The Pitt on HBO Max has become the TV show everyone is talking about and for good reason.
A prestige procedural, it follows the staff in the Emergency Room at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, affectionately – to some – nicknamed The Pitt, and the myriad cases they see each day.
One episode is set over an hour at the hospital, similar to the format 24 used, and it stars Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, and Katherine LaNasa.
But one of the actors may look familiar to some viewers, as Taylor Dearden, who starsas Dr. Melissa "Mel" King, a second year resident, is actually the daughter of Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston.
Taylor Dearden's name change
Taylor was born on February 12, 1993 and is the daughter of actor Bryan Cranston and actress Robin Gale Dearden.
She chose to use her mom's maiden name to stay out of her dad's limelight.
Taylor graduated from University of Southern California with a BA in theater in 2015 but it seems she had always known she wanted to be an actor.
No nepotism for Taylor
"She’s very independent," Bryan told GQ once of his daughter and her choice to not use her father's connections, adding: "And very conscientious of not having any association or hint thereof of nepotism."
© Getty ImagesAfter graduation Taylor got a starring role in the MTV series Sweet/Vicious, where she played the character Ophelia Mayer. The series was acclaimed and followed Ophelia and her friend Jules who acted as campus vigilantes targeting sexual assault offenders.
It was canceled after one season and Taylor then starred as Chloe Lyman in the second season of Netflix's American Vandal, an Emmy-nominated series that was a parody of true crime documentaries.
© Warrick Page/MAXBryan's sweet speech
Taylor is closer with her father and mother, who raised her in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles.
In 2010, when Bryan won his third Emmy in a row for his work on Breaking Bad he thanked his wife and his "beautiful daughter, Taylor," joking: "I love you more than baseball."
Fatherly advice
© Getty ImagesBryan has also shared the advice he has given his daughter over the years, revealing in one interview that he has "purposefully" taught his daughter "to not to be afraid of not knowing where she is".
"Sometimes I go out for a walk with no direction or drive without a destination. My wife asks me, ‘Do you know where you’re going?’ and I reply, ‘Not really, I’m just exploring different places.' As long as you have a sense of direction, you will find your way."
ADHD diagnosis
© Warrick Page/MAXTaylor has ADHD which she was diagnosed with when she was younger and shared how she was brought a lot of that into her new role on The Pitt.
Taylor stars as Dr Mel King, a doctor with experience working with army veterans and a twin sister, Becca, who has autism and for whom Mel has been her caretaker for many years.
Although Mel has not shared any diagnosis of her own on screen, she has been read as neurodivergent by many viewers, and Taylor told Decider: "I'm neurodivergent so I think it’s really coming from me. I have severe ADHD."
