AceShowbiz - Isa Briones, known for her role as Dr. Trinity Santos on HBO's acclaimed medical drama The Pitt, recently spoke about balancing her intense television role with her current Broadway commitment. Calling from her Midtown Manhattan apartment, she admitted to feeling under the weather amid the demanding schedule of starring in the musical Just in Time.

"I’m definitely feeling it right now," she shared. "I woke up this morning thinking I might be getting sick, and that panic is not great. But I still love it."

Just In Time is a jukebox musical centered on the life of singer-songwriter Bobby Darin. In this production, Briones portrays the 1950s pop singer Connie Francis, known for hits like "Pretty Little Baby" and her brief romantic involvement with Darin before his rise to fame. The role of Darin was originally played by Jonathan Groff, with Jeremy Jordan scheduled to take over on April 21. Nevertheless, Briones remains best recognized for her portrayal of the sharp-tongued resident doctor Dr. Trinity Santos in The Pitt.

In the first season of The Pitt, Dr. Santos quickly made a strong impression—though not always a favorable one. On her very first day, she accused the beloved Dr. Frank Langdon, played by Patrick Ball, of drug theft. Santos is a guarded character who doles out sarcastic nicknames to her colleagues and isn’t shy about delivering biting remarks. Yet, her intuition about Langdon’s substance abuse problem proved correct. The second season, which wrapped up recently, deepened this conflict, showing Langdon’s return to the ER after rehab alongside a revealing exploration of Santos’ traumatic past.

Despite being written as a deliberately unlikable character, Briones has noticed that some viewers conflate her personality with that of Santos. She’s even experienced people calling out "Santos!" while she’s out running errands or performing on stage in Just in Time.

"When The Pitt started becoming popular, I was like, ‘Oh god, I think I’m that person with the hat and sunglasses,’” she said, miming oversized shades. “I used to laugh at that, but now I kind of get it. It’s so annoying. But I’m figuring it out.”

Rolling Stone caught up with Briones ahead of the The Pitt finale to discuss the challenges of playing Santos, the misogyny in fan reactions, the complex relationship between Santos and Langdon, and why all the doctors on the show could use therapy.

When asked what initially drew her to the character of Santos and how her understanding of the role has evolved over two seasons, Briones explained, "I’ve played the girl next door before, and there’s a time and place for that, but there’s something really powerful about playing a character who’s unapologetically not palatable—especially a woman. Santos won’t make herself smaller; she takes up space. It’s refreshing and powerful to portray that. It also reminds me to stop apologizing for existing."

There’s a notable segment of dedicated fans who dislike Santos. Briones attributes much of that to misogyny. "A lot of the fan discourse feels like Langdon versus Santos, which is just misogyny. They’re actually quite similar, but one is a woman. When a woman shows complexity or struggles, people often react with discomfort or dislike. Santos comes in hot and prickly, but there’s clear nuance beneath the surface."

Discussing how Santos’ own history with addiction and self-harm affects her interactions with Langdon, Briones said, "They hate in each other what they hate in themselves. Even though they’ve only spent a day together, Langdon embodies things Santos despises about herself. She tries hard to be there, but when someone invalidates her effort, it hits a nerve. Langdon’s efforts to recover remind her of her own guilt and shame for not doing enough, so she lashes out. Honestly, everyone on the show needs therapy."

Regarding Santos’ complicated friendship with Whitaker, Briones highlighted their chemistry: "Whitaker is just himself—always trying to help. Santos wants that friendship but doesn’t know how to accept it. She’s lost people, including a best friend to suicide, and endured abuse by authority figures, so she believes anyone she lets close will hurt or leave her. Their friendship looks like ‘shut up and go away,’ but that’s their way of showing care."

When Whitaker announces he’s leaving, it triggers Santos’ fear of abandonment. "She puts up walls, thinking, ‘Everyone leaves me.’ If they just talked and went to therapy, everything would be solved, but that’s not the story here. Santos just wants a friend but doesn’t know how to ask for one. It’s like socializing a puppy—she needs to be forced to engage with others."

On the experience of working with such a talented ensemble cast, Briones praised their dedication and individual approaches. "Everyone on The Pitt is incredibly talented and has crafted their characters distinctly. Watching how everyone operates has been a cool learning experience. Patrick Ball and I have become good friends, which is funny because our characters are so opposite. That trust makes our scenes special."

She also mentioned her close bonds with co-stars Supriya Ganesh and Shabana Azeez, who play Dr. Mohan and Dr. Javadi. "They’re my girls on set. It bums me out we didn’t have scenes together this season—I think the producers feared we’d be too powerful if we teamed up."

Balancing the physical and emotional demands of both her Broadway role and her television character remains a challenge for Briones. Yet, her passion for both projects shines through despite the exhaustion and occasional illness. She continues to embrace the complexity of Santos’ character and the opportunity to depict a woman who refuses to be diminished.