How The Pitt’s Katherine LaNasa Prepared for a Rape Story Line Ahead of Season 2 (Exclusive)

Before Katherine LaNasa starts another shift on season 2 of The Pitt, the actress is ensuring she’s prepared for every patient.

“I went to The Rape Treatment Center and the Stuart House to do some research for a rape story line that we have in the show this season, and I was absolutely blown away,” LaNasa, 58, exclusively shared with Us Weekly while supporting the organizations at UCLA Health’s annual brunch on Sunday, October 26. “They are so thoughtful towards the victims of sexual assault and the way that they designed the spaces, particularly the juvenile space.”

Stuart House, a program of The Rape Treatment Center, is internationally recognized as a model for the treatment of sexually abused children.

Therapists are highly trained clinicians with knowledge, skill and experience in helping sexually abused children and their families.

“They have a mini courtroom so that the kids can experience being in a courtroom in case they need to face their aggressor in court,” LaNasa explained to Us before hosting the brunch with costar Noah Wyle. “It’s just amazing. It’s beautiful. It’s the place that I would want to go or bring my loved one if something like that were to happen to them.”

While LaNasa and the cast continue to stay mum on major upcoming plot lines, executive producer R. Scott Gemmill previously revealed that season 2 of the hit HBO Max series will take place over the 4th of July weekend.

Season 1 of The Pitt highlighted the highs and lows of working in emergency medicine with an unconventional approach — 15 episodes that showcase 15 hours of one shift.

Before season 2 premieres in 2026, LaNasa reflected on the importance of supporting organizations that are working tirelessly to make a difference for patients and victims.

“The nurses, I interviewed them relentlessly for the role, and they are also just so thoughtful about everything that they do, all these little details,” she recalled. “‘I would never’ or ‘I would never pull a thing out like this’ or ‘I would never treat them like that.’ I’m asking every way to do something so that it looks accurate. But the response makes me realize how much thought and care go into every single aspect of the exam, of the interview, of all of it. They even gave me feedback on the dialogue, all of it.”

Back in September, LaNasa’s hard work and dedication to playing charge nurse Dana Evans paid off when she won the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

While the critics clearly love her character, LaNasa explained why she has personally fallen in love with her latest TV role.

“What I love about the character is something that I picked up from the real nurses in the field that I studied, which was this emotional efficiency, I call it,” she said. “They’re able to be incredibly compassionate, but also not break down with the patient, so that the patient feels supported and also so that they can keep things moving.”

She’s also grateful to executive producer John Wells for allowing women to be complicated in his shows.

“Dana is tough. She’s hard,” LaNasa reflected. “Sometimes she’s angry. She’s funny. She’s caring. She’s compassionate. She’s supportive, just all these things mixed up together. Usually, women in the past, and it’s delineated in television, either you’re sort of like the bitch boss, or you’re the warm, loving mom, and Dana’s both, and I like that.”

Season 2 of The Pitt is expected to premiere on HBO Max in January 2026.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).