a Way, Right?"
- The Direct: "At the end of the shift in the last hour or two, your character, she's hyped up on adrenaline. After things are settling down, she doesn't want to go. And when I was watching it in my head, I'm like, that is, it's such a clear sign of, something's off here, just go home. You're good. In your own words, what's going through her mind at that point?"
Supriya Ganesh: I think she's hit this career high in a way, right? Because everyone thought she wasn't capable of doing this, and then she fucking did it, and she did it well, like she was in the most intense zone, and she really came through. So there's definitely that adrenaline rush from that.
I think she's just like, let's just keep going. Let's just make sure that we can hit everything we possibly can. I'm gonna save more people. But I think she also really just doesn't want to go home.
As McKay says, This job can be your life. Like, I kind of go like, why would you say that? And I mean, the writing's on the table, she doesn't really have much else in her life outside of this hospital, and so I think she knows that if she goes home to crash, because I think everyone knows this crash was coming, she's just gonna crash alone.
There's no one to decompress with. There's no one to comfort her as she's going through this because, ultimately, she is experiencing this adrenaline high because of a really traumatic event.
One of our set photographers actually is a war journalist, and as we were filming this, he said, you know, [for] whatever reason, this just really reminds me of when I would see people who experience some sort of injury and they aren't aware of it at the time, because they're experiencing adrenaline high, and they'll be awfully injured, and they'll be like, I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'm great. Let's just go home. Why are you guys, you know, working on me?
I mean, obviously she's not, like, injured, but I think there's something going on there for her. And I think a lot of doctors experience this as well, just experiencing this sudden crash that happens after a shift. And so I feel really grateful to have the opportunity to tell that story.
- The Direct: "How much have you fleshed out your character's backstory [about] what's at home? What is her family like? You know, maybe friends that you either have or don't have. How much of that have you fleshed out on your own? Just to kind of get into her head space."
Supriya Ganesh: Scott was incredibly detailed when we had the character talk before we started filming. So, he essentially gave me a good house of Bucha wood, and I decorated it a bunch. I mean, I think the thing he really emphasized is that she's really lonely, and the only thing she has is work.
And we talked about some of the relationships in her life, which I hope we explore more in Season 2, hopefully, or even some of her trauma that led her to be an emergency medicine doctor. So, yeah, I think there was a lot of detail that's put into this character and every character, and honestly, everything on our show.
I think that's what viewers are responding to. Everything is very fleshed out, and it's a world they're really only getting a little bit of a peek into. So, you know, I hope they keep coming back, because absolutely, I would hope everything is explored and exposed more.
- The Direct: "Season 2 is happening. It's right around the corner. What do you, hypothetically, just with your character across the board, what would you really like to see explored? Like, what do you want her to go through, maybe evolve?"
Supriya Ganesh: I'm just curious to see how the mass-casualty incident affects her, hopefully, or any of the other characters. I mean, I honestly have no idea what's going on with Season 2. I would love to know as much as you.
So, yeah, I think we'll go back soon. I'm not really sure, but yeah, I just think, like, every idea that Scott has is just amazing. So I'm just really excited to dig in, and so curious to see where everything's gonna go.
Supirya Ganesh on Why Mohan Is a Great Doctor
"She Really Cares About Her Patients..."
- The Direct: " I wanna hear in your own words, why is Dr Samira a great doctor?"
Supriya Ganesh: Oh, because she really cares about her patients, and if you have a problem, she's going to find out what that problem is, even if it's like a [thing] she's read in a journal once, or if she needs to take five hours to figure out what that problem is, you are a patient that is going to be believed by her and a patient that is going to be advocated for.
And I think that's what makes her amazing. She's fighting in a system that doesn't really want her to exist there. And she says, No, fuck you system. I'm gonna make sure that one patient I'm taking care of this hour is taken care of. So, yeah, I mean, honestly, I just think that's really cool. And I think she's the type of doctor that any patient would love to have.
- The Direct: "Your character has been there for a little bit at the hospital. At the start of this shift, how does she view these newbies coming into the hospital and how do they maybe compare to where she was on her first day?"
Supriya Ganesh: I think it's tricky for her because I think she is still learning, and she is in this interesting space where even though she is still learning, she still has to teach them.
And I will say, I do think of the residents, she's the one who perhaps approaches them with a lot of empathy, and I guess, grace for their mistakes.
