Gerran Howell is full of surprises.

The Welsh actor, 35, says fans “still seem a bit shocked” by his real-life accent when he’s not playing intern Dr. Dennis Whitaker in The Pitt.

“Some people still seem a bit shocked, I think. It takes them a second to be like, ‘Is this guy doing a bit? Is this a character he’s preparing for?’ But yeah, I think people are on board now, I guess. I hope,” he exclusively tells PEOPLE at the premiere for the show’s second season in Los Angeles in January.

Howell admits there’s some medical jargon that’s difficult for him to pronounce in an American accent.

“It’s not even a complicated medical term, but I struggled with the word ‘tube’ for a while, which has actually said quite a lot,” the actor says, adding that the word “was a bit of a tongue twister for me.”

Howell starred in several British television shows prior to his breakthrough in the first season of The Pitt in 2025. He had a main role in CBBC’s Young Dracula for five seasons from 2006 to 2014, and also appeared in Casualty, This Country and Ludwig.

His other roles include the British war movie 1917 and the dark comedy series Catch-22 with George Clooney.

The actor spoke with GQ in an interview published on April 9 about how people in the United Kingdom have reacted to his American accent now that HBO has officially launched across the pond.

“It’s definitely jarring for people,” Howell told the outlet. “If people recognize me from the stuff I’ve done in the U.K., it’s definitely jarring. But I think it’s more jarring for the Americans when they hear me in interviews.”

“We do all these panels and stuff, and I guess it’s a compliment, but I remember I’d just dread when the mic would come to me, because I’d start talking, and there’d be a bit of a, ‘Ooh!’ Like a gasp, or something. But it seems to be going down well. People seem to be buying it,” he said.

Howell also spoke about the differences between the U.K. and American healthcare systems while filming the show.

“I think very simply that, you know, money is an obstacle over there. Which we really, really, really take for granted, for the simplest things. The simplest medications that we have access to through the NHS, and the treatment that we have access to. It’s not all free, but my god, do we have it so lucky,” he said.

“For people to make decisions in America, whether to be treated or not, because money is involved? That was crazy to me. And I think we have a few storylines like that this year. For me, it just made me very appreciative of what we have right now. It’s kind of worlds ahead of what America is going through. So many hurdles, you know?” the actor continued.

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Pitt are available now on HBO Max.