Willa Fitzgerald in “Pulse.”
Pulse — a new medical drama on Netflix — stars Willa Fitzgerald as Dr. Danny Simms. What else has Fitzgerald starred in?
A Netflix original series created by Zoe Robyn, Pulse began streaming on Netflix on Thursday. The official summary for the 10-episode series reads, “As a hurricane barrels towards Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center, third-year resident Dr. Danny Simms (Willa Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly thrust into a promotion when beloved Chief Resident Dr. Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell) is suspended.
“Amid the worsening storm and an onslaught of trauma cases, the hospital goes into lockdown, and Danny and Phillips must find a way to work together — even as the bombshell details of a complicated and illicit romance between them begin to spill out. The rest of the ER is left to process the fallout of their relationship while balancing their own challenges, both personal and professional, as they work under the pressure of life-or-death stakes. Because for this tight-knit group of doctors, saving their patients’ lives is often less complicated than living their own.”
Pulse also stars Jessie T. Usher, Tom Cole, Jessica Rothe, Jack Bannon and Jessy Yates.
Fitzgerald’s screen career dates back to 2007 with a supporting role in the family movie For the Love of a Dog. Fitzgerald’s career then shifted to mostly television series, including a recurring role as Emma Miller in the medical drama Royal Pains and a supporting role as Lola Laffer in the political comedy-drama Alpha House.
Here’s a look at other TV series and films Fitzgerald has appeared in, which explains why she looks so familiar.
‘Scream: The TV Series’ (2015-2016)
Willa Fitzgerald’s breakthrough role came in the slasher horror dark comedy Scream: The TV Series, where she plays the lead role of Emma Duval for the first two seasons from 2015-2016.
An original anotholgy series produced by MTV, Scream: The TV Series is set in the fictional town of Lakewood, where Emma finds herself in the middle of a string of murders commited by — like the Scream movie series — a masked killer.
Willa Fitzgerald and Alan Ritchson in “Reacher” Season 1.
‘Reacher’ Season 1 (2022)
Willa Fitzgerald stars as Margrave, Ga., Police Officer Roscoe Conklin opposite Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher in the first season of the Prime Video series.
During the season, Roscoe and her boss, Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin), team with Reacher to solve the mystery behind the murder of Reacher’s brother and uncover a counterfeiting syndicate involving corrupt local officials.
Since each season of Reacher is based on one of author Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, Fitzgerald only appeared in the first season of the series. However, in a 2024 phone conversation the actor said she is game to return for another season of Reacher if the opportunity presents itself.
“I don’t have any insider knowledge about whether there will be more Roscoe or not,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m as much in the dark as anyone else, but I love playing that character and I loved getting the chance to help initiate the Reacher television universe.
Willa Fitzgerald in “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
‘The Fall Of The House Of Usher’ (2023)
Willa Fitzerald stars as the young version of Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) in director Mike Flanagan’s original Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher, based on Edgar Allen Poe’s classic short story and other works by the legendary author.
Fitzgerald’s turn as Madeline Usher — the twin sister of Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood and Zach Gilford as the young version) — earned her a Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television nomination at the Critics Choice Awards.
In the supernatural horror series, Roderick Usher is the corrupt CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals while Madeline Usher is the company’s COO.
The Fall of the House of Usher also stars frequent Flanagan collabororators Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel and Henry Thomas.
Willa Fitzgerald in “Strange Darling.”
‘Strange Darling’ (2024)
Willa Fitzgerald stars as The Lady opposite Kyle Gallner’s The Demon in Strange Darling, a twisty serial killer thriller from writer-director J.T. Mollner.
Told in six non-linear chapters, Strange Darling kicks off with Chapter 3—where we see The Lady is being hunted down by The Demon with a shotgun in hand. As the film unfolds, the story reveals that not everything is as it seems.
For Fitzgerald, Strange Darling ended up being a rare projects that fired on all burners.
“I am unequivocally proud of this movie and that’s a really gratifying experience to have at this point in my career,” Fitzgerald said in a phone conversation to discuss the film. “Obviously I’ve been in this industry for a while now and I’ve done a lot of things that I’m proud of ,but I think it’s a moment to celebrate when something is made and you see the final product and you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah. That’s what I thought it would be because that is so often not necessarily the result.
“That doesn’t mean that a movie is not good and you’re not proud of it, but with Strange Darling, we knew what we were making and we successfully executed that vision,” she added. “That is a landmark accomplishment when making a piece of art where everybody is on the same page. That is a rare experience.”
Willa Fitzgerald in “Alarum.”
‘Alarum’ And Work On Colleen Hoover’s Next Film (2025)
Willa Fitzgerald kicked off 2025 with a starring role opposite Scott Eastwood in the crime thriller Alarum.
Also starring Sylvester Stallone, Alarum follows Eastwood and Fitzgerald’s Joe and Laura, a pair of married spies who are under attack from various intelligence agencies because they’ve come into possession of a stolen hard drive containing ultra-sensitive information.
Fitzgerald and Eastwood have both been cast in the upcoming movie adaptaton of It Ends with Us author Colleen Hoover’s hit novel Regretting You. The Josh Boone-directed drama starring Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace is currently in production and is pegged for an Oct. 24 theatrical release.
Pulse, starring Willa Fitzgerald, is new on Netflix.
