Noah Wyle is aware that some fans of The Pit have been harsh towards his character, Dr. Michael “Robbie” Robinavich, given that he had personal struggles in Season 2 and lashed out at some of his co-workers. But he tries not to pay attention to online discussions.
“I think the melding of the line between actor and character, where the actor is blamed for the character’s actions, where the character’s dialogue stops being representative of the character and begins to represent the creative team, is getting a little blurred because the audience is kind of confusing the character’s message and personality, as if they’re saying what they believe through this particular vehicle,” he said on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast. “Just because someone is saying it doesn’t mean there’s necessarily a coded message. It’s not necessarily trying to express anything big, other than the dramatic tension within that one scene.”
Weil said he believes he’s still a very vocal, albeit small, portion of his growing audience, but he doesn’t want to get involved in any of the more negative conversations that might be out there. “My skin is too thin to really deal with anything that might come my way. So I tend to say, live, let live, I’m going to go do my job, and you take what you want from me.”
Wiley said her son sometimes warned her when the backlash against Dr. Roby became very intense online. He is my firewall. He would say, “Dad, unless Dr. Mohan treats you better, you shouldn’t go to the market today!”
Commenting on the vitriolic comments hurled at Dr. Roby this year, Wylie said: “I am disappointed that he acted less than heroically as he expressed last year. But when we are in our most desperate situations, we are not always the most gracious. And when we go through a mental health crisis, we are not always the most gracious. He was trying to show that he wanted people to see him in a moment of distress when he was acting out of character and out of character for him.”It could have deterred him from harming himself, but some people misunderstood him as simply being misogynistic or cruel.
In this edition of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, “The Pit” star, executive producer and director Noah Wyle, who received three Emmy nominations this year, talks about the enthusiastic fan response to Season 2 and Dr. Robbie’s story, and how “The Pit” is showing us how to keep production jobs in Los Angeles. But first, the roundtable will consider the TV Academy’s decision to remove five categories from the Emmy Awards telecast and the debate over whether this will make a difference in producing a more entertaining ceremony. Listen below!
Wyle has been a vocal advocate of moving production back to Los Angeles, and he’s at the center of the story in “The Pit,” which was shot locally here on Warner Bros. property. “I look at this from the perspective of someone who grew up in and around this industry, who is friends with people who have been deeply embedded in this industry for generations, and who has seen this industry really crater over the last few years,” he says. “There is still a wealth of talent here, and ‘The Pit’ is a testament to what can be done when you put that talent to work. I feel that is being grossly ignored in pursuing tax credits and circumventing union protections as jobs leave the state and even the country.”
“I think ‘The Pit’ proved economically that filming in Los Angeles is still cost-effective, given the initial considerations of keeping the footprint small and, if successful, a rising tide lifts all boats,” he added. “When we started filming in the pit on the Warner Bros. lot, it was a bit of a ghost town. All that was happening there was tours passing through empty sound stages and talking about the work that used to be done there. And now it’s a pretty lively place, so we hope it starts a trend.”
Despite some of the wild stories mentioned above, Wiley says he’s pleased that most of the reactions to Dr. Robbie’s mental health journey in season 2 have been positive. “Once we got past the structure of the main character having a nervous breakdown due to an incident that caused mass casualties, I was hoping that the total cost of life due to average changes in an average career and average life would be convincing enough for television,” he says.
“So while Season 2 was a little more speculative than Season 1, we were even happier to see the response because it reaffirmed that there are stories here that don’t necessarily have to revolve around stunts, like an air show disaster or something big to grab the viewer’s attention.”
“It’s incredibly gratifying to be on a show that’s resonated and talked about,” he added. “It’s also really nice to be a part of a show that evokes conversation and conveys something of an intimate nature. You want to be a water cooler show. You want those ideas and debates to happen in the marketplace about things that people have different opinions on, so that people can come to a consensus and hopefully find common ground in the process. I think a lot more bridges have been built through this show than have been built.”