I think she does a really great job, you know, getting Whitaker, for example, back up on the horse after he experiences his first patient loss, or really teaching Javadi's character, as to why her approach might be something that's a little unconventional with the mercury poisoning patient.
I think she just does a really good job of being a really good teacher while also holding space for the interns feeling like they're fucking up. I think her background allows her to be a really great teacher to them and also allows her to really empathize with them in a way that maybe some of the other doctors don't.
- The Direct: "Do you think there was anyone in that crew that maybe she was hesitant, but then towards the end of the shift, she kind of got a new maybe respect or understanding of this person?"
Supriya Ganesh: For sure. I think Santos' character, I never thought the way that she gave her feedback was necessarily cruel or mean, I think she did a good job of keeping it professional and telling her, you know, this is what you're doing wrong.
And to Santos' credit, she like takes that. But I think because the characters are so different. I think Dr. Mohan maybe went, Oh, I don't know if our methods really gel. And then I think with the seizure patient, she kind of sees like, Oh, this person's [strength is that] she knows how to take control of the situation with the knowledge that she has.
And I think over the course of that shift, she is able to realize, Oh no, I maybe misinterpreted what was going on here. I didn't give this person enough credit. So absolutely, I do think those relationships definitely evolved as the shift went on.
Dr. Samira Mohan and Dr. Robbie's Relationship Explained
"He Always Knew I Was Incredible Doctor..."
- The Direct: "One key element of Samira is just how long she can take with patients. In your own words, can you explain how that is both a strength in your ability as a doctor, but then also, at the same time, a flaw that can maybe get in the way in some circumstances?"
Supriya Ganesh: I think when I first got wind of what this character was about, I was a little concerned that it might focus a little too much on the positives, because it is absolutely a good thing, right? As a patient, you want a doctor who is a patient advocate. I want a doctor who's a patient advocate.
I want to make sure that I'm being treated appropriately, and every possible test that can be run is run. So I think, as a patient, and most viewers are patients, right? You really glob onto that, and you really root for this doctor.
But I think the show also does an incredible job of showing that there's a reason why not all doctors can do that, and most doctors don't, because there is a system that prevents them from doing that. And also, you're a burden on the rest of your medical team, but also also some of the patients.
You need to be able to see these patients in the waiting room at a certain frequency so that they're given appropriate care at the right time. And I think that's more so a commentary on what the medical system is and, frankly, how badly it is structured.
I mean, there is a reason why people aren't getting care [and it] isn't because of the doctors. It is because of how many roadblocks and setbacks there are to people getting care.
So, I do think a show does such a great job of exploring the different sides of her and the positives and the negatives to her approach.
- The Direct: "That approach is also something that obviously gets on on Robbie's nerves. How do those two feel about each other? And do you think Robbie kind of gains any new understandind—I mean, I know you guys have worked together [in-world] even before the showstarts, those two characters have had plenty of time with each other. But do you think their relationship evolves in any notable way within the context of this first shift from beginning to end?"
Supriya Ganesh: "I think it's interesting, because I don't think his perspective changes that much. I think he always knew that I was an incredible doctor. I mean, that's what Noah would tell me when we were filming some of our confrontation scenes.
Like he would sometimes go like, 'Well, I think my character is only this hard on you because he knows [you're a good doctor].' And I think the mass-casualty incident is really where you see that he does trust her, and he was just trying to push her to be the doctor that he knows she can be.
So, in a weird way, I don't think on his end, the relationship evolves, but I think for me, absolutely, I feel like he respects me more. And that's really satisfying. Because I think throughout the season, you do see that she's looking for his approval, because in her head, he's a little bit of her father figure to her.
And so I think she's kind of looking for his approval, his sign-off on everything that she's doing. And so that's why I think it really hurts when he has, like, that negative feedback for her...
I think I'm able to feel like I'm getting that validation from his character towards the end of the season, but I think it was always there. I think there's probably just a weird mind thing going on for her as she's recieveing that feedback, for sure."
The full interview can be viewed below:
The Pitt is now streaming on Max.
Be sure to check out more of The Direct's post-mortems for The Pitt:
The Pitt Star Patrick Ball Explains the Real Reason Why Dr. Langdon Stole That Medicine
The Pitt Star Reveals Why Dr. King Is So Good at Dealing With Problematic Patients (Exclusive)
