HBO’s hospital drama The Pitt racked up a total of 25 Emmy nominations on Wednesday, including 13 in acting categories. Among them is Tal Anderson, who received a nod for best guest actress — her first ever — for her portrayal of Becca King, the younger, autistic sister of Taylor Dearden’s Dr. Mel King.
“The recognition, it’s so hard to comprehend,” Anderson tells The Hollywood Reporter. “As an autistic actress in particular, it feels like a very big moment. Growing up, I never saw myself onscreen in any character. And I was so engrossed in everything I saw on screen; I loved every story I watched and fell in love with so many characters, but none of them were like me. So, this acknowledgement of my work, doing my best to tell the awesome story the writers on The Pitt gave Becca to tell, also seems like an acknowledgement of me and that it’s OK to be autistic, disabled and different,” she says. “I’m so grateful for that encouragement.”
Season two found Mel struggling with Becca’s independence, particularly as a sexually active young woman, when, during a trip to the ER, she learns her sister not only has a boyfriend but has been having sex. Mel also bumps heads with Dr. Frank Langdon (portrayed by fellow first-time Emmy nominee Patrick Ball) when he tells her he can’t reveal the private details of Becca’s care to her.
“The most important thing about Becca’s story was highlighting her fight for bodily autonomy,” says Anderson. “It’s a challenge that disabled people have been fighting for a long time and it was so amazing to be able to help Becca shine a light on it for the world.”
As such, Anderson adds, “My favorite line was, ‘I wanted to have sex; sex is great,” because Becca is allowed to like sex. Everyone should be allowed to love sex if they want to. I think that was a groundbreaking line, and I could hear all of my fellow disabled community members cheering around the world when Becca said it.”
Building the relationship between the sisters with Dearden, who received a best supporting actress nomination — also her first — has been a treat, Anderson says.
“[Taylor] seems to understand me and she’s super smart and knowledgeable at her job, just like Mel is with hers. She naturally feels like a sister to me, so I really feel fortunate to be working with her and all the incredibly talented cast members on the show.”
Anderson is looking forward to meeting many of her fellow cast members she hasn’t yet had a chance to meet on the Emmy campaign trail, particularly Sepideh Moafi, another first-time nominee, who earned a supporting actress nod for her portrayal of Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi.
“I didn’t get a chance to meet her or work with her, and I was in New York, and I wanted to see her show [off-Broadway], but [New Born] wasn’t open yet when I was in town,” Anderson explains. “She’s amazing, and I’m so happy she’s nominated.”
As for her experience working on the hit show as an autistic actress, Anderson explains, “The environment on The Pitt is super positive and very welcoming. I get everything I need, and the crew is so good to me, but the best accommodation for me on The Pitt set is being treated like every other member of the cast and crew, which is like family, because everyone is expected to do their job. I appreciate being treated like a pro by everyone.”