'Grey's Anatomy' Star Jake Borelli Talks Schmitt's Big Mistake in Episode 3 (Exclusive)

Grey's Anatomy's doctors are not perfect! The ABC medical drama returned with a new episode featuring a fan-favorite character making a nearly fatal mistake, learning a valuable lesson as a young surgeon. Jake Borelli, the actor behind second-year resident Levi Schmitt spoke to PopCulture.com about the interesting storyline in Episode 3, as well as his hopes for the young doctor's education in future episodes.

Spoilers ahead for Grey's Anatomy Season 16, Episode 3: "Reunited"

Schmitt has played a bigger role this season after Borelli was promoted to series regular at the end of Season 15. The promotion behind the scenes allows for the character to interact with more of the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, with a perfect example coming from Schmitt's new dynamic with senior resident Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) during the latest episode.

"Reunited" saw as Schmitt assisted DeLuca with an emergency case, and accidentally botched a procedure causing the patient to require surgery. DeLuca surprised Schmitt during surgery when an exasperated Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) walked in and he took the blame for the error.

When Levi asked his supervisor why he didn't sell him out to the chief, DeLuca tells him it was still his responsibility as the teacher. He doesn't get on without consequences after his mistake, however, with DeLuca making Schmitt talk to the patient's family on his own and explain his mistake.

"One thing that's really exciting about this show is you get to see characters starting at the bottom of the barrel as interns, and then you see them work their way up through the hierarchy of the hospital and get more confident and become teachers themselves," Borelli told PopCulture.com in a phone interview Oct. 10. "That's one of the beautiful things about a teaching hospital."

"As a fan of the show, I've been excited to see DeLuca's growth," he continued. "Giacomo is an awesome human, and so it's been really exciting to see how DeLuca has grown over the years. And it was super fun to have Levi be that, sort of, pupil he gets to teach and inspire, you know?"

"It's sort of reminiscent of back in the day when Bailey was super harsh with some of the other interns and we saw how that ended. They all became amazing surgeons," he added, recalling Grey's early years. "So, it was kind of a nod back to the old days, to see how DeLuca can put his foot down and really teach Levi a lesson."

Moving forward, Borelli teased Levi will have more opportunities to grow as a surgeon and work with some of the other great minds at the hospital. Who would he like to see Levi learn from next?

"As an audience member, I've always had kind of a wish to see him work more with Owen (Kevin McKidd) because we saw them together a bunch last season," he said. "I think there's an interesting dynamic there with the sort of young, bumbly, queer, nerdy kid being partnered up with this army hero, big, macho, trauma surgeon..."

"On a personal level, I love Caterina (Scorsone), who plays Amelia Shepherd, so I would love to get to do some neurosurgery," he added. "I think I've only had like three scenes with her for the last three years, so I would love to get a chance to work with her more."

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.