Ken Kirby on Dr. John Shen in The Pitt Season 2 – Coffee, Humor & What’s Next

[00:00:08] Ken Kirby thank you for joining me today Pop Culture Unplugged. Of course, thanks for having me. I feel like you might be my last interview with The Pitt this season. I've done so many this year. I know. Well it's a large cast, you know, so between the people that come on and support patients wise and the doctors and the staff, you know, we got a lot of people to cover. Congrats on another amazing season. Thank you. Yeah, it's been great, you know, obviously after the first season,

[00:00:38] was so well received. It's kind of always, it's tough to maintain such a high bar and I think it's done that and possibly even exceeded based on, you know, reviews and ratings and stuff. So yeah, really, really happy with the way that Season 2 has been going. Oh yeah, I can't wait to see. I mean, I've already seen it. I already know what happens, but it's like I can't wait to see what the rest of the viewers think when it ends.

[00:01:03] We're going to jump more into that in a little bit. I want to go back a little bit also, but it was, tell us about your audition process for this. Like, I want to know, was it somebody you knew, hey, we might have a role for you. How did this happen for you? No, it was just, you know, I was, I was auditioning for a bunch of stuff, you know, as we do, and you're just trying to get on the next thing. And this role came about and I was like, okay, you know, like, you know, I've, I've, I've done a few lawyers. I've never, oddly, I feel like a book to doctor role yet in my career.

[00:01:32] And, uh, this guy, you know, just read very real, you know, and I, uh, initially there was, uh, the email came through and I was looking at the team. I was like, oh, this is a great team, obviously coming from, from their history, uh, with, with John Wells and Scott and Noah. Um, and even in the email said like, you know, it's going to be a little bit different. It's going to be more of a, you know, bootcamp camp vibe. Like you're really going to be in the trenches kind of on this thing versus, um, a typical set. So already the project felt like more interesting.

[00:02:00] And even when I read him, it just seemed very, very, very real. And, you know, there, nothing was being played up. It was just this guy was, you know, even in the midst of this chaos is he's drinking his coffee and he's, he's, he's, he's dry and he's asking for time off. And, you know, so it, it felt very much like, um, like I was, I knew what I wanted to do with it and, you know, bring in some, some of my natural, I guess, comedic ability and sense and sense of timing.

[00:02:27] Um, but, uh, yeah, I just, I put a tape down and, you know, to be honest, I didn't hear anything for a while. And then, uh, I think a few weeks later, you know, cause I think it was just past when the industry is picking back up. I don't know, it was, you know, in and around post strike ish or whatever, but it was in and around the, you know, it was, it was taking longer for, for, for projects to get back to than it normally did. And, uh, yeah. And then my manager was like, oh, you know, you're like creative choice for that role.

[00:02:56] I was like, which role? Cause between that time that had, you know, a decent chunk of auditions and I, they're like, oh, the pit. And I was like, oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh really? And then, uh, it's like, okay. And so we kind of, you know, I didn't really have a, a round two or, or meet anybody until, you know, I got on set. And of course it's John Wells is no sides on set. So you're fully off book. You're prepared. You come in and do your stuff, which, which I was privy to before arriving on the set.

[00:03:26] But yeah, I mean, you know, my first day was triage season one, you know, shit's hitting the fan. Pardon my French. And it's, it's full chaos. And so it was, uh, it was truly baptism by fire as, uh, as no one quote Noah quotes. Cause I felt it as an actor. I think my first day clock, something like 20,000 steps, like just running back and forth. You know, I didn't, I didn't have my Apple watch on me, but, uh, but yeah, it felt like that.

[00:03:54] So did you like, you know, I've talked to Blake said, we talked to other cast members too. Like, did you have, like, were you free? Like how you wanted to play this character or did you get, did you build your own backstory, how you wanted to jump into this? Or were you given something? Yeah. I knew he was, you know, uh, you know, very good at what he does efficient. Um, you know, when it comes to doing the job, he's just, he's, he's, he's, um, you know, almost like a shark when he's just right at it. And, and, and, and, you know, all very fast. Very efficient.

