Levi Schmitt
Levi Schmitt | |
---|---|
Medical student (season 14) | |
Family | Myrna Schmitt (mother) Carol Schmitt (aunt) Saul Schmitt (uncle, deceased) Gertie Schmitt (aunt) |
Significant other | Jo Wilson (one-night-stand) Nico Kim (ex-boyfriend) Carlos Garcia (ex-affair) |
Religion | Judaism |
Levi Schmitt, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character is portrayed by Jake Borelli.
Levi is introduced as a
Schmitt is notable for being the series' first gay male series regular and the first
Background
Levi has lived in Seattle for an undisclosed amount of time with his mother, specifically in her basement. Growing up, Levi was in the debate club and spent most of his time playing Dungeons and Dragons rather than socializing with his peers. He also struggled to adapt socially due to his mother's over protective tendencies and neuroticism. Due to his mother's constant worrying, Levi developed an issue with his self-confidence and clumsiness which interfered with his everyday life by preventing him from working to the best of his abilities.
Eventually, Levi decided to attend medical school and managed to finish in the top 10% of his medical school program. It was at this point he decided to remain living in his mother's basement due to the high cost of medical school. Levi comes from a close Jewish family. They decided to help him get through medical school by contributing money and thus remain heavily invested in his career choices.
Levi first arrived at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital as part of a clerkship group doing a rotation as a way for Richard Webber and April Kepner to evaluate their performance before giving them an official interview for an internship. After an interview with Webber and Miranda Bailey, Grey Sloan decided to offer him an internship. His family eventually gave him the green light to complete his internship there due to its reputation of producing highly skilled surgeons. He befriended other interns such as Taryn Helm, Casey Parker and Dahlia Qadri.
Storylines
Upon arriving for his clerkship at Grey-Sloan, Levi and the rest of the fourth-year med students were greeted by Webber, who gave them a tour of the hospital. Levi got the opportunity to observe
Schmitt later gets the opportunity to assist on a surgery involving a severe open femur fracture.
As his relationship with Nico flourished, Levi began to feel more confident in his abilities as a doctor. Levi was then tasked to intubate Dr. Hunt after he was accidentally injected with a sedative during surgery. Andrew DeLuca guided Schmitt during his first intubation and successfully placed the tube. He was then put in charge of monitoring Dr. Hunt as he waited for the sedative to wear off. After successfully extubating Owen, Levi introduced himself as Dr. Schmitt to Teddy Altman rather than one of his nicknames. Wanting to look as confident as he felt, Levi decided to start wearing contacts. For the next couple months, Levi and Nico slept together continuously throughout the hospital. Riding on this momentum, Levi proudly came out as gay to Meredith, Andrew and Jo during surgery, who responded by congratulating him. He also earned the respect of other doctors such as Arizona Robbins and Dr. Bailey. However, Nico became upset after Levi refused to let his mother know about him due to his mother's neuroticism. Not yet ready to tell his mother that he was dating a man, Nico came to accept it. Levi then confessed his love for Nico. Afterwards, Nico told Levi that he had an interview with a hospital in San Francisco, which worried Levi about the future of their relationship. That same day, Nico made a fatal error during surgery which ultimately led to the first death of one of his patients and took out his frustrations on Levi. Going out of his way to buy Nico flowers at a local flower shop, Levi met Lucas Ripley, the fire chief of the Seattle Fire Department. The two bonded while deciding which flowers to buy for their significant others. While leaving the flower shop, Levi came across Ripley laying on the sidewalk unconscious and immediately got him to Grey Sloan. Schmitt was hailed a hero for saving the fire chief, however, Ripley's condition was found to be worse than previously thought and ultimately died. Nico eventually realized he mistreated Levi and later apologized. The two reconciled after Nico finally opened up about his feelings and personal struggles. That same night, Levi invited Nico over and came out to his mother by introducing him as his boyfriend.
After officially beginning his residency at Grey-Sloan, Levi struggled with self-doubt by constantly putting himself down. With the help of Nico, Levi worked to overcome these obstacles, including his difficult relationship with his mother, Myrna. Things became worse for Levi when Meredith was fired from Grey-Sloan for insurance fraud and he was subpoenaed in order to give a witness testimony at her court hearing. He told the prosecutor that he reported what he thought was an error in a patient's hospital bracelet who had the name
Development
Casting and creation
While casting was underway for the role, Borelli was living in New York and reveals he sent in an audition tape but didn't expect a call back due to the shows popularity. However, two weeks after sending the tape he received a call to fly out to Los Angeles to film his scenes.
