“The Internet’s Newest Baby Girl” “Silver Fox”. “Sex symbol”.
Sean Hatosy is aware of his newfound fame on the internet. But he has no idea how he got there.
A busy actor for the past three decades, Hatosy rose to fame with projects like “The Faculty” and “Outside Providence.” He brought attention to the homes of millions of viewers with his starring roles in TNT’s crime drama “Southland” and later “Animal Kingdom.” Both of these TV series have a lot in common with Hatosy’s current headline project, “The Pitt.” The “something” here refers to a person named John Wells, the producer.
This time last year, Hatosy told me how it felt like coming “full circle” to talk about “The Pitt,” since he had previously appeared as a guest on “ER,” another of Welles’ smaller projects. Little did he know then that his role in another major Wells medical drama would earn him an Emmy Award for the guest role of Dr. Jack Abbott.
Viewers fell in love with Abbott from his first appearance in Season 1, both for his charm and dry wit (which Hatosy believes comes from creator R. Scott Gemmill) and for his undeniable chemistry with Noah Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robbie” Robinavich. The two have a history and connection that does not require deep dialogue. The comfort felt in the silent exchange of glances was strong enough. In the final two episodes of the second season, Abbott reminds Robbie, who is struggling with his mental health and admits he’s not sure if he wants to live, that he’s his emergency contact. “And I don’t want to be contacted,” Abbott told him. He said it in a tone that wasn’t funny or harsh, but reassuring and loving.
“We just hung out for a really long time. We’ve been meeting at John Wells holiday parties for 20 years now,” Hatosy says now of her bond with Wiley. “There’s something about that chemistry when you have a certain level of trust and mutual understanding.”
Hatosy admires the way Wiley arrives prepared and spontaneous each day. This is important to the way “The Pit” operates. “When you have leaders like that, it brings out the best in everyone,” he says. “Being in the scenes with Noah, I never feel stressed about the scenes. I feel very free. I feel like I have no constraints on my choices and can take big risks.”
Their relationship is very important to the story, Hatosy added, “because it’s not about drugs in the moment, it’s about survival.” “By the time we get to the end of Season 2, that release hits in a different way than the rooftop scene in Season 1. This has time and pressure and everything goes wild and finally reaches a breaking point where it demands authenticity. And what comes out of that is actually pretty moving.”
Sean Hatosy photographed at the Los Angeles Preserve in April 2026 for Variety Magazine
Dan Dopersky (Variety)
Although the show does not go home with the staff, viewers quickly noticed the flirtatious nature between Dr. Abbott and Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh). Despite not sharing much screen time, a scene in Season 2 featuring her and a shirtless Abbott helping tend to a wound quickly became an internet meme.
Hatoshi explains that while the relationship between Mohan and Abbott was “not contrived,” it wasn’t dictated in detail by the writers.
“Both Supriya and I said we don’t know exactly what it is, but there’s something there and you can see it in the writing,” he says. “We didn’t explore it, but having something behind it really brings this attraction, or whatever you want to call it, to life.”
Ganesh recalls being told by the writers in season 1 that Mohan and Abbott could be together, something she never thought of. “I just remember thinking, ‘That can’t be true,'” she recalls. But Hatosy saw it too. “He was like, ‘No, I’ve been saying that from the beginning.'” The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. They’re both really lonely and they’re both really stunted in their own ways. Both of them put a lot of effort into their work. I think they really understand each other because of that. ”
She says he is also important to Mohan in her work life. “He really supports her in a way that you don’t often see characters supporting her,” she added.
Unfortunately, Ganesh won’t be returning for season 3, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some romance for the Abbotts in the future. In a recent interview, Sepideh Moafi, who plays Dr. Baran Al Hashimi, joked that maybe she and Abbott have some history, maybe a one-night stand. Hatosy did not see the interview.
Dan Dopersky (Variety)
“Abbott seems to get along with everyone, because he’s a bit of a flirt,” he says with a laugh. “At least from my understanding of Abbott, I think he’s still dealing with the loss of his wife and he’s not really there yet. But certainly, maybe it could be Al Hashimi. Who knows?”
One of the reasons he didn’t watch the interview was because he took a step back from social media, and some of the comments got so intense that he felt it was necessary this season.
“I had to take a step back because sometimes when fans don’t agree on a character, you get into a weird situation where they start to turn on each other, which is not what’s supposed to happen,” he says. “Throughout my career, I’ve had a pretty good relationship with social media, but now that I’m seeing how this is playing out, I’m reevaluating what that is.”
Both seasons of “The Pit” end with the start of the night shift, giving viewers a glimpse of a new group of doctors led by Abbott. Of course, this has sparked conversations online about a possible Night Shift spinoff – if that makes sense, Hatosy is the one to jump on.
“I love this character and would love to see more of him and his work, but ‘The Pit’ is special in its own right,” he says. “If it makes sense creatively, then of course. I’d be happy to have a chance to see more of Abbott. He’s a fun character. Tonally, I think it could be a different kind of show. It doesn’t have to follow those parameters. It could be different. But I don’t want to take anything away from the success of what’s happening with ‘The Pit.’ So in the future, if it’s an opportunity, I would be happy to participate. That seems to be what people want. I think that is a possibility in the future. ”
But Hatoshi is very busy. For this cover shoot, he was traveling back and forth to Los Angeles on the same day he was filming the FX thriller Cry Wolf with Olivia Colman and Brie Larson. And before that, he played a psychopath in Ready or Not 2, co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Details about “Cry Wolf” are being kept secret, but “it could be pretty heavy,” he says. When it came to the latter film, Hatosy says, he was “a caged animal.”
But no matter the role, his approach remains the same. “I just find out what his emotional core is – what excites him and how he sees the world.”
Dan Dopersky (Variety)
Having said that, it would be a good idea to do something a little lighter next time. And he’s pretty open.
In fact, Hatosy narrated an audio erotica drama titled “Yes, Chef” for the Quinn app in April. The app, created by women for women, was a way for him to lean into the newly established title of sex symbol, something he had never imagined before. (There was even a sign on Sunset Boulevard depicting him taking his shirt off. He received many emails from friends about it.)
“I don’t know how this happened,” he says. “I’m blushing! To be honest, I was surprised. I really was. I had no idea that this guy was coming to do The Pit. But you know, the opportunity I have now is different. It’s exciting. I’m in another room talking about a really, really exciting project. The only thing you can do is laugh first, because it’s important, and then you have to accept it.
And that’s what he’s trying to do. “Quinn was a step in that direction,” he says. “I was nervous to do this job, too, because it requires vulnerability and trust in a strange way. But then I understood the philosophy and the company. It’s really inspiring. I’m very satisfied. What they’re doing is important to a lot of people.”
Location: The Preserve LA; Styling: Jessica Pastor/Uncommon Artist. Grooming: Darby Wieczorek/Tracy Mattingly Agency
