Skylar Astin will be joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy season 18 in a recurring role. The long-running medical drama, which was created by Shonda Rhimes, originally began airing in 2005 on ABC. Throughout the years, it has followed Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) on her journey from starting as an intern all the way to becoming Chief of General Surgery. The series has experienced a lot of changes to the main cast throughout the years, but Pompeo and her co-stars Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. have appeared on every episode.
Grey's Anatomy season 18, which is currently airing, began on September 30, 2021. The series has already dropped some pretty major cast shakeups this season, including the return of You's Scott Speedman after a one-episode appearance several seasons earlier and a major character departure on episode 9 last week. However, probably the biggest news this season has been the return of Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery, who hadn't appeared since Grey's Anatomy season 8.
Per Variety, the Grey's Anatomy season 18 cast is adding one more to the mix. Skylar Astin will be joining the series in a recurring role as Todd Eames, the brother of a pregnant patient. The charming environmental sciences PhD, who will debut on the March 25 episode "Put the Squeeze on Me" may end up being positioned as a new romantic interest who throws a wrench into the love life of Camilla Luddington's character Jo Wilson.
A veteran stage actor, Skylar Astin first made his mark onscreen as the love interest for Anna Kendrick in the 2012 a cappella comedy hit Pitch Perfect and its first sequel. The actor has made his fair share of movies since then, but more recently he has turned his eye toward the small screen. After a stint playing Greg (the role previously portrayed by Santino Fontana) on the musical romantic comedy show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, he stayed in the musical genre to appear in both seasons of NBC's Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist along with The Roku Channel's follow-up special Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas.
Although the actor has made his mark on the television landscape in the last few years, Grey's Anatomy will certainly be the most successful non-musical show he's stepped into. Astin fans know he has the range to nail a straight acting performance, but it will be interesting to see how he fares in a show that is significantly more serious and dramatic than what he has been performing recently. He will certainly have to draw on his theatrical background to provide the gravitas necessary for the medical soap.
Source: Variety