The Pitt's Shawn Hatosy Is Embracing Life as a Sex Symbol

The morning after the Emmy Awards, where the HBO medical drama scored six wins, the 50-year-old actor called us for a post-ceremony debrief.Louis Vuitton; Getty ImagesWhen Dr. Jack Abbot enters the high-BPM chaos of the fictional emergency room in The Pitt, heart rates settle—but not for long. Shawn Hatosy, nominated at Monday night’s Emmy Awards (and a winner last year), plays the attending physician with something of his own cool, coquettish competence.“I wanted to bring as much of the essence of me into that role as possible,” Hatosy told me the morning after the ceremony, where his show won six of its whopping 25 nominations, including a second consecutive award for Outstanding Drama Series.Who’s Shawn Hatosy, then? “Somebody you would go to the bar and have a beer with,” he says.He also happens to be gracious in defeat. Though Hatosy missed out on his second consecutive Emmy, he was as impressed by Tom Pelphrey’s performance in Task as the Television Academy. “It could have won the lead actor award, in my opinion,” gushed the 50-year-old, who’s busy filming the HBO drama’s third season, in which he gets to direct the fifth episode. “Once Tom Pelphrey came out, I had to go give him a hug because I'm just proud of him and his work.”Later on, Hatosy, his wife, and a few-too-many plus-ones headed to an after-party at San Vicente Bungalows, where he ran into trouble at the door. “Even if you're wearing Louis Vuitton, they might not let you in,” he joked, before we got to talking about his starry night, an upcoming project with Olivia Colman, and life as an ER heartthrob.How are you feeling after last night?Oh my God. I'm not actually working today on The Pitt, but they started at 11:00, which is much later than we normally start. And we just had a little get-together celebrating last night's win. It was amazing.It was so sweet to see the entire cast up there.It's nice also to see us all out of scrubs, which I was commenting on last night.Totally. You were in Louis Vuitton last night, right?I know. You can't beat that. I mean, I couldn't imagine a kid from Ijamsville, Maryland who's suddenly wearing this brilliant designer. I felt pretty special. I still have moments at these events where I look around and feel like a kid from a small town who somehow ended up in this room. Fitting in has never necessarily been the most comfortable thing for me, but there was something about putting on that Louis Vuitton suit: it's classic, it's understated, it's completely my style. The second I had it on I was like, “Okay, I'm ready for the Emmys.”Evan MullingTell me about this outfit. How did it come to be?Well, I have an amazing stylist, Jessica Paster, and she came to me and said, “We are very lucky to be getting this opportunity.” And I said, “Whatever, I trust you.” Because if it were left to me, I wouldn't know what to do. Fortunately, we ended up with the best in the business.How did you prep for the evening?Well, it's a wonderful experience because you go to the store in Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive. It's super fancy. All the beautiful pieces as you're walking through and then, all of a sudden, you’re in this nice little fitting area and anything is at your disposal. We fit and we made our decision. Well, I didn't make any decisions, like I said. The brains behind the operation made the decision and then they tailored the suit and we met up a couple days before the Emmys at the Beverly Hills Hotel and that was it. We had a full team of people in there getting me and my wife ready. We did a quick little shoot, because there's so much going on in the day. It was a little chaotic because you're sort of racing against the clock.I'm also a ball of nerves because I just don't know what's going to happen. It's terrifying to think about that room. If I were lucky enough to win, what am I going to say? How is that all going to come together? And trying not to vomit because it's intense, it really is. It's such a lucky position to be in and a great privilege, but it's scary. You're in a room with just so many people that you've looked up to and admired over the years and the incredible talent making television right now at such a special time in our industry. Shows like Pluribus and Task and Widow's Bay and DTF… It just was very exciting.Evan MullingIt's refreshing to hear that you still get nervous. Can you tell me a little bit more about being in that room?Michael J. Fox had the most incredible moment up there and it brought me to tears. And I thought Mariska [Hargitay] was… I just thought she killed it. It's just such a tough job to be in front of that caliber of talent, knowing that they're watching and maybe judging. But she didn't miss a beat. To be there with my cast—we're now into our third season—you meet these people going into season one and you just don't