How real-life nurses inspired The Pitt’s Katherine LaNasa

Actress Katherina LaNasa who plays Nurse Dana on 'The Pitt' sat down with CTV Your Morning to discuss how the show tackles tension in a hospital.

Katherine LaNasa, who plays nurse Dana Evans on the HBO series The Pitt, spoke with CTV Your Morning on Monday about how the show tackles tension in a hospital.

The Pitt, which is currently airing its second season in Canada on Crave, is billed as “a realistic examination of the challenges facing health-care workers in today’s America.”

The series has won multiple awards, including the 2026 Golden Globe for best drama. LaNasa was awarded an Emmy Award in 2025 for best supporting actress.

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The actor says she drew inspiration for her character from real-life working nurses.

LaNasa relayed how one nurse she spoke with said “she wouldn’t do what she was doing if it wasn’t in a county hospital. She only wanted to do it for people who really needed her.”

“The way she talked about (a particular patient) was both compassionate and matter-of-fact, and I liked being able to channel that into Dana,” LaNasa added.

While discussing why her character returned for season two, LaNasa said “I think it’s home, and I think it’s a place where she finds her value.”

“Not everybody can do what these types of women do,” she said. “(I)t’s a calling, (nurses) feel important there, they feel useful, in a way that matters.”

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‘A microcosm of what’s going on in America’

A defining feature of The Pitt is its timeline, seasons take place over a single 15-hour emergency department shift in a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa. Episodes feature unhoused people, addicts, and a mass casualty event.

“The nice thing about The Pitt is that its sort of a microcosm of what’s going on in America,” LaNasa said before commending the show’s creator for setting the second season during the Fourth of July.

“A day we’re supposed to be celebrating America, we’re also shining a light on a lot of what’s broken about America,” LaNasa said. “I appreciate being on a show that tries to tell the truth.”

The Pitt airs Thursdays on Crave. Crave is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc.