Who is Harlow Graham? Who Plays Her in The Pitt? Is Jessica Flores Deaf in Real Life?

The second season of HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt‘ captures another chaotic day at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre. While Robby and his team are inundated with several patients at once, there is still a long queue of new patients who are waiting to be treated. One of those patients is Harlow Graham. She first enters the picture in the first episode when we see her waiting for her turn. At one point, her name is called out, but she doesn’t respond, which suggests that she is likely deaf. What makes her story, which unfolds over the course of several episodes, more authentic is that the role is played by a deaf actor.

Harlow Graham Represents Deaf Patients and Their Struggles with the Medical System

Harlow Graham is introduced to the audience as her name is repeatedly blared over the speaker, but she doesn’t hear it. The camera stays on her for that time period. Later, she watches the hospital staff handle another urgent case just when the sound goes off. This reveals that Harlow is a person with hearing loss. This also explains why she doesn’t respond when her name is called, while also showing that the hospital staff doesn’t know she is deaf yet, or they would have found an interpreter. For the next hour or so, she continues waiting for her turn, and eventually, a staff member looks at her card and realizes that she is deaf.

An interpreter is called, the staff member apologises to her for the mix-up, and assures her that she will be taken care of right away. However, since there are already too many patients in line, Harlow has to wait a little longer, and the real reason she is in the hospital still remains a secret. This isn’t the first time ‘The Pitt’ has featured a deaf character. The first season saw the storyline of a patient named Omar, which also used a similar sound technique to present things from his point of view. Including Harlow’s character in the second season shows that the HBO Max series will continue to explore accessibility and diversity, including all types of stories. The show cast a deaf actress to deliver an authentic, deeply layered portrayal of the character.

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