Borelli was later officially cast as the role of Levi in a recurring capacity as part of the show's new batch of interns at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, along with
When asked about Borelli's first major storyline in the fifteenth season, series showrunner Krista Vernoff stated:
Jake [who joined the Grey’s cast last season] is an incredible actor, and the more we wrote for him, the more we wanted to write for him. So the story didn’t begin with, “Hey, we’ve never done a gay male love story.” It began with, “What are we going to do with Jake this year that’s different?”
— Krista Vernoff, Entertainment Weekly[8]
Characterization
Borelli characterized Levi as "this bumbling, klutzy, really earnest guy who [is] just trying to learn and prove himself in this new job."[9] Vernoff describes Levi as "sort of a clumsy, fumfering type who would trip over his own feet and stutter" while Borelli said "he doesn’t have the best track record in terms of having things work perfectly for him" to explain his constant mishaps and misfortunes over the course of the show.[10] Paulette Cohn of Parade Magazine called Levi a "comic relief" character after he dropped his glasses inside a patient during a surgery, earning him the nickname "Glasses".[9]
Levi is also known for being the show's first
By the fifteenth season, Levi's role had expanded and became more prominent with the shows main storylines. Borelli states that Vernoff approached him for a "big storyline" involving his character and she later revealed Levi would be part of the show's first gay male romance that would focus on him coming to terms with sexuality and eventually coming out.[14]
It was also super scary because it’s very similar to my own story, so it became quite a bit more vulnerable to play a character that becomes even closer to you as a human. When we met, Krista was very open with hearing the stories that I would want to tell as a gay guy myself, and the story that, as an audience member, I would like to see portrayed through Levi. It was a really open, frank discussion about my own history as a gay guy in this community and what I wanted to bring to the table.
—Borelli's initial thoughts on his coming out storyline.[9]
Levi officially came out in the fifteenth mid-season finale episode "Blowin' in the Wind" which in turn inspired Borelli himself to come out as gay alongside his character.[15] Borelli posted on his personal Instagram after the episode aired "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."[16] In regards to his decision to come out at the same time as Levi, Borelli stated he did it so "others don't feel as alone."[15]
On a broader spectrum, Borelli credited the longtime medical drama for being on the forefront of telling LGBTQ stories of substance over its run:
- "Grey’s Anatomy has always been a huge ally in the LGBT community. They have done so much work to push the dial forward for all of us. They have had countless gay characters on the show, which has been amazing as a viewer. Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins’ relationship was so nuanced and so big and so fantastic for the community as a whole, but now that we’re jumping into a different facet, it’s exciting to see, on a personal level, a story that resonates so much with me."[17]
After coming out to his colleagues and entering a relationship with orthopedic fellow Nico Kim, Levi grew more confident and optimistic in his abilities to become a surgeon. As depicted in the episode "Help, I'm Alive", Levi drops the Glasses nickname and introduces himself as Dr. Schmitt to the doctors and hospital staff.[18] Borelli weighed in on Levi's transformation by commenting "I think we’ve seen him sort of take one step into his confidence, into his own body, into his own truth."[9]
Reception
The character of Levi has received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Jasmine Blu of TV Fanatic commented on his character saying "he's always been one of my favorite of the newbies. He's so endearing and has such a heartfelt story, and I think he touches people a great deal" and also referred to him as a "fan-favorite". Blu also went on to say that Schmitt was "so lovable and relatable because he's just, his awkwardness and all of that, I think it is still very real and relatable."[14] Taylor Henderson of Pride Magazine said Levi has been "openly embraced" by Grey's Anatomy viewers and has "quickly built a fanbase of his own" in response to Levi's monologue in the episode "Blowin' in the Wind", character growth and romance with Nico Kim.[19]
Levi's coming out storyline in "Blowin' in the Wind" received praise from critics. Jasmine Blu of TV Fanatic applauded Levi for embracing his sexuality saying he "has come into his own though. Words cannot describe how refreshing it is to see him stand up for himself."[20] Ariana Romero of Refinery29 called Levi's coming out moment "a landmark queer love scene" and also noted he was a "rising fan-favorite."[21] Marko Pekic of Spoiler TV called Borelli's performance a "phenomenal interpretation of Schmitt [that] was heartbreaking and empowering at the same time."[22]
