"I get away with a lot more anonymity than everyone else because everyone looks the exact same outside of the show," she said
Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Warrick Page/HBO Max
NEED TO KNOW
- Taylor Dearden revealed why she believes she’s one of the “least recognized” actors from The Pitt in a recent interview
- “I get away with a lot more anonymity than everyone else because everyone looks the exact same outside of the show, but dolled up,” she said
- The actress plays Dr. Mel King in the HBO hit
Taylor Dearden is keeping a low profile.
The actress, 33, revealed why she believes she’s one of the "least recognized" actors from The Pitt in an interview with Glamour.
"I think my hair throws people off a lot. They darken it for the show," Dearden told the outlet. As seen on red carpets and at events, she typically has honey-blonde hair. Her character, however, has light brown hair.
"I get away with a lot more anonymity than everyone else because everyone looks the exact same outside of the show, but dolled up; they look like a glamorous version of their characters," she continued.
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The daughter of Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden said that she sometimes goes recognized among her colleagues.
"Even on set, we’ll be waiting to rehearse a trauma scene and the director will say, 'We’re just waiting for Taylor to come down,' and I’ll be right there in front of them. They always go, 'Oh God. Yeah, sorry.' It’s just like, 'That’s all right. We’ll figure this out.' I don’t know if that’s going to sustain, but I can get away with a lot," she said.
Dearden plays Dr. Mel King in the medical drama that also stars Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball and Katherine LaNasa, among others. The show, created by R. Scott Gemmill, follows a group of workers at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center through a 15-hour shift.
The actress starred in the first season of the show, which premiered in 2025, and reprises her role in the current second season.
Dearden previously told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that she felt more comfortable on the set of the second season because she was aware "how the trauma scenes would go."
"The first time we were like, 'We have no idea or any context of how this is supposed to go or anything,' " she said.
Credit: Warrick Page/HBO Max
Dearden has also spoken about how she incorporated her own experience with ADHD into the show.
“I’m on the ADHD spectrum so I gave myself advice in the mirror," she said during a panel for season 2 in December 2025.
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While Mel has not been diagnosed with ADHD, the actress thinks her character has likely been affected by her sister having autism.
“If you have a sibling who’s more severely on a spectrum, the parents often don't even notice that their other child is. That’s kind of always how I saw it. With a lot of Mel, it’s just kind of unmasking and seeing what that looks like, and then also being like, ‘Wow, I’m kind of glad I mask sometimes,' " she said.
New episodes of The Pitt season 2 air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.
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