The Pitt's Top Nurse Had A Key Role In A Classic Seinfeld Episode
"The Pitt" may be the first time you remember seeing Katherine LaNasa, but the Emmy winner has been booking TV roles for decades... including a memorable love interest on "Seinfeld."
LaNasa, who plays charge nurse Dana Evans on the HBO Max medical drama, looked back on her "Seinfeld" appearance in a recent interview with ETalk. In the Season 6 "Seinfeld" episode "The Beard," which first aired in 1996, LaNasa played Cathy, a police sergeant who starts a flirtation with Jerry and then grills him about "Melrose Place" while he's hooked up to a lie detector. (Jerry tries to pretend like he doesn't watch the show, but the polygraph doesn't lie.)
LaNasa "had never seen 'Seinfeld'" when she took the role, she admits now, "nor had I seen 'Melrose Place,' which is hilarious. Yes, I was living under a rock." (It's extra hilarious, actually, because LaNasa is now married to Grant Show, who played Jake on "Melrose Place," with the two walking down the aisle in 2012.)
LaNasa marveled at the quick wit of the Seinfeld cast
Even though LaNasa hadn't watched "Seinfeld" before appearing on the show, she was impressed by the cast's comedic chemistry: "I just remember how creative they were." She recalls watching them shoot a scene with Jason Alexander as George complaining about dating a bald woman: "He was like, 'She's bald, treeless!'... He just kept riffing, and it was so funny and so magical just to see them rehearse and ad-lib. They were just unbelievably talented."
Along with "Seinfeld," LaNasa had guest roles on '90s hits like "3rd Rock From the Sun," "Sliders," and "Touched by an Angel." (She also appeared in a 2002 episode of "ER," two decades before starring with Noah Wyle on "The Pitt.") She had recurring roles on "Two and a Half Men," "Big Love," and "Longmire," but it wasn't until last year that she truly broke out as Dana on "The Pitt," taking home the Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama.
To this day, she still can't quite wrap her head around being a part of "Seinfeld" so early in her career: "It was just a big bucket full of talent, and I was pinching myself. I couldn't believe I was a part of it or witnessing it."