Jake Borelli Talks Crafting His 'Totally Fitting' Exit From 'Grey's Anatomy'

We’ve said goodbye to over the course of 21 seasons of . The tradition continues on tonight’s episode of the ABC medical procedural with Jake Borelli‘s last episode (for now) as Levi Schmitt.

Levi first entered the hallow halls of Grey Sloan Memorial as an intern in Season 14. He quickly made a lasting impression when his glasses fell into the abdomen of a patient on his first day, earning him the nickname “Glasses.” That tumultuous first day set Levi up for a journey of self-discovery and finding his own confidence.

In the seven seasons since, we’ve seen Levi reckon with his sexuality and come out as a proud gay man. He’s risen from hopeless intern to chief resident. He realized his calling was pediatric surgery. When Bailey (Chandra Wilson) discovered that Schmitt was contemplating leaving Grey Sloan for a research position in Texas, she convinced Webber (James Pickens Jr.) to counteroffer with a general surgery attending position. Levi got to try on the iconic dark blue scrubs before ultimately deciding that going to Texas was the right move for him. His brief tenure as an attending at Grey Sloan emphasized how much the character has grown, and how much faith Bailey and Webber have in him.

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As far as exits go, Levi Schmitt is getting one of the happiest ones that Grey’s has ever given a departing cast member. He’s got a new job that he’s excited about and a boyfriend he’s falling in love with. James (Michael Thomas Grant) agreed to go to Texas with Levi to give their relationship a real shot. The two walked hand in hand out into the Seattle rain to start their new lives together. It was the heartwarming pick-up in an otherwise devastating episode.

Parade talked to Borelli about wrapping up Schmitt’s time at Grey Sloan, and what he hopes is in the fan-favorite doctor’s future.

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When do you think it really set in for Borelli that Peds is where he’s meant to be?
I think he’s known all along. We’ve seen him have so many wonderful moments with young people and his ability to relate to them. Going all the way back to the Halloween episode where he dresses that kid up as a sunflower, because he can understand why this kid wants to be something different. He’s always sort of been a champion for these younger characters, because I think he relates to them. But I think when he threw the bar mitzvah for his patient, that was one of the big moments where he realized, outside of just the medical work, there’s more that you can do for your patient to make them feel seen and set them up for in the best way to heal, essentially.

How much input did you have in Levi’s exit once it was decided he was going to leave Grey Sloan?
I had quite a lot of input actually. Meg, the showrunner, and I sat down and talked quite a bit about her ideas and why she felt like Levi should be moving on from Grey Sloan. I got to share my dreams of how I would want this arc to come to a conclusion. I wanted us to see Levi learning, and what I would still want to get out of Levi. One of the big things that I pitched was after being offered the attending job he would overstep and go put on the dark blue scrubs. That was a big moment that I had personally been dreaming of forever. I saw this window of time for me to actually get into dark blue scrubs getting smaller and smaller. I pitched it, and it ended up getting in the episode and turned into this wonderful visual for how far Levi has come. It was also something for the other characters to comment on, which I thought was a really cool addition.

Was there anything specific you felt needed to happen for Levi before you could say goodbye to this character?
I definitely wanted to see Levi really standing on his own. That decision to choose his career was for him, by him, and on him. We really didn’t want him to be leaving for a guy. That was really important. I think we solidified his power in the helicopter episodes, which was a big story beat that we all wanted to see. He could hold his own and really take charge. [I wanted to] wrap up his relationship arcs and really see him enter into a loving, queer, relationship that’s based on communication and based on things a little deeper than we normally see on TV, especially for queer people.

We’ve seen people leave Grey’s Anatomy on a spectrum of traumatic experiences. What does it mean to you that Levi gets this romantic happy send-off rather than being crushed by a plane or killed in a freak natural disaster?
I’ve seen every episode of Grey’s Anatomy multiple times. I was certainly worried. Seeing Levi and this entire arc of coming into his own, coming into his queerness, stepping into his truth, and then moving forward into a happier life is totally fitting. I’m so glad, and I’ll remain curious about what Levi is up to moving forward.

Jo gives Levi a very impactful speech about the impact he’s had on her, but what do you hope is the impact he’s had on Grey Sloan as a whole?
I think he’s reminded people to lead with their heart. He’s been a character who is really encapsulated by that. He’s really speaking his truth, especially to people in power. It’s something he’s championed during his whole time at Grey Sloan.

Is there anything still left on your Grey’s bucket list for if and when you return to the show?
I think we might have to wait a couple of seasons. But I think him coming back as a full-on attending would be incredible. Seeing him really in charge of people would be really great, and seeing how being in Texas has changed him would be on my bucket list. It would be a shame to leave and then never know what happened to him.

Grey’s Anatomy continues Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Hulu.

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