know what the show is going to do. You hope that it lasts a second season and maybe a third. The Pitt has just taken off in such a powerful way. You create these relationships and then all of a sudden you're at the Emmys and there's 13 acting nominations. I think it speaks to the power of this ensemble and the writing of the show, creating all these different characters with strong points of view. And to be a part of that ensemble, it means the world to me.Did you have an idea of what your speech would've looked like?Of course. You have to be ready. You just never know. I think I joked with my publicist at one point, because I didn't think I was going to win. I said, “I don't even think I'm going to write a speech.” She was like, “You have a one-in-seven chance. You have to prepare.”Did you meet anyone new?I met so many people that just floored me, like Amy Poehler, who was a fan of the show. My wife and I were fangirling. We were throwing up all over the place just giving her props. Parks and Recreation has been on our TV a lot lately, so that was great. Stephen Colbert came up to me last night and introduced me to his wife. That was a highlight. Steve Carell, I met. I'm a huge fan. And that guy has the ability, every single time, to make you laugh, which is incredible. And then his ability to take it from comedy to something completely vulnerable and emotional at the drop of a hat, it's so remarkable. Who else? Tom Pelphrey. I think his performance in Task was... I mean, I don't want to compare it to the others because that's my category, but I really do think that it was very worthy of winning every award. It could have won the lead actor award, in my opinion. He was really, really magnificent as that character and the range of emotion and the dialect that he had to learn was wonderful. Who else? Rhea Seehorn, Vince Gilligan, who I got to talk to backstage. He called out Valerie Chu, who was the writer on our show, who was an assistant with him back in the day.Were there any menswear looks that stood out to you?Oh, for sure. Well, my castmate, Patrick [Ball], looked like he was slaying, as they say. And Gerran [Howell] looked fantastic. He had yellow socks on. I don't know if anybody saw that, but I was sitting near him, so I could see it. I thought Noah [Wyle] looked great.I feel like there was a lot of bromance and mutual support on display. John Mulaney's incredible introduction was really funny, too. Did you sense the bro-y-ness yesterday?I did. Immediately, once Tom Pelphrey came out, I had to go give him a hug because I'm just proud of him and his work. When I used to watch the Emmys as a young man, those are the moments I remember. It was nice to give him a hug and congratulate him in person.I really loved the wife shout-outs.Stephen Colbert as well. He said that his wife was the only laugh he was looking for, and then the camera went to her and you could see that she was emotional.Evan MullingWhat'd you guys get up to afterwards?There was an HBO Max party, which was incredible. We had a little trouble getting in... I had a couple of extra people in my group, so you would've thought that they would've been like, “Just let them in.”They gave you trouble?They gave us trouble! If you can imagine. I was standing out there in front of the San Vicente Bungalows negotiating with the HBO Max door person, which was funny and a little unexpected. Even if you're wearing Louis Vuitton, they might not let you in.How many people were you trying to bring in?I had my wife and then my manager and my best friend, who also works in the business. It's not like some schlub or anything—well, I would call him a schlub. He's definitely a schlub, but he's an important schlub. And then my manager's wife, too. It was one more than they expected, and it was a tough room to get into. We worked it out in the end, but we had to find somebody else to come out and use a plus-one. It was a scene, but I think that just goes to show you how wonderful HBO Max is and what they're making.Was it worth it once you got in?It was so fun. I was there until about midnight, which is a late night. I got young kids at home. But I did have to drag my wife as we were leaving. The music turned up and people were starting to dance, so she did not want to leave. But it is really wonderful that you're in a room with David Harbour and Linda Cardellini and all of these fine people who are creating the best shows on TV right now. And then with The Pitt coming off a win the second year in a row, it is a wonderful celebration. You spend long days together, and the work is challenging. We're in scrubs and the lights are kind of harsh and it can be a little exhausting. So to move into the San Vicente Bungalows and everybody's having a really good time drinking and having fun, it makes it pretty special.How’s production going?We are midway through season three.So, two in the afternoon?I