‘Grey’s Anatomy’ EP On Harry Shum Jr. & ‘Dancing With The Stars’
Fans can expect a regular amount of Harry Shum Jr.‘s Kwan aka Blue on the upcoming 23rd season of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, which premieres this Thursday, Oct. 15. That is despite Shum Jr. also competing on the network’s Dancing With the Stars.
“No, we didn’t have to reduce his presence at all,” Grey’s Anatomy executive producer/showrunner Meg Marinis told Deadline in an interview tied to the premiere. “We haven’t adjusted creative yet because Blue is such an important part of the show. Obviously, it can get tricky scheduling, but we knew about this going into it, we had everything on the table at the start of the season. We know which day and a half that they always need him, and we’ve been able to make it work. He’s practicing here, he’s rehearsing outside the stages with his partner. He will tape [Dancing] on Tuesday night and be here at 6:15 the next morning.”
Glee alum Shum Jr. is frequently shown in Dancing video packages on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, sometimes alongside his dance partner, pro Jenna Johnson. In the videos, he is at Grey Sloan wearing blue scrubs, revealing that Blue will be back at the hospital after getting fired at the end of Season 22.
Marinis is not worried about the spoiler.
“It’s the how is what we’ll discover,” she said.
While taxing, former professional dancer Shum Jr.’s double duty is made possible by the fact that both Dancing With the Stars and Grey’s Anatomy film in Los Angeles. (You can watch a video he made about his double life, alternating between Dancing and Grey’s, below.)
Throughout Shum Jr.’s journey on Dancing with the Stars, he has enjoyed strong support from the cast and crew of Grey’s Anatomy who have been plugging his performances and urging fans to vote for him on social media.
There has been more.
“We put up a screen and we watch it on Tuesdays on the East Coast feed, and we all vote,” Marinis said. “Some of us have been to see the live tapings.”
Another former dancer-turned-actor, The Rookie‘s Jenna Dewan, who also is juggling Dancing with the Stars and her ABC drama series, saw her dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy appear on her show this season.
Would Grey’s bring Johnson on?
“No, right now she is strictly Harry’s partner, but never say never,” Marinis said.
What about incorporating Shum Jr.’s dancing skills on the show?
“Well, now you know I’m gonna want it,” Marinis said, adding. “He’s so talented.”
Dancing with the Stars‘ Super Bowl-themed next episode airs Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 8 PM. Shum Jr. and Johnson will perform samba to “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris.
Season 23 of Grey’s Anatomy debuts Oct. 15 at 10 PM. Check Deadline that night for our full postmortem interview with Marinis breaking down the events in the premiere and how they set up the rest of the season.