Criticism has been directed towards the slow background development in Levi's storyline. However, for the episode "The Last Supper", Meaghan Frey of TV Fanatic praised the insight into Levi's Jewish roots calling his story "touching and exactly what he needed. It made me so much more invested in his character." Frey also lauded a scene where Levi stood up to his mother who struggles to fully accept him. Jasmine Blu also praised the writers for delving deeper into Levi's Jewish background, stating "I loved that the show explored his faith in addition to showing how far he has come in embracing who he is." Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic also reacted positively, saying "it was intriguing, and giving backstory to one of the better characters on the show was needed. Grey's Anatomy excels in character development, and I could watch more episodes about Levi's past."[23]
References
- ^ a b Carbone, Gina (May 24, 2019). "Grey's Anatomy: The Crazy Story Behind Jake Borelli Getting Cast As Levi 'Glasses' Schmitt". Cinema Blend. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Nilles, Billy (October 9, 2017). "Meet Grey's Anatomy's New Season 14 Interns". E!. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Fremont, Maggie (September 29, 2017). "Grey's Anatomy Season Premiere Recap: My Sister's Keeper". Vulture. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (May 10, 2019). "Grey's Anatomy promotes Jake Borelli to series regular for season 16". Gay Times. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 10, 2019). "'Grey's Anatomy': Chris Carmack, Jake Borelli & Greg Germann Promoted To Series Regulars On ABC Medical Drama". Deadline. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Jacobs, Meredith (May 10, 2019). "'Grey's Anatomy' Ups Three to Series Regulars for Season 16". TV Insider. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Hatchett, Keisha (May 10, 2019). "Carmack, Greg Germann and Jake Borelli will also head into Season 16 as series regulars". TV Guide. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Gomez, Patrick (November 1, 2018). "Grey's Anatomy cast and showrunner open up about Levi (a.k.a. Glasses) and Nico's kiss". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Cohn, Paulette (January 24, 2019). "Jake Borelli on Why Both He and Dr. Levi Schmitt Came Out on Grey's Anatomy". Parade. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ Gomez, Patrick (November 1, 2018). "Grey's Anatomy cast and showrunner open up about Levi (a.k.a. Glasses) and Nico's kiss". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Lenker, Maureen (November 2, 2018). "Why Grey's Anatomy's Jake Borelli decided to come out alongside his character". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Singer, Jenny (June 11, 2019). "Here's How 'Grey's Anatomy' Ended Up Showcasing The Prayer 'Shalom Rav'". The Forward. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Mason, Charlie (February 6, 2020). "Grey's Recap: Food for Thought". Tvline. TV Line. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Blu, Jasmine (February 5, 2020). "Grey's Anatomy's Jake Borelli On An Illuminating Levi-Centric Hour, Representation, and LGBTQ+ Rom-Coms!". TV Fanatic. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Wong, Curtis M. (November 28, 2018). "How 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Jake Borelli Turned His Coming Out Into A Moment That Mattered". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "Jake Borelli 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. His vulnerability and courage inspire me every day, and I hope he can do the same for you. To all of you who feel like little Levis out there, know that I do too, that you are seen, and that we're all in this together. And to everyone who has supported me over the years, I can't thank you enough, and I love you more than all the stars..."".
- ^ Ng, Philiana (November 1, 2018). "Jake Borelli Opens Up About How 'Grey's Anatomy' Inspired Him to Come Out (Exclusive)". ET Online. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Fremont, Maggie (January 24, 2019). "Grey's Anatomy Recap: Having Her Cake". Vulture. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ Henderson, Taylor (November 30, 2018). "Jake Borelli's Gay Grey's Anatomy Romance Is Making Us Ugly Cry". Pride. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Blu, Jasmine (November 15, 2018). "Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Episode 8 Review: Blowin' In The Wind". TV Fanatic. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Romero, Ariana (November 16, 2018). "15 Seasons In, Grey's Anatomy Gave Us A Landmark Queer Love Scene". Refinery29. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Pekic, Marko (November 16, 2018). "Grey's Anatomy - Blowin' In The Wind - Review: "Hero Behind the Glasses"". Spoiler TV. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ Blu, Jasmine (February 11, 2020). "Grey's Anatomy Round Table: Levi Owns the Hour!". TV Fanatic. Retrieved August 21, 2020.