“Shrinking” star previews arrival on “The Pitt”: 'By the time Crus gets there, there's just a lot to handle'

Ashley BoucherThu, April 2, 2026 at 6:51 PM UTC

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Luke Tennie and Patrick Ball on 'The Pitt'Credit: Warrick Page

Luke Tennie is clocking in for the night shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, but he manifested his arrival in a much more glamorous setting.

The actor, known for his roles on Shrinking and Abbott Elementary, was asked on a carpet if there were any other Warner Bros. shows he would want to be a part of, and he had his answer ready.

"I immediately was like, 'The Pitt,'" Tennie recalls to Entertainment Weekly. "'So [if] John Wells is seeing this anywhere, The Pitt. I love that show. I don't care if I'm, you know, a patient in the background. I just want to be on it.' And then I got an audition a few months after that for Dr. Crus Henderson and I ended up booking that part."

Henderson, a fourth-year resident on Dr. Jack Abbott's (Shawn Hatosy) night shift, is different from most of the characters Tennie has played.

Luke Tennie (center) on 'The Pitt'Credit: Warrick Page

"Dr. Crus Henderson, he's somebody who, in the character breakdown I was told, is calm, cool, and collected," the actor explains. "I'm usually playing characters who have like a little bit of a firecracker edge to him or, in Dominic's case from Abbott, he just kind of aims to please. You know, he's always like, 'Oh, what can I do? Where can I help?' But [Crus] is definitely the oldest character I've ever played, because he is actually the same age as me, per the breakdown."

Tennie, 31, says he found a kinship with the character thanks to their shared age.

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"It was really kind of cool to step into a role like that and thinking like, 'Oh, well, what should I do?' And then I realized, 'What would I do [as Crus]?'" he says, continuing, "If Crus and I got age in common, we got, like, confidence in common, it's like, maybe I should just stand here and just pay attention, you know?"

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Henderson arrives in episode 13, which marks the 7 p.m. hour and the beginning of the change from day to night shift. Already plenty chaotic, the July Fourth shift change will likely be extra frenzied since the hospital has been forced to go analog after a nearby hospital was hit with a cyber attack.

Luke Tennie and other cast members of 'The Pitt'Credit: Warrick Page

"I wasn't in the change of shift at the beginning of the season, but I'm kinda hoping that the change of shift in this season really shows how much of a chore it is to manage all of these different things that are requirements for Dr. Al-Hashimi [Sepideh Moafi] with her new AI program and what you actually need to do so that the doctors can understand who needs what treatment.

"And by the time Crus gets there, there's just a lot to handle," he adds.

Luke Tennie, Taylor Dearden, and other cast members on 'The Pitt'Credit: Warrick Page

"Honestly, I hope that in season 3, I get to start off for the change of shift," Tennie says. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's heard details about the upcoming season, which was renewed ahead of season 2's premiere. Fans have been hoping for a night-shift-focused season, and Tennie would be more than game.

"I haven't heard anything about [a night-shift-focused season], but there was one thing I heard. It was our last week of shooting, I went in the hair and makeup trailer, and I just kinda went in there, I was like, 'You guys, I'm going to miss you. It's been awesome, and I really hope I come back next season.' And Noah [Wyle] was a couple chairs down, and he goes, 'What? Dr. Crus is night shift. If we see night shift, we're seeing Dr. Crus.' And I said, 'Yes, sir!'

"So I'm hoping that there's some return for Dr. Crus Henderson. He's a really interesting character who I enjoy playing," Tennie says. As for how the rest of season 2 will play out, he teases, "I can say this season's obviously a crescendo, and for anyone who's been watching, it's just getting bigger and bigger, and my character's around in the last three episodes, so we might be seeing some of the biggest stuff we've ever seen on The Pitt."

The Pitt releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.

on Entertainment Weekly

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