Look Who It Is! Grey’s Anatomy Introduces New Mysterious Character from Owen’s Past
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Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 will look very different in Season 21. The long-running medical procedural will be saying goodbye to two familiar faces when it returns in the fall, with Jake Borelli departing as Dr. Levi Schmitt and Midori Francis departing the series as Dr. Mika Yasuda. But who are the new Grey’s Anatomy cast members?
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Who Are the New Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Cast Members?
According to a September 9 report from The Hollywood Reporter, Floriana Lima is joining the cast, playing Nora, a childhood friend of Dr. Owen Hunt and his sister Megan.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that Nora “comes to Grey Sloan when a routine operation at another hospital results in dangerous complications.” The character is described as “a devoted mother and recent divorcée who is determined to do whatever it takes to survive so that she can be there for her children and experience the next chapter of her life.”
Look for Lima to join Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 on October 3.
Fans are already speculating about whether Nora and Owen will get together. In one Reddit discussion about Lima’s casting, a fan said, “Owen’s gonna cheat or almost cheat again?” and another responded, “Not again, it’s so overdone at this point.”
TVLine is reporting that Michael Thomas Grant, better known for the role of Leif Donnelly on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, is joining the cast as the new male gay character the show is adding amid the exit of Borelli’s Dr. Levi Schmitt. Borelli is still set to appear in some Season 21 episodes to wrap up his storyline, so he and the new character set to take his place might even cross paths.
Grant will play James, the hospital’s new chaplain, according to TVLine. Per ABC’s description, the character “joins Grey Sloan as [its] openly gay Episcopal chaplain. He holds a special place in his heart for his younger patients, and his warmth, training, and spirituality make him comfortable and confident in any situation. In his personal life, James finds himself at a crossroads where he is open to love and taking great leaps of faith.”
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Midori Francis’ Dr. Yasuda is also set to appear in some Season 21 episodes that will, likewise, wrap up her storyline. Meanwhile, Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey, who departed the show as a series regular in Season 19, and appeared on only a few Season 20 episodes on top of providing the voiceover for the episodes, is set to have an increased presence in Season 21. Deadline reported she would be present in at least 7 of the season’s 18 episodes.
Reports indicate Borelli did not choose to leave, and that instead the decision was a financial one on the part of ABC. The decision on Francis, meanwhile, appears to have been mutual. Grey’s Anatomy was renewed for Season 21 amid budget cuts and an overall episode reduction.
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Borelli, who identifies as gay, originally joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy in Season 14 and was part of the first male gay romance on the show. The Season 20 finale saw his character rethinking his future after not getting a good enough result to be eligible for a peds fellowship. There’s been no real hint as of yet as to how his character will be written out of the show or how many episodes fans can expect to see him in Season 21, but considering he was written out because of budget reasons, it is fair to think it won’t be too many.
The show doesn’t have a glowing track record for writing out characters in less-than-catastrophic ways, so here’s to hoping Dr. Levi Schmitt gets a somewhat happy ending, or whatever passes for one at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu.
Watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on Hulu
Who makes what on the cast of Grey’s Anatomy? Check out how much the cast makes — including who’s the highest-paid — in the gallery below.
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