when the houseExecutive producers first approached Shawn Hatosy with their pitch for a second season of Dr. Abbott, but he declined. “There were some discussions early on when I joined the show about the possibility of Abbott returning full-time in season two, so I was eagerly awaiting news,” he explains. “Then they came back to me to suggest that he would be in the ER in the middle of the season, and I was like, what does that mean? Why am I coming in the middle? Am I dying? Am I coming in on a stretcher?”
The casting came quickly once the creators made it clear that they would have Dr. Abbott as part of a SWAT team. “I liked the idea,” he added.
Hatosy is currently in Toronto filming his next project, the FX limited series wolf cry, Along with Olivia Colman, Brie Larson, model Sarah Treem (The case) and director Anne Siwitsky. He can’t say much about the series yet, except to point out that it’s “one of the best scripts” he’s ever read and that it’s the kind of narrative that constantly leaves the viewer off balance. The actor is also looking forward to meeting more of his fans the house From his last trip to the country. “The animal kingdom is huge in Canada, and I think it was there during the coronavirus outbreak or something,” he says. “When I was here over the summer, I couldn’t walk into the elevator at my hotel without someone saying, ‘Oh my God, you’re the pope.’”
Below, he takes a break from the set to break down Season 2, including its own season the house Directorial debut.
Let’s start with Abbott’s SWAT story. When does this man sleep?
I think he doesn’t. He has his days free and does all these things. I think he’s very lonely and just trying to figure out things to keep him busy. I really like the way he talks about the therapist, because he misses this point in a big way. I remember having a conversation with my therapist when I quit drinking, and I said to myself: I need something. I found tennis through that session. So I can imagine Abbott having a similar conversation, and maybe he went and tried to play golf and that wasn’t his thing, so he decided to join the SWAT team.
Without giving anything away, I’m curious if you thought, when you were learning about this season’s arc, that Robbie would actually go on a ride on his motorcycle?
I did. I was disappointed because I thought it was very clear to Abbott through the mass casualty event what his goal was. Even though he’s a bit confused about how to live through this, since he’s doing SWAT, he still tries. I guess this is Robbie’s version of self-reflection, but riding a motorcycle without a helmet…it’s disappointing.
Have you ever or will you ever ride a motorcycle?
No, I like the idea of it, but I don’t trust others. I love riding a bike, and when we were filming the rooftop scene in Season 1, it was an effective hospital. We had to stop maybe 12 times throughout the shoot because the helicopters were coming, and our technical advisor was like, yeah, these are all bike and motorcycle injuries. It was like, well, fuck.
Did you notice an immediate transformation after the success of the first season of the house? Is your phone starting to ring more often?
I think the phone was ringing. The way I approached bats was different. The self-tape order will come, and I don’t like doing self-tapes anyway because you’re often guessing what they want. After some of the success of The Pitt, I was having meetings with casting directors instead of having to submit an audio tape. I don’t think Ready or Not 2 was going to happen, they were big fans of The Pitt. I wasn’t familiar with the first movie, so when [the script] I arrived, and I said, what is this? But I was immediately taken with the dysfunction. It was annoying and funny.
You really interact with the fanbase in a unique way. Do you remember the moment you realized the show’s viewers were getting too rabid?
I don’t think I understood it as it was happening. I’m definitely someone who was online and interested in things, but I wasn’t on TikTok. But then I will see these edits and comments. Our fan base is a very fan base, and they look and read everything. As far as the Emmy nominations go, I felt like it was about something completely different. then Animal kingdom I started streaming on Netflix, and it was the combination of those two things that made me really care about what people were saying.
Have you ever felt ashamed or embarrassed by the attention specifically directed at you, often related to specifically being sexy? I’m thinking about the reaction to Abbott’s shirtless scene, or even the reaction to the news that he would have a shirtless scene.
I try to never take any of it too seriously. Yeah, that episode really blew up and it was weird. Sure, it creates these lines where things can get a little complicated, like if I was out with my family. I don’t want to be the guy that doesn’t take pictures with fans because I know it means something to them. Especially when I talked to fans who were really affected by the show, I had people say they were struggling and then they watched Abbott not jump [off the roof]. But when it comes to me and my flabby pie in the world, yeah, it can get a little weird. I’m just trying and enjoying it.
I directed episode nine; Did that come from the same discussions about Abbott’s larger role this season?
Well, because I worked with John [Wells] For a number of years, I’ve always put my name out there. I remember we were filming Episode 15 last year and John was directing. Abbott had a lot of medical issues going on [dialogue] That episode – and I’m not Noah, okay? He’s so good at looking back on the day and being able to do that. Like Laurence Olivier. I do a lot of repetition and preparation. Anyway, between takes, John was like, “Would you like to direct this show?” I just directed High surf rescueone of our other shows, had just aired, so he was asking me if I wanted to do it again and on this show. I was like, I don’t know if I can play Abbott and be a director at the same time. And then I came home that night and thought, Did I just talk about myself outside of work? So I made sure to call him and say, “I didn’t mean I didn’t want to get my period.” Then I think in Season 2, someone ended up not being able to do it, and I was able to step in.
Did everything go smoothly?
no. (He laughs.) There were some changes in the script early on, and they imparted complete shock value to the episode. And Issa had appendicitis, and she had a lot going on in the episode, so we shot out of order for the first time so we could put her stuff in at the end. Also, the first thing John’s office said to me when they called me about this was: “We want you to direct but we want you to know that Abbott is in the loop.” Which was fine, because Abbott wasn’t very involved in it. I don’t know how Noah did it [in episode six]. The scene I was most worried about was filming outside; It was an outward appearance, and I had Howard with oxygen on his face talking on an iPad to his sister via FaceTime on the screen, and me in the scene.
Was this actress actually on FaceTime, or was it done via mail?
We built a little room in the hospital, and the actress was there that day. We spoke to her on the phone and were able to do it live. Usually, you have a script moderator reading those lines and then we transcribe that image onto the phone.
Did you ask for any advice?
Noah directed Episode 6, so he was editing and finishing it at the time. The thing about our show is that our scripts are dense. There are a lot of pages, and we are flying. The dialogue moves very quickly, and much of the exposition moves from one scene to another in a continuous manner. So you can create really beautiful transitions, but if the show is long, those are the first things that will get cut off. I had a couple that I thought were indefensible. I thought they were bulletproof. They can’t cut it. And of course they did. The episode was written specifically to get you started [with] Robbie and Dana are in the center, watching the madness, then they exchange a look and it goes to the A bell and I started ringing it. So I took this really cool shot where I was on top of Robbie, looking at the axis, hearing him, and he spun around and there they were together. She loved it, thought it was the coolest thing ever, and after the producers finished cutting, it started with her walking to the bell. I was like, damn. (He laughs.)
Can fans expect another Abbott-themed playlist for Season 2?
I was actually just thinking about this. I would definitely do that, because it seemed to be very popular in the first season. I love feeding the fans.