[00:04:23] But there's also when he's not in that mode, he's, you know, he likes to take the edge off and he just use, you know, maybe comedy, crack jokes, be a bit dry, be a bit sarcastic. And like, I think just, that's just Chen. And that's kind of how I built him. Uh, you know, maybe he's a guy that clocks off and goes, go and plays video games for a couple hours with his buddies online. And then like checks out and goes back, you know? Um, but yeah, he, I feel like there was a lot of people that have come up to me since

[00:04:53] the show came out that are real ER doctors. And they, they told me that it's actually very similar to a lot of the bros that they work with. Uh, they're, they're very similar to my demeanor, I guess. So I, I, I've had quite a few, um, people come up to me saying that my character, they resonate with, uh, the most because of that factor. I like, you know, he comes across a calm and steady in the yard, even with the whole chaos, like for you, like, how did you approach, you know, the balance between the confidence, but

[00:05:22] also the pressure that's happening around him too. Yeah. I think, I think there's a fine line, like some people, they need to be locked in all the time versus, um, you know, with Shen, I think the more he can make it just an everyday going to work thing, the better he is at his job and the more he cannot get carried away in the stresses that can come with dealing with these really intense situations.

[00:05:45] And look, I'm sure he, and maybe we'll get to that later in later, um, episodes or seasons, like it, you know, how he deals with it, the stress of it. But, um, I know that it helps to, you know, have a calm head and almost think of the opposite of what's happening to, uh, to calm down. And I think he's one of those guys that just is focused on the job itself. And then afterwards, you know, if something pops up like at, uh, midnight when he's having

[00:06:14] a beer with his friends, then it'll pop up then, but it's not going to pop up at work. What do you think makes it different than the other ER doctors on the pit? Maybe, you know, I kind of envisioned he, you know, came from quite a strict, you know, typical, um, Asian background, maybe a tiger mom scenario where, you know, there's, it's a lot of pressure from an early age. And so you're used to dealing with that pressure and not wanting to disappoint.

[00:06:40] And so, um, you build up that kind of level of efficiency, uh, early. And I think he's just carried that through where he's able to like go in and be very efficient at what he does and more so to make his parents proud, probably internally as the deepest rooted answer than to even make himself proud or the people he works with. It's probably like, Oh yeah. You know, I'm doing good because I trained well. I went to the right schools.

[00:07:09] I, I got straight A's. I did those things, you know, he's very observant in the high pressure situations. Do you, do you know, do you like, do you think you like process those things, uh, faster than everybody else? What's happening? Yeah. I mean, I find I'm always clocking stuff, you know, and trying to, um, be aware of what everybody's doing, um, and be able to assess quickly. Um, obviously it's a teaching hospital, so you have to take your time with that and be gracious.

[00:07:38] But I think, um, yeah, he provides a good mix. You know, my friend, Matt, he works at SFO ER and he says that, you know, uh, he's quite dry and sarcastic. He's like, they have to talk like that. They have to be kind of, even though they're very efficient, they have to be like dry and sarcastic to take the weight off. And they, he said, basically he doesn't feel like any of them can work in any other departments afterwards because they're so foul mouth that like they wouldn't be allowed to be like in family medicine per se.

[00:08:07] But he also does have that humor side also. Like, is that something that you and the writers discussed that like, let's make him a little funny also. I think maybe they wanted him to be funny just because, you know, like basically in the first, it is a mass triage and I'm asking for time off and Noah's just like, you know, you were Robbie. So what's happened? Like, where do you get off? Shen? No, you know, we'll deal with that later. You know, we'll have that conversation later. So I think it set the tone. Um, also with my first scene with him, you know, being nonchalant, sipping on the coffee. I think the weather's, he's like, dude, you got this.

[00:08:36] And I'm like, yeah, relax. It's just another day. It's just another day at the office, you know? Um, and I think that approach is naturally funny. I don't think it's necessarily Shen's intention to like, you know, be this nonchalant. That's just kind of who he is. And the, you know, the juxtaposition of Noah, of Robbie going through his day and Shen, you know, just go showing up to work. Like it's a, it's an everyday thing.

[00:09:01] Um, it really works well because it's just going to add to Robbie's frustrations until he trusts him, which he hopefully by now has. Uh, you mentioned the coffee, you know, a lot of the fans, you know, they noticed the large iced coffee. Was that something that you brought out to the character? The writers did? I was kind of, how did this happen with him? Is this like a routine for him every time? No, they gave it to me day one. And apparently, you know, it got approved, um, to use the Duncan, like, I guess very close to shooting, I believe.

