Trevor Jackson Takes Up the Mantle of Black Male Doctors On ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

There’s a long lineage of Black male doctors on television. Timothy Brown played combat zone trauma surgeon Dr. Oliver Harmon Jones in 1970s war comedy M*A*S*H*. One of Denzel Washington’s first roles was as Dr. Philip Chandler on the long-running medical drama St. Elsewhere. Eriq La Salle and Mekhi Phifer, amongst others, took up the mantle in the ’90s on E.R. Grey’s Anatomy broke ground for its diverse portrayal of doctors of all races and genders when it first premiered in 2005 and continues to uphold that legacy with the addition of its newest castmember, Trevor Jackson.

“I have not seen every episode but there’s a lot of people in my family who have and they were losing their minds,” the singer and Grown-ish actor tells ESSENCE about his role on the record-setting 22nd season of Grey’s on ABC this October. “Obviously I knew the impact of the show. So many amazing actors have come through there and the stories that they tell are so human and grounded and that’s why it’s been around for so long.”

Apart from Grey’s, there is somewhat of a dearth of Black male doctors currently on TV. Netflix’s The Pulse, starring Jessie T. Usher, lasted one season before being cancelled earlier this year. And while representation for Black women doctors on HBO’s hit The Pitt is impressive, even with the controversial departure of Tracy Ifeachor, there are no Black male doctors on the show.

Grey’s Anatomy, however, holds down the fort, with day-one stalwart James Pickens Jr. still toiling away at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as Dr. Richard Weber (remember he was supposed to retire in the pilot, back when the hospital was still called Seattle Grace?!). Anthony Hill plays the prodigious Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Winston Ndugu, and Jason Winston George portrays the flip-flopping Dr. Ben Warren who, after stints as an anaesthesiologist and a fire-fighter on Grey’s spinoff Station 11, has returned to his surgical residency. Of course there’s Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery, who still makes an appearance once or twice a season. And who could forget Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett on yet another Grey’s spinoff, Private Practice?

It’s a pedigree Jackson is honored to join.

“I’m on the right trajectory!” he exclaims. “Being a Black doctor on TV is something I take pride in. I don’t knock the athletes or rappers but it’s good to know that there’s more than one avenue for success for young Black men on TV. I feel like we’re portrayed one way a lot of the time so I love that I get to show something different.”

Was there any pressure as the new kid in a pop cultural institution?

“You’re always nervous going into a new situation but [even more so for] something that’s so established,” he responds. “It was the most welcoming set I had ever been on. Everyone is so