‘The Pitt’ Emmy Nominee Sepideh Moafi Teases ‘Tone Shift’ in Season 3 (Exclusive)

The Pitt leads all drama shows with the most Emmy nominations for 2026 with 26. That includes 13 acting nominations, one of which is Sepideh Moafi for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, who joined the cast in Season 2 as Dr. Al-Hashimi.

“I can’t believe it,” she tells TV Insider just a couple of hours after the Emmy nominations were announced on July 8.

It’s a well-deserved honor for the star, especially when looking at the last two episodes of Season 2, in which she revealed her seizure disorder to Robby (Noah Wyle), whom she’d come in to replace when he went on sabbatical, then faced what doing so meant for her future, with questions about whether she could continue to practice medicine.

Below, Sepideh Moafi shares what the Emmy nomination means to her and teases what’s to come in Season 3, now in production.

What was the initial reaction and, I know it’s only been a couple of hours, but how are you feeling now?

Sepideh Moafi: I’m feeling strangely a bit dissociated at this point. The initial reaction was kind of hilariously anticlimactic because my parents are here with me. I just got back into the country, so I’m violently jet-lagged. I was watching the live broadcast with my parents, and my team kept calling me, and I kept declining their call because I was watching the live broadcast with my parents. And then finally I picked up, and they said, “Congratulations.” And I said, “What do you mean it hasn’t been announced yet?” So I didn’t believe them initially because I was watching the live broadcast, but then, ]I] realized that they only announced the lead actors and actresses and shows for the live broadcast. So then, finally, they sent me a text message and showed me that I had officially been nominated, and yeah, I was elated, a bit discombobulated, but it seems a bit appropriate because I’m always kind of the last person to really catch up. It’s fun. It’s incredible. It’s such a huge honor. I can’t believe it. I’m still wrapping my head around this.

What does it mean to you, especially looking back at Al-Hashimi’s arc for Season 2? Because you were so good.

Oh, thank you. Thank you. It means the world to have a character like this just exist on television who navigates so many different worlds and identities and gives that kind of visibility to people with, whether it’s people with disability or chronic illness or people who are mixed race, people who are from my region of the world, Middle East, North Africa, or Southwest Asia, North Africa, women in positions of power. So many women in medicine have reached out and thanked me, thanked the show for having her because she so accurately reflects these power dynamics that they’re constantly navigating. And yeah, so, there’s all that.

Then it’s being part of this show that’s just so beautiful and brilliant. And at this point in my life and career, being recognized for this work, it just means so much. I can’t really express the magnitude of this moment. Also, because it’s somebody who’s not… She kind of exists in the world the way many people I know exist, which is, they hide. They hide their true emotions, their true feelings. There’s always stuff bubbling under the surface, and they don’t feel safe to express whatever’s happening with them. And so that was challenging for me because I’m pretty expressive and I’m pretty emotional. And so holding that all in and strategically revealing in certain moments, especially at the end, that was a unique challenge that I haven’t really had to do in my career, I haven’t had to go through in my career.

So, back to your question, to be recognized or acknowledged for that just feels incredibly powerful, and I’m just so grateful. I feel so lucky. I mean, that’s the word: luck.

Have you talked to anyone else from the rest of the cast? Because so many of you were nominated.

I know. I know. I’m having such FOMO because they’re all on set right now, and I’m not working today. So, I’m going to be back with them tomorrow. But yeah, no, I haven’t. I’ve just texted with a couple of people, and it’s an all-consuming announcement moment, and they’re working. So, yeah, I just can’t wait to be with everyone tomorrow. I’m so proud of the whole team, not just the people who got nominated, just everyone. The show doesn’t exist without every single person on that set. So, it’s really exciting.

Warrick Page/HBO Max

Is there anything you can tease about Season 3 for Al-Hashimi and what we’ll see from her?

I can say that things have definitely shifted, I’d say for the better. And it’s interesting because Dr. Robby and Dr. Al-Hashimi are seeing each other for the first time in a long time. And yeah, there’s a temperature shift, there’s a tone shift, and I’m excited to explore that more as the season unfolds.

The Pitt, Season 3, 2027, HBO Max