[00:09:29] And, uh, yeah, I guess my girlfriend always makes fun of me for how I like quote unquote eat drinks. Cause I really like, um, you know, I, I really, I really throw, throw my, uh, drinks down and, uh, I guess eat or drink fast. And so I was just like, you know, sipping on this straw and, you know, I remember the, like Amanda, our director was just like, no, Ken, like, don't even look at him. Just like drink the drink. So I was just sipping away at this coffee nonstop while, you know, him and him and Abbott are

[00:09:57] giving, um, you know, life-saving advice and how to handle this mass casualty. And I'm just sipping away. So it just became a thing. And everyone's like, that guy sticks out, which I'm sure I did because everyone else is in full panic. And, uh, yeah, there's just, that kind of set the tone for the character and the coffee, which I'm forever linked with. Like I'll walk down the street and some coffee guy. And, you know, it just, it just, I'm like, I know what they're talking about immediately,

[00:10:22] but, uh, it's fine if they don't know the character name, I guess if I'm coffee guy, then I'm coffee guy for now. Has Duncan hit you up yet? That's the question. Um, we, we chatted a little bit. They've, uh, they just, uh, had a lot of interaction on that last post that HBO did. So who knows, it would be a fun thing to do. Maybe, uh, maybe do a little spot for them or work something out down, down the line because there definitely seems to be, uh, a connection between me and the, and the coffee cup at this point.

[00:10:50] Was there a specific coffee that at least you chose that you like? Well, yeah. I mean, they've been trying to get the answer to that for a while. Um, I'll just say what Shen actually would order is different than what's actually in the cup. You know, we, we have a variation of things that we've used between the two years, but, um, luckily it's not overly caffeinated or too sweet now because, um, after doing multiple takes, I was, I think pretty wired in season one based on what they had in there.

[00:11:19] So they had to adjust it. There you go. Um, you know, in season two, you know, it, it explores the aftermath of everything that happened, you know, what the team has been through, you know, like, how do you think it's affected your character now compared to season one? Yeah, I think it's definitely there. Um, he's, he, you know, he shows up to work and he's still doing his thing very efficiently, but, um, yeah, it'll be interesting to know how that, how that, how that lingers, you know?

[00:11:47] Um, and maybe it builds up and he's, his delayed emotional responses further down the line, um, or something else will trigger it. But yeah, it's, I think it's, it's about time spent in there that really builds. And that's where you see Robbie's, you know, you know, breaking at the seams because he's been doing it for so long in there that something like this would put you over the edge. And he went through COVID and all those things and versus Shen, I don't think he's, he's had as much battle yet.

[00:12:16] So he can come, he can keep this attitude, but you know, long-term it's going to wear on you. Um, and, and I think that, that kind of, that, that, that shield that he uses, which is, you know, his nonchalantness and his, his dryness and his sarcasm and the jokes can only take you so far until you do have to like, you will have to work on yourself. You will have to talk to somebody about these things. You will have to let it go somehow, you know, uh, whether it's a partner or family, whoever

[00:12:45] you mentioned the jokes too, cause you know, like this season takes place the 4th of July. He makes a joke about the, all the injuries that come during the 4th of July also. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Uh, that's a, that was a good opening line, um, that they gave me. And, you know, it was a really fun sequence that we shot to, to kind of kick off everything calm before the storm, uh, as they say. Well, um, for you, like, what do you think was like the most challenging like scenes to film this season? Oh yeah.

[00:13:13] I would say, um, yeah. I mean, the one we have coming up, uh, at the tail end of the final episode, I think was the most challenging. There's a lot of moving pieces. There's a lot of fuss there dealing with multiple situations. So, um, yeah, I look forward to the audience's reaction for the season finale because, uh, it's quite the, quite, quite the stuff that happens. That's all I'll say.

[00:13:42] For you, for you now, like, you know, like when you go back and you watched a series, uh, do you have like a favorite character other than yourself? Yeah. I mean, um, of course, uh, it's, you know, I, I just thought like Mel's character is always so great. Like just seeing Taylor work and her nuances, uh, are really just, she's so talented and, you know, to see all the decisions she runs through in her heads before she makes a choice,

[00:14:10] uh, to speak or the internal choices are all a choice. But, uh, yeah, she's just a real pleasure to watch that way. And yeah, there's, I guess it's hard to say because this entire cast, they're so, they're so great and so different that, um, I really enjoy, you know, Whitaker's during this year. I think he's grown so much. I think Patrick's doing amazing stuff there. Everyone's giving amazing stuff, you know, obviously know the entire team, but, uh, yeah,

[00:14:35] to see, to see, you know, Patrick's growth, Langdon's growth this year, um, and, you know, and him, you know, himself, um, being sober now, what he's brought to that, uh, personally, I think I can see it in the work and it's, it's really, it's really, he's doing a really good job with it because there's a, there's an inner strength that comes with, um, being sober like he has, like he's done.

