'The Pitt' star Isa Briones shares what she wants to do when she visits the Philippines
Isa Briones described the love from Filipino fans for The Pitt as "really exciting."
The Emmy-winning medical drama featured Philippine representation since the first episode of season 1, when the series opened with Pinoy-blooded nurses Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) and Princess (Krisitn Villanueva) making chismis in the first five minutes. It was taken to another level when one of the resident doctors, Trinity Santos (played by Isa), was also revealed to be Filipino.
Season 2 put the pedal to the metal on spotlighting the Philippines, as Isa sang a Hiligaynon lullaby to the crying abandoned baby.
"In the beginning, [access] to watching The Pitt was kind of slow at first, so it felt kind of contained to the US, and slowly, it started to reach outside of this country," Isa, 27, told PhilSTAR L!fe in a roundtable interview. "And it's really been exciting to see it."
"Seeing the response, especially because it was around when the SAG Awards happened, and [it] was also when I sang the lullaby and getting to see the response to that was so special," she added. X was filled with memes about how Baby Jane Doe had become an honorary Filipino after Dr. Santos sang Ili Ili Tulog Anay to her.
Previously, Isa shared that her dad, Broadway star Jon Jon Briones, helped her pick the lullaby. During the interview, the actress shared how special it was that Hollywood representation was expanding beyond Tagalog.
"We are involving even more of the Philippines. We're involving everyone in, and it's such a special thing to kind of do as much representation in the little moments that we have," she said.
Connecting to her roots
The last time Isa was in the Philippines, she was just seven years old. If she were to visit her hometown, she said that she wants to connect with her family.
"There's so many family members I've never met. And I want to see my Lola. It's her birthday soon," she said, shouting out her grandmother, Eleanor Cloma Briones.
"I feel disconnected at times, even though I feel very connected to my background and definitely to the Filipino American community in the US," Isa admitted.
Earlier in the interview, she also shared that she feels her father sometimes feels guilt from leaving his home country.
"I think that's just a very common feeling amongst immigrants. Like, 'Am I really connected to that if I haven't seen them, if I haven't been there in so long?'" she said.
"But of course, the connection is always there, and I just can't wait to actually see them and hang out with them."
Apart from connecting with her family, Isa looks forward to eating "really good" Filipino food when she visits.
In The Pitt, Isa's Dr. Santos is a confident (sometimes to the point of cocky) and competitive second-year resident, who spends most of season 2 juggling being behind on her charting, taking on more patients, navigating her rocky situationship with senior surgeon Yolanda Garcia (Alexandra Metz), and dealing with the return of Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball). To recall, Santos revealed Langdon was stealing medicine from the ER.
"It's been 10 months. [Santos] has not felt super comfortable at work. [She] doesn't really trust people, people don't trust her [...] There's a bit of sadness that has really settled in. She'll still have her spunk and have her little quips, but I think she's slowed down a bit," Isa said.
"There's a softening to her. As much as she tries to put up this wall, this icy exterior, she has softened, and she has warmed up, and I think you notice that in the little moments."
Season 2 follows the 4th of July weekend shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. It's attending physician Michael Robinavitch (Noah Wyle)'s last day before he goes on a three-month sabbatical, but things aren't going as smoothly as expected.
The second season also stars Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, and Sepideh Moafi.
There are two episodes left in the medical drama, which streams on HBO Max. Stay tuned for the upcoming episodes on April 10 and 17.
