The latest class of interns at Gray Sloan Memorial are tasked with ushering in a new era for the hospital, and for “Grey’s Anatomy,” which is signaling a major turnaround after 19 seasons as it stars Meredith Gray ( Ellen Pompeo). ,
Harry Shum Jr. is one of those interns. He plays Daniel “Blue” Kwan, a quick-witted, impatient, and brilliant first-year surgical resident in Gray Sloan. Quan is described as generous by nature, competitive to a fault, naturally gifted and accustomed to winning at everything. A family crisis hindered his career plans, and he now has a lot to prove.
We’ve already seen how Blue intends to rise to the top, and it doesn’t exactly leave a glaring impression, given that she lied to a bereaved patient about being a deceased brother.
“As we progress in the story, we’ll explore the things that trigger it and then the way he reacts to things, especially in social settings, as signs of being inadequate in certain areas of his life. can show.” The actor told TheWrap.
Below, Shum Jr. reveals more about his character, ushering in a new era for “Greys” and what to expect from Thursday night’s episode, which airs on ABC at 9 ET/PT.
We only get a small glimpse of who Blue is in the first episode. What can we expect to learn about him as the season progresses?
Nobody knows anything about Blue. That’s the draw. [Laughs], No, I mean, he’s competitive, which I think may be a mechanism of things in which he’s failed. As we progress in the story, we’ll explore the things that triggered it and then the way he reacts to things, especially in social settings, shows signs of being inadequate in certain areas of his life. could. What I really liked about the pilot is the mystery behind it and not really knowing how you want to feel about it, which, I think, is the fun part of playing this role.
How far along are you in shooting the season and how much do you know about how things will turn out?
We’re deep into episode 7 now. Well. We’ve got [scripts] Like, a week ago. We’re shooting different episodes at the same time, which has honestly been good because you get that puzzle piece. You’re like, ‘Oh, I know where this leads.’ And then you find that the other and you’re like, ‘Okay, I can put these together.’ That’s the feeling especially for me as a new cast member.
Interns are already starting to form a special bond. Have you started building that bond on the sets as an actor?
He premiered the pilot during our lunch [one day], and it was just the whole crew. All the cast showed up and we’re out in this big tent and it was really neat to see there’s something going on for season 19, because you’d think everyone was just bored, but everyone had this newfound enthusiasm. As far as new interns go, we hugged each other and just reassured each other that this is the feeling we have to keep going for the rest of the season. I don’t see it stopping because they are all just good people and great talent. They just make me laugh every day. I think it’s going to be able to translate to the screen.
“Greys” feels like an institution at the moment, and the new actors are really carrying a big part of the story this season. Was it nerve-wracking to be brought in to usher in a new era for the series?
It was because, coming in, you don’t know how to act. You see this train moving, but it stopped and then we were allowed to move on and get a full tutorial of how things work. The rest of the cast members have been around for a long time, and they all have their own different point of view. I think it’s one of the most beautiful things because you’re getting a 360 view of how everyone else is [operates], Being so late in the game, I think the intimidation will always be there but it has really been a collaborative effort. We are really welcome in the team.
Have you got any words of wisdom from an experienced artist?
I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is this chosen family element. Sometimes we see each other more than we see our families. And I think in this particular show, the reason why it went on for so long is because this place is like a sanctuary. We have fun, but everyone is punctual. Everyone is just their own. Everyone respects each other. It never happened, at least during my stay there, it didn’t feel like someone was trying to think only of themselves. It’s like as long as we support each other, we will all rise together. And that’s what we all have inherited.
So what can we expect from Blue in the 1902 episode?
This guy is trying to find information on how to stay ahead of the game, and he certainly makes good use of it. I guess that’s all I’ll say, because there are so many secrets. But Blue will surely use his skills as a detective to see if he can do some more surgery.