As for the next season, the show will move to November. This month will be a cold one, a bit of a contrast to what we’ve seen so far. “I wanted to play in a different season,” Weil said. “We just came back from a hot 4th of July, so I thought it would be appropriate to paint it in a slightly different season. We wanted Robbie to get away from the hospital for a while, so fall felt appropriate for both seasons. Everyone is turning on the heaters again. The first rains have made the roads slippery, different types of cases, different aesthetics.”
Wiley first appeared in Variety magazine on February 9, 1990, in the NBC miniseries “Blind Faith.”
“Given my level of participation in that event, my grandfather watched both segments and said, ‘I had to watch a ton of Blind Faith to see a little bit of Noah,'” Weil recalls. “The real story is that someone told me I had to say seven words to get a SAG card, but my line was five words long. It was, ‘What’s going on there?!’ I spent all morning trying to figure out how to stretch it out to seven. And when the director said action, I said, ‘Excuse me, what’s going on there?!’ And it turns out that it doesn’t matter. There was no need to say seven words. ”
10 Questions for Noah Weil:
1. Childhood nickname: “Wile E. Coyote from Road Runner. Growing up, I was often called Wile E. Coyote, or Noah’s Ark.”
2. Something I loved as a kid that I can’t believe I’m into now: “Oh my god, I’m still into everything I was into as a kid, but I had an unnatural obsession with ‘Grease 2.'” I know every word to “Grease 2,” and sometimes I play “Cool Rider” to myself in the car. I became friends with Chris McDonald, who played Goose, and he was a tall T-bird, and I’m sure he gets annoyed that I keep bringing up that movie. ”
3. Go to karaoke or sing in the shower: “This is a serious phobia that I’ve struggled with most of my life. Having been humiliated as a child and afraid of singing in public, having confidence was one of my biggest desires. Just hearing the word ‘karaoke’ makes me break out and sweat. I break out, because it usually means I’m forced to do something that I’m not comfortable with. I usually warm up to something that Rex Harrison can handle.” (How about taking a shower by yourself?) “Then I’ll listen to the Dreamgirls cast album in its entirety.”
4. Please give me another title for your show: (Not asked)
5. What is your secret talent?: “Acting. Don’t tell anyone. It’s my only talent.”
6. Favorite ice cream flavor: “I love McConnell’s mint chip ice cream, but I also love Haagen-Dazs peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. That was my youth, and I was part of the 70’s sherbet craze.”
7. The one item I can’t live without: “My wife. I wouldn’t call her an item. I’m just saying I really, really depend on her.”
8. What TV show in history do you wish you were a part of?: “Deadwood, without hesitation. I’ve always wanted to do a western and I loved that show. David Milch wrote poetry punctuated with profanity. I would have loved anything to have been in the room with Ian McShane, Tim Olyphant, Keith Carradine and all the actors from that show. I just loved it. Brad was there. Dourif, who played the doctor in Deadwood. He’s the father of Fiona Dourif, who plays Dr. McKay. I thought his performance was so perfect, I had to tell him how much I enjoyed it. That guy could put more intention into a syllable than anyone I know.”
9. Fictional character you most admire: “The one I most admire is probably Atticus Finch, infused with Gregory Peck’s performance. I saw this production in my formative years, and there’s a moment at the end where Jim and Scout are told to stand on the balcony. ‘Stand up, Jim, your father has died.’ And Atticus’ quiet dignity and heroism have always been huge to me.” ”
10. Your favorite piece of advice: “The first thing that comes to mind is something George Clooney said early on: ‘Take your job seriously. Don’t take yourself too seriously.’ That was a big thing. I remember seeing an interview once with former Boston Celtic great Bill Russell — I don’t like to give any credit to the Boston Celtics, but Bill Russell Not your average Boston Celtic — and he said he learned later in life that it’s much better to understand than to be understood. And sometimes we do ourselves a disservice because we spend so much time trying to get our own personal views across and so little trying to listen to others.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tunkay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also serves as a producer, is your one-stop destination for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode’s “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talents and creators, discussions and debates about the awards race and industry headlines. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you download your podcasts.
