Kristin Villanueva ’07: In The Pitt’s Award-Winning Ensemble
The cast of the HBO hit series The Pitt won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 2026 Actors Awards.
Congratulations to Kristin Villanueva ’07 (Acting) for her work on HBO’s The Pitt, part of the stellar cast that earned Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 2026 Actor’s Award (formerly the SAG-AFTRA Awards).
Villanueva stars as Princess Dela Cruz, alongside Amielynn Abellera as Perlah, a pair of beloved Filipino nurses who occasionally speak Tagalog to comment on the doctors. A third Filipino, Isa Briones, plays Dr. Trinity Santos, in the show’s aim to accurately represent the medical field.
Their characters reflect the reality of Filipino representation in the U.S. nursing field—they make up 1% of the population and 4% of practicing nurses.
“I saw Princess’ name, like somebody did a lot of research. … You wouldn’t blink twice if you meet a Filipino that’s named Princess, but to the whole world, it’s kind of like, ‘Huh, that’s an odd, special name,’” she told the Today Show., further adding she’s “‘very happy that a lot of Filipino nurses feel very, very seen’” by her and Abellera’s characters.”
Villanueva’s previous credits demonstrate her versatility across theater, film, and TV.
On television, she’s had recurring and guest star roles on Netflix’s Bonding, CBS’s Elementary, and HBO’s That Damn Michael Che. Her roles in film include The Courtroom, Troy, and Viper Club.
On stage, Villanueva was part of the original cast of Waterwell’s groundbreaking play The Courtroom, and Broadway World described her as a “revelation” in the role of Honey in the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company.
