Fil-Am JB Tadena lands roles in ‘The Pitt’ and new Brad Pitt film
JB Tadena (left) lands role in Brad Pitt’s coming film, ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth.’ CONTRIBUTED
LOS ANGELES – It’s a Pitt world for Filipino American actor JB Tadena. He landed roles in the Emmy-winning hit series “The Pitt” and Brad Pitt’s coming film, “The Adventures of Cliff Booth.”
“I was thrilled,” Tadena said in our email interview, the first since HBO’s award-winning medical drama announced that he and six other actors were added in recurring roles to Season 3.
Tadena, one of the Fil-Am actors actively working in Hollywood today, added, “‘The Pitt’ is an incredible show and completely embedded in the pop culture zeitgeist at the present, so of course, it’s an absolute honor to be a small part of it. It’s always fun to receive news that you’re joining something you’re a fan of.”
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‘The Pitt’
About his role, the son of immigrants from the Philippines could only say, “Dr. Reed Thomas. He’s an attending physician at PTMC (Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center). And I will say no more.”
The other six actors added to the recurring cast are Stephen Chang, Barry Clifton, Chris Diamantopoulos, Lawrence Kao, Brent Sexton and Hannah Ware.
The Virginia-raised alumnus of Pennsylvania State University, who worked as a satellite engineer until he moved to Hollywood to pursue his dream to be an actor, shared how he bagged the doctor role: “It’s pretty standard these days – self-tape that goes to casting, then gets sent to production and finally to the network for approval.”
In ‘Kung Fu,’ JB Tadena plays Sebastian. CONTRIBUTED
Tadena, whose credits include the series, Miranda Kwok’s “The Cleaning Lady” (he played Paolo Belleza) and Christina M. Kim’s “Kung Fu” (as Sebastian), exclaimed, “Of course!” when asked if he has been watching “The Pitt.”
JB Tadena with Filipino Australian actress Martha Millan in ‘The Cleaning Lady’ | CONTRIBUTED
“I love its grounded nature and how it’s a show that doesn’t need to hold your hand and explain things to the audience,” Tadena said of the series whose Season 2 is up for a whopping 25 nominations at the Emmy Awards this September.
The nods include Best Drama Series and Best Actor in a Drama Series for Noah Wyle, whose weary Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch anchors the excellent show.
“The show allows you to go on a ride that is one of the most realistic depictions of hospital work in media today,” Tadena continued. “And I love how they’ve treated Filipino nurses unlike any other show that has existed.”
Filipino American cast
When asked to comment about joining the Filipino American actors in the show – Isa Briones, Amielynn Abellera and Kristin Villanueva – Tadena exclaimed, “Speaking of! It’s a dream. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been a part of shows that have given careful and deliberate treatment to Filipino and Filipino American culture. This is no different, and all three of those women are stars. I’m fortunate to get a chance to share space with them.”
For many years, many of us lamented the absence of Filipino and Asian characters in American medical dramas, which does not reflect the reality of many FilAms and other people of color working in various capacities, from doctors to nurses and more, in hospitals, clinics and medical offices.
Since its debut, “The Pitt” has been making up for this oversight by featuring not one but several Fil-Am characters in the show.
“We’ve seen it mentioned in many stand-up performances, podcasts, interviews, etc.,” he commented. “They’ll joke about, ‘Have you been to a hospital before?’ when talking about seeing Filipinos in the medical workforce.
“I don’t think that until this show, and the last couple of years in shows like ‘St. Denis Medical,’ ‘Beef,’ etc., where this grievance has finally been addressed. There’s still work to do, but I’m happy they’re getting some shine.”
“I’ve already started filming,” the actor disclosed about his part in “The Pitt.” “It’s an incredible set. A tight set that runs smooth as butter with no wasted energy. And it helps that everyone is kind, respectful and welcoming. And it’s even more incredible that it’s in Los Angeles.”
‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’
JB Tadena (right) and Matt Groove in a scene in ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ | Screencap/Netflix
Come November, Tadena will be seen with no less than Brad Pitt in “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” a standalone sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood.” This time, Tarantino wrote the screenplay and David Fincher directed.
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Pitt, who won his first acting Oscar as the stuntman Clifford Booth in “Once Upon…,” produced the new film, which takes place eight years after the events of the first film.
In the trailer for “The Adventures…,” Tadena appears in a car scene with Pitt, whose character has become a Hollywood “studio fixer.”
“‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ was one of the most humbling and exciting filming experiences of my life,” Tadena remarked. “I can’t wait to speak more about it when the time comes.”
The comedy-drama will reportedly be shown in an exclusive two-week IMAX theatrical run starting November 25 before Netflix streams it on December 23.
Pressed for what other projects are coming up, Tadena answered, “I have a really cool, big, secretive project that I’m working on right now.” He added, “Winks.”
Ruben V. Nepales is an LA-based journalist whose honors include nine first prizes from the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and the Los Angeles Press Club’s Southern California Journalism Awards. He authored “Through a Writer’s Lens,” which won first prize in nonfiction at the 2020-2021 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. In 2004, he became the first Filipino voter of the Golden Globe Awards. He is a member of the Golden Globe Foundation, one of Hollywood’s biggest philanthropic organizations.
