Ned Brower strikes balance between nursing and acting

Ned Brower, who grew up on the Redmond side of Bellevue, has more career twists and turns in his past than most people have in a lifetime.

From actor to rock star in the band Rooney to nurse to playing a nurse on HBO Max’s ER drama “The Pitt,” Brower’s career path has a Zelig-like quality.

As Season 2 of “The Pitt” begins (streaming at 9 p.m. Thursdays beginning Thursday), Brower’s nurse Jesse Van Horn appears in the opening montage sequence, nodding at lead character Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) as the latter enters Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center for the beginning of his shift at 7 a.m. on July 4, 2026.

A mash-up of “ER” and “24,” each season of “The Pitt” takes place over 15 hours in a single day. The first season won the Emmy for best drama series in September, and it’s nominated for two Golden Globe Awards this month (best drama; Wyle for best lead actor).

Brower says he had a feeling “The Pitt” would do well from the start, but even he is surprised by its popularity.

“As far as realism and the fact that it was on HBO (Max), and that it was this grittier, R-rated medical procedural, I’m like, this feels very new and this has got to have an audience,” Brower recalls thinking. “Then each week, you could feel it was getting even bigger and bigger and bigger, just exponentially growing.”

Brower says he was confident “The Pitt” would win the best drama Emmy even though it was viewed in the industry as an underdog to Apple TV’s “Severance.”

“Because of the issues that we’re confronting, I just felt like it’s the kind of show that wants to be recognized and should be recognized,” Brower says. “I was super proud to be even a small part of it, part of this Super Bowl-winning team, of which I feel like I’m just a blocking tight end. But they throw me a short pass here or there, and I got a couple touchdowns, and I think I’m going to get a touchdown this year for sure.”

“Pitt” star Wyle calls Brower “a perfect example of somebody whose skill sets match up exactly with what we need from him.

“And not to tease too much,” Wyle adds, “(Jesse) becomes a rather significant character in the second half of the (new) season.”

Ned Brower, in the second row at far right, stars on “The Pitt” alongside (clockwise from lower right) Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh and Kristin Villaneueva. (Courtesy of Ned Brower)

Full Article: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/the-pitt-star-ned-brower-strikes-balance-between-nursing-and-acting/