ACTRESS Isa Briones in ‘The Pitt.’ (HBO Max)
ILOILO CITY – A folk lullaby has been featured in the Emmy award-winning American TV drama "The Pitt."
A clip of actress Isa Briones singing “Ili-Ili, Tulog Anay” in an episode of the TV show’s second season is going viral online.
The clip shows Briones, who plays Dr. Trinity Santos, singing a verse of the Hiligaynon song to calm a crying baby who was left alone in the ER.
The song that is believed to have originated in Iloilo is another Filipino reference made by the highly acclaimed TV show on the role of Filipinos in American healthcare services.
In an interview with fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue, Briones shared it was showrunner and writer Scott Gemmill who broached the idea of singing a lullaby that is preferably in Filipino.
Briones then called her Filipino-American father Jon Jon Briones for input. It was her father, who is also an actor, who suggested Ili-Ili, Tulog Anay as the perfect lullaby.
“It fit perfectly, especially for the context of this baby being left there,” Briones told Vogue. “It was a really cool chance to show a softer side and also sprinkle a little culture in there,” Briones added.