[00:15:01] And I think that's coming through, uh, all of the experience with that is coming through this season. So we, uh, this season we, we have like, you know, uh, like a smaller new cast that has joined also anybody that stood out for you out of the new people. Oh yeah. Joy's so funny. Like Irene, she's, she's just, she's, you know, her and Shen both give that, you know, classic Asian dryness and she's got a lot of one-line zingers and, uh, Ogilvy is fantastic.

[00:15:28] I mean, uh, his, his work, uh, his breakdown scene outside of Whitaker, um, I forget what episode that was, but I told him, I was like, man, there's, you got so much going on, um, behind the eyes and through the eyes. Uh, it was really, really beautiful work and to just step in here as well. And for, for those two to come onto the set and deliver, you know, that really happy for them. And it's, you know, it's not an easy set to be on in regards to everybody's locked in and

[00:15:58] you got to really show up. And so to do that, um, to the level that they did, that's, that's really great. And obviously my, my night shift homies love all that. Speaking of night shift, we all want to see the spinoff, the night shift, but your thoughts on that? I know you would be both. Um, yeah, we'll see. I mean, uh, I know there's been a lot of chit chat about it and, uh, online seems to be really raving for it. Uh, the amount of comments I always get night shift, night shift, night shift seems to be

[00:16:27] every second comment now on any social media of, uh, of sorts. So yeah, I mean, I w I, I'd be all for it. Um, you know, you can let Abbott steer the ship and, uh, and, uh, you know, Ellis, myself, Cruz, we'll, we'll, uh, Mattel, we'll get, get all everybody that they're starting to establish out there. We'll show what happens at night. Cause you know, the weird, the weird and the wild stuff all happens then. And, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's, it's a, it's a different beast.

[00:16:56] People got to have, and there's also different people, you know, it's a different beast to work nights. You gotta be, I think a specific type of person. Um, not everybody wants to sign up for that. So we know there's a season three coming now. Has it been word yet about when you guys are going back to film season three? I think June is when they're planning to come back. Um, yeah, that's all, that's all I know at the moment. I'm not sure where they're heading with it. I heard maybe somewhere said maybe something weather related by coming to play, but, um,

[00:17:27] yeah, that's all I know so far. It'll be very, it's always exciting to know. What the situation will be and what people are coming into. So what would you like to see for your character for season three? If you had like, if you had like any input in there, like, what would you like to see? Yeah. Maybe a little inner, inner, inner crack as to what happens in chance personal life. Um, and, uh, maybe what, maybe what he's going through. I would, don't know if it would be residual based on season one, but you know, maybe there's,

[00:17:56] uh, maybe there's something for his, in his personal life or relationship, possibly even at work that, uh, that is beginning to emerge. Maybe even a double fist of coffees in each end this time around. Yeah. Or maybe he, he comes in with a coffee and a boba and just throws the world on fire. Right. The whole, the whole sea will, everybody will have a panic attack. Wait, is he drinking a matcha and at the same time? Right. Uh, what's next for you now?

[00:18:26] Any other projects you'd like to tell us about, uh, you got coming up? Um, yeah, well just, uh, yeah, the usual, a few, a few things that we're, uh, kind of in the mix for right now and, uh, finishing up some projects that, uh, I'm working on with, uh, my friends that we're getting out, um, that we've written. So we're kind of pushing those out. One is a, is a golf, uh, golf project. So of course speak very, very, uh, very up note given today, but yeah, you know, just stand busy recently got engaged.

[00:18:55] So enjoying that. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. So just enjoying that time now and, uh, yeah, looking forward to get back, getting back at it in the summer. Amazing. Ken Kirby, I want to thank you for giving me a few minutes today. It was great. We'll have to get you back on future projects season three, hopefully night shift down the road. Who knows? Absolutely. That would be great. Continue on with this character story. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me and a big fan of your work and you always, uh, have such great interviews and yeah. Enjoy the rest of the time. I appreciate you reaching out. Okay. Sounds good.

[00:19:25] Take care. I'll see you.