The best medical drama on TV right now has been a gift to Jewish viewers. Max’s “The Pitt” centers around Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, a senior attending ER doctor whose Jewishness was inspired by actor Noah Wyle’s own Russian-Jewish ancestry. But Wyle isn’t the only Jewish actor currently on “The Pitt.” Alexandra Metz, who plays trauma surgery resident Dr. Yolanda Garcia, is also Jewish!
Here are 18 things to know about Alexandra Metz.
1. Alexandra is the daughter of a Jewish father and an Afro-Latina mother.
2. Her birthday is May 23, meaning she’s a Gemini.
3. She is culturally and ancestrally Jewish, describing herself as “a bagel and lox Jew.”
4. Alexandra is extremely close with her 102-year-old grandpa, Marv! Marv is the son of Polish Jews who emigrated to New York.
“We live life on our own terms: beginning and ending with pure, honest love. Let’s keep it going, Moishele!” she wrote on Father’s Day in 2024.
5. Alexandra actually found out that she got a callback for “The Pitt” while out for sushi with Marv! (More on “The Pitt” later…)
6. She loves matzah ball soup and her Instagram handle is @metzaballsoup, which is maybe the best handle we’ve ever seen? You can listen to her talk more about her favorite dishes on an episode of the “This Is TASTE” podcast:
7. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in Human Biology. While there, she took part in Brown’s Program in Liberal Medication Education. This is an eight-year medical program, though Alexandra only did the undergraduate portion of it.
“I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor, but I loved all the things that I got to study on that journey,” she said in an interview.
8. Alexandra has been on numerous TV shows including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Gossip Girl,” “Chicago Fire,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and more!
9. She played Hannah in the 2012 movie about Olympic rowing, “Backwards.” According to her IMDb, Alexandra learned how to row two weeks before shooting the film.
10. Alexandra played Rapunzel in a 2014 episode of “Once Upon a Time.”
11. She married her husband Zach in 2021.
Mazel tov, Alexandra and Zach!
12. They have two very adorable dogs.
13. Deadline announced that Alexandra had been cast in “The Pitt” in August 2024. “BEYOND GRATEFUL,” Alexandra wrote on Instagram at the time. “Thank you God for expanding my community with people I love and get to learn from on the daily, just like I asked. It’s an honor to be on this journey…!”
14. Before filming for “The Pitt” started, Alexandra’s cast mates underwent a medical bootcamp to ensure the show was as accurate as possible. While the main cast had two weeks of training, Alexandra asked to join on the last day.
“I was like, ‘Can I get in there? I’d love to get whatever knowledge, foundational knowledge to feel secure in what I’m doing.’ Because we’re playing pretend, but it’s helpful to feel like you have that support of knowledge underneath you, to not make you look like a farce,” she explained in a podcast.
15. Alexandra also got help from her friend Dr. Solange Bayard, who went over scripts with her and gave her insight on what it’s like being a real surgeon.
16. She portrays some pretty intense situations on the show, including getting a scalpel stuck in her foot. Ouch! You can watch below, if you dare:
17. Please enjoy these BTS photos of “The Pitt,” courtesy of Alexandra:
18. She’s part of a theater company in Los Angeles called public assembly, which has the goal of reinventing the concept of community theater.