guess you're right. I directed episode five!How was that? You've directed previous episodes, right?Oh, it was great. I directed episode nine in season two, and then season three, episode five. It's a fun show to direct. There's so much happening with the camera and how it moves from scene to scene. It has an immersive feel to it which, as an actor, makes you feel like you're just experiencing it. And as a viewer, you're a fly on the wall seeing it happen.Your character in the show is such a paragon of manhood. He's a veteran and he comes in only for, like, the hardest jobs. How do you connect with that part of your masculinity?I have always tried to just bring as much of myself into Abbot. Sometimes you play characters and you're finding attributes that are unlike you that you want to highlight—because as actors, we often want to disappear into a character. You get to hide behind a voice or a dialect, all the way down to the physical appearance. With Abbot, I realized early on that I needed to avoid trying to transform into anything. I wanted to bring as much of the essence of me into that role because I felt like that was the right move. And that could be scary, because it's kind of hard to act like yourself. But I was really trying to find somebody who’s as much like somebody that you would go to the bar and meet and have a beer with as possible.That is the vibe I get from Dr. Abbot. He puts everyone at ease, and it's a welcome presence in a really chaotic emergency room.He's a guy who has seen every form of horrific trauma. I knew that with him, that comfort, confidence, and understanding that he will have the answer was everything. There's nothing that can really shake him. But I also think that's what's unique about our show. While they present as very competent and intelligent as physicians, when it comes to their mental health, they don't really know what to do—which is not unusual for a man, right? There's this weird stigma attached to saying, “Look, I'm struggling mentally and I need help.” A guy like Abbot who is openly saying, “Hey, look, I talked to a therapist and I'm working on myself”—that's not a bad thing.Can you tell us a little bit about how the romance with Dr. Al Hashimi develops in this new season?I can't. [Laughs] We're not really allowed to talk about the nuts and bolts of what's going on in a season. But they sort of find comfort in each other from just knowing that they have a similar trajectory, working in the Middle East together in combat zones. But Abbot has a way with seemingly every woman that he comes across. It doesn't matter if they're a patient or a doctor, he's going to wink at them.This is true. Abbot is flirt.He can't control himself.I don't know if you've seen this, but there are many, many posts about you and about Dr. Abbot online, especially Gay Twitter. How does that feel?I am constantly blown away by the response this character has received online. The most important thing is never to take any of it too seriously and to have a really good sense of humor about it. It is an unforgettable character, and he's very well-crafted. I'm thrilled that the audience is vast. I love that about him.I will add that you, Shawn, have become something of a sex symbol. How's that been?What's funny is it really came out of playing Abbot in a way where I wasn't trying to present some version of myself. I was just being myself. But maybe there's something about getting older and finally being comfortable in your own skin. I'm not trying to fight my age anymore. I mean, again, you just sort of have to laugh and embrace it. It's certainly strange to experience this kind of fame, having done this for so long and been a part of other shows that didn't take off quite as much as The Pitt. I meet people who tell me they watched the show and it gave them the confidence to go to medical school. As an actor, you come into your middle age and you start to question what your existence in the business is because it's a young person's business. The things that happen to you when you age, you have no control over. Your hair goes gray, you’ve got wrinkles. I was afraid of all of these things because I didn't know what it would mean for me as an actor. But the response has been incredibly positive.What's next for Shawn Hatosy?I did a show called Cry Wolf over the winter. The showrunner, Sarah Treem, created The Affair. It's a really wild psychological family thriller with Olivia Coleman, myself, Brie Larson.Excellent cast.I've seen the first five episodes, and I'm so proud of it. I can't wait for it to come out. I think it's going to come out someday soon. It has to, right?Savannah Sobrevilla is a staff writer in GQ’s features department. Previously, she covered fashion, literature, and downtown scenes for the New York Times and served as an editor at V magazine. She is from Miami and lives in New York City. ... Read More