Grey’s Anatomy‘s newest star ended up in a real hospital following an unexpected health scare during filming.
Actor Jake Borelli, who plays intern Levi Schmitt also known as “Glasses,” took to Instagram Wednesday to reveal he had undergone an emergency appendectomy after he started feeling pain while filming an upcoming episode of the ABC medical drama.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Sorry for being MIA…but if you thought art didn’t imitate life ENOUGH for me… after filming in our fake ER all day Friday, I was taken to the real ER for what turned out to be an emergency appendectomy,” Borelli wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of himself smiling in a hospital bed.
“And to top it all off…my real life surgeon was named (no joke) Dr. Kim! Whaaat?!” He added, referring to the name of his character’s love interest Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landis).
“I’ve been recovering well, so no need to worry, and I’ll be back in the fake ER tomorrow,” he wrote assuring fans he’d be back at work after the health scare.
Borelli first joined the Grey’s Anatomy cast in Season 14 as one of the newest interns learning from the doctors at the hospital. His character has been gaining popularity among fans ever since the character became romantically involved with Dr. Kim and came out as the first gay surgeon character in the series.
Following Nico and Schmitt’s first kiss on the show, Borelli made headlines when he also came out as gay on Instagram.
“As a gay guy myself, tonight’s episode was so special to me. This is exactly the kind of story I craved as a young gay kid growing up in Ohio, and it blows my mind that I’m able to bring life to Dr. Levi Schmitt as he begins to grapple with his own sexuality this season on Grey’s Anatomy,” Borelli wrote on the caption of a photo of himself at the time.
Since their first kiss, the doctors’ relation has continued to develop as Nico even suggested that Levi meet his parents in a recent episode.
“Growing up gay in Ohio, I craved seeing gay storylines on television. I craved seeing things that reflected who I was at the time. It’s mind-blowing that I get to play the story that I would’ve craved to see when I was younger,” He told Entertainment Tonight recently. “That was always an exciting factor for me in doing it. I also think there needs to be more representation from people of all different types. With art and TV especially, when you can feel seen, that’s when it’s the most impactful and I wanted to do that.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
