Isa Briones On Filipino Visibility & Why Her Role In The Pitt Feels Long Overdue: “It Brought Me To Tears”

Isa Briones is best known for her standout performances in the medical drama The Pitt and as a series regular in Star Trek: Picard. Yet, what defines her just as much as her screen presence is her fierce advocacy for the Asian community, a commitment that manifests not only in the nuanced characters she chooses to play, but in her vocal stance against the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

In the critically acclaimed HBO series The Pitt, Isa Briones plays Dr. Trinity Santos, a character with a name that, much like Briones’ own, carries the weight and pride of a heritage often left in the periphery of mainstream television. For Briones, the role isn't just another credit; it’s a long-overdue correction to the medical drama genre.

"I find it so strange that up until now there has not really been a lot of Filipino representation in medical shows," Briones tells Refinery29 Australia. It’s a gap in the narrative that feels particularly glaring when you look at the reality of the healthcare system. "It's insane because Filipinos make up one of the biggest populations of medical professionals in this country."

For Briones, the importance of this visibility hit home during the very first moments of the series. "It was really exciting once I learned that there were two Filipino nurses," she reflects. "In the first five minutes of episode one, they’re speaking Tagalog. It brought me to tears the first time I saw it."

That emotional connection to the script wasn't accidental, it started through Briones’ own advocacy. When she was first cast, the production knew they wanted an Asian doctor, but the specifics of her heritage were still unknown. When she saw the initial name assigned to her character, she knew it didn't fit.

That "small" change resulted in Dr. Trinity Santos, a name that resonates with the Filipino community. "Even though it’s small, it’s still impactful," Briones explains. "I’ve talked to a lot of Filipino nurses and doctors who are just like, 'Yeah, we never see ourselves even though we are such a big part of this community.' It feels very cathartic to be represented and to see the beauty of it."

Briones was also determined to showcase the joy and the specialised competence of her community, from the high-stakes life-saving to the quiet, cultural textures of the workplace.

"We have the funny scenes of the nurses having their gossip time, but also seeing just competent Filipino doctors and nurses is really important," she says."A lot of the Filipino nurses that are here in this country are doctors back home. Getting to show that experience is really beautiful."

Since its debut, The Pitt has carved out a space as a raw, unfiltered, and deeply real look at the American healthcare system. Season 1 didn't just show us the hospital; it threw us into the deep end of a high-stakes, 15-hour shift. We watched as the staff’s resilience was pushed to a breaking point in an intense finale that left us in absolute shock.

"The stakes feel so much higher this time," Briones notes, leaning into the shift for the newest season. "Because the world is already established, we’re hitting the ground running. Everything feels way more personal.”

What we do know is that Season 2 is doubling down on the grit, with even more gore and high-octane drama than before. Picking up ten months after the finale, the story unfolds over a chaotic Fourth of July weekend proving that in this hospital, there’s no such thing as a holiday.

"I think you're going to see some cracks in the armour for Santos," Isa explains. "It’s an actor’s dream to play someone that the audience loves to hate, but this season we get to see what’s underneath that defence mechanism. I just want people to feel something viscerally."

Season 2 of The Pitt premieres on 8 January 2026 on HBO MAX Australia.