It was the episode everyone was talking about. The Pitt Guest Actress nominee Tina Ivlev talks to The Contending about her work in Episode 7, “1:00 P.M.”
Tina Ivlev has a long list of acting credits under her belt, dating all the way back to the Emmy-winning series Weeds on Showtime. From soap operas to science fiction, she’s experiencing a true breakout moment in her portrayal of sexual assault survivor Ilana on The Pitt, for which she’s nominated for a Guest Actress in a Drama Series Emmy.
“It was important to me to just make sure that I was approaching it responsibly,” said Ivlev. “It’s a sensitive topic. The first thing I really wanted to do was jump into the research. The internet was really helpful in that way. There were a lot of forums on people’s experiences, and I went through that, and that really helped.”
Pitt fans applauded the episode’s depiction of the rape kit process, including how long the examination actually takes.
“I took that with me to create part of Ilana’s mindset when she arrives there. But, you know, the stories that I read run the full spectrum of people’s experiences. And it was heartbreaking, but it was just incredible to see how people pushed through, how much strength that takes. And I wanted to infuse the character with the same strength. That was important to me.”
Tina and Katherine in The Pitt Episode 7 “1:00 P.M.”
Ivlev said that she and Katherine LaNasa bonded over their respective passions for movement: LaNasa as a dancer, Ivlev as a figure skater.
“I feel like that really informs the acting process,” said Ivlev. “It’s kind of like a dance. You trust and you react in the moment, and that’s what it felt like in the best possible way. It was great.”
When we meet Ilana, she’s working through the shock of having been assaulted by a trusted friend. But the series doesn’t expand upon too much backstory, which allowed Ivlev to fill out the narrative.
“It was really important to just have little snippets of it, like little glimpses of it, because I wanted it to be kind of foggy, kind of vague. But obviously when she’s breaking down, those are really specific and really filled-in details. But then also, the character immediately goes into this […] self-blame, which is horrible. It was something that kind of just lived in my head.”
I had a great conversation with Ivlev about what it was like to get this part, why Ilana ultimately decided to go through with the procedure, and reactions from survivors. Watch or listen below!
