Kristin Villanueva

Kristin Villanueva’s Princess Dela Cruz is often found at the center of The Pitt’s hectic moments. More often than not, she’s side by side with Nurse Perlah (Amielynn Abellera), the two exchanging knowing glances or slipping into easy tsismis (gossip) in Tagalog, their rhythm funny as it is grounding. There’s a lived-in familiarity between them.

On her own, Princess is a fierce and deeply capable nurse. She’s quick-witted, a little sassy, and always moving with purpose. The show’s embrace of her multilingualism only adds to its texture, and a reminder that care doesn’t happen in just one language.

Filipino nurses make up roughly 4% of all registered nurses in the United States, despite Filipinos representing only about 1% of the population, and account for the largest group of foreign-trained nurses in the country. In Princess, that reality is visible, and on the forefront.

Villanueva, who was born and raised in Manila before immigrating to the United States at 15, brings that lived understanding to the role. A graduate of SUNY Purchase’s acting conservatory, she’s spent years honing her craft on stage, but The Pitt marks an overdue and important arrival.

Timid Magazine: First, congratulations on the Golden Globes win and the season three renewal. How are you feeling?

Kristin Villanueva: Oh, just over the moon. Over the moon. We didn’t expect the season three announcement at all. Last season, we had already been wrapped for about two months before we found out we had a season two. So we went to the premiere just to celebrate, and then they dropped the news. It was very sweet.

TM: When you get that kind of renewal, does it shift your mindset at all? Beyond job security, does it inspire you heading into the next season?

KV: I’ll be honest with you. I don’t believe anything until I personally have the contract in my hand. As a theater actor in New York, I’ve done a lot of workshops of new plays, and when they go into production, sometimes it’s not me. Or you book something and your scene gets cut. So if I’m being optimistic, yes, I’d love to come back, and it does inspire you.

But the pressure also feels bigger when you return. Today, I was reading about the nurses’ strike in New York—they’re on their second day. It makes you more aware of what’s happening socially, because now we have a responsibility to carry that, even if it doesn’t make it into the script. At least it lives in your body and in the back of your mind.

TM: I imagine seeing the fan response has also been an interesting experience. What are some of the reactions that have stood out to you, especially from nurses or the Filipino community?

KV: Mostly Filipino nurses just feel seen. It’s been a long time coming. They make up such a huge percentage of healthcare workers, not just in the US, but globally. There are Filipino nurses in London, Australia, the Middle East—everywhere. And not just nurses: physical therapists, occupational therapists, and doctors too.

So for them to see themselves on screen, and not just in the background, is very gratifying. They DM me, they love hearing Tagalog, they love seeing that it’s not just one token Filipino. There are three of us, all from different backgrounds.

When I auditioned, the breakdown said my character speaks Tagalog fluently and several other languages. I did the audition without an accent but peppered in Tagalog phrases. When it came time to shoot, I asked our showrunner, Scott Gemmill, if he wanted Princess to have a Filipino accent when speaking English. He said, “No, just do what you did in the audition.”

That meant a lot to me. I can do a Filipino accent anytime, but this way, I see myself represented in Princess. I’m a Manila-born immigrant who came here at 15, who can speak Tagalog fluently but also speak English like an American. That was very special.

TM: Is the Tagalog mostly scripted, or do you get to improvise?

KV: It’s written in English, and then we work with our translator, Angelita. What I love about the writers is that they understand jokes don’t always translate word for word. So if I bring that up, they’ll say, “Don’t translate it literally, say it in a way that lands in Tagalog.” That makes it more authentic.

Sometimes there’s improv, depending on the director. If they want more reactions or energy, I’ll pepper things in—sometimes even curse words. And I’ll ask, “Is that okay?” and they’re like, “It’s HBO, we’re fine.”

TM: The show really emphasizes mentorship. Who have been mentors for you on set?

KV: The first people that come to mind are the camera operators. I’ve done some TV, but not at this level. Our A and B camera operators have been so helpful in teaching me angles, continuity, and how to work with the camera. If there’s one thing I’ve improved on the most, it’s camera choreography, because of their mentorship and patience.

TM: What’s something from acting school you still use, and something it couldn’t have prepared you for?

KV: I love this question. One thing I still use is research. We were really drilled on it. I remember preparing for Thornton Wilder one-acts. We had to research everything: the politics of the time, the music, the culture, and how people dressed. It helped you understand the writer’s mindset.

That carries over here. I find myself researching how the heart works, drawing diagrams, and understanding blood flow just to ground the performance.

What I didn’t learn in school is the difference between theater culture and TV culture. In theater, especially with living playwrights, you can ask questions about your character and get answers. On TV, everyone is figuring it out as they go. I need to be more loose about that and not be very decided on, “This is Princess’s backstory,” because what if next season I think her favorite color is pink, but they say it’s green?

TM: Did you build out a backstory for Princess between seasons?

KV: I did not have conversations with the writers about what Princess has been up to. Every time we get a new episode, I’m more concentrated on what happened that night and making a general decision about how she’s really doing. Is she in denial of what happened? I think she’s having a hard time dealing with it.

She is younger, so I guess she has more, in a way, chutzpah. I feel like the older you get—and this is me speaking—the older I get, the less strength I have to deny trauma. She’s younger than me, so she keeps going. You have no other choice.

TM: There’s a powerful moment between you and Perlah after Louie’s death. What was it like filming that, and how do you think Princess processes grief?

KV: We actually also have a glimpse of that in season one. There’s a very quick exchange between Perlah and Princess during the mass casualty, and she grabs me. She asks, “When is this going to be over?” I say, “I actually think they caught the person,” and then I keep going. But then she still grabs onto me and says, “Please tell me it’s over,” if I remember it correctly.

That’s their relationship. Princess is more, “This is awful, but I’ve got to go. I’ve got to do it.” Perlah is more, “What is happening?” And same with Louie. I feel that Princess leans on Perlah a lot. But when it’s really emotionally challenging, Perlah is more sensitive and vulnerable, and Princess has to stay tough and be the rock.

TM: You have a line about leaving everything behind after a shift. Are you able to do that?

KV: Yes, I’m pretty good at leaving it behind. It’s exhausting otherwise, whether it’s comedy or drama. I tend to watch or do something opposite of what I’m working on. When I played Elizabeth Bennet, I’d go home and watch The Wire.

TM: Lastly, what does it mean to be part of this ensemble, especially being able to spotlight the Asian cast together?

KV: Pride. It’s very humbling. Even the way we were put together and cast and represented in the show, I love. Big thanks to the writers—we don’t have to explain why we’re there. There are so many plays, TV shows, and movies where you have to explain why there’s a Filipino character, and there’s only one. I’m so happy that none of that exists in the world of The Pitt.

I’m so happy for each one of them. It’s amazing—not just the diversity of who we are and our ethnicities, but also where we come from and our backgrounds as actors and artists. It is pure joy.

This interview is one in a series with the ensemble cast of The Pitt.