Jake Borelli Reveals 'Grey's Anatomy' Plot He Almost Refused to Film
Grey’s Anatomy star Jake Borelli opened up about a plot that he almost refused to participate in.
The 33-year-old actor played Dr. Levi Schmitt on the hit medical drama. His time on the show came to a close this week.
During an interview after his exit, Jake revealed that he had some big hesitations about the evolution of Levi’s character at one point. He explained why and what ultimately changed his mind.
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Speaking to Variety, Jake, who is queer, said that he was concerned about Levi coming out as gay. At the time, the actor was out to those close to him but had not discussed his sexuality publicly.
“I had so much trepidation,” he admitted. “I almost said no to Krista [Vernoff, former showrunner] when she said that her plan was to have Levi come out.”
He continued, explaining, “This was after a year of being on the show and playing him not queer, for all I knew. I almost said no, because I knew he would be the first major gay male character in the show, and that would be massive for the show. I would then be forced to talk about something that, at that point in my life, I wasn’t ready to talk about on the global level, which you can never be prepared for. But I did have all these fears that as an out gay person, you couldn’t be successful.”
“Look, we’re in a time right now where it is even scarier, and being thrust out into the world as a queer person, especially in this time, is terrifying. But I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. The amount of joy that came from deciding to tell this story in an honest and authentic way is unparalleled, and my life has changed so much for the better after being authentic and vulnerable with myself and, in turn, vulnerable with other people,” Jake said.
Now, Jake sees the decision as a win for visibility.
“This role played by me as a queer man is massive, because there’s not many queer characters that are played by and championed by queer people,” he said. “That’s a legacy that I’m super, super proud of and that I yearn to see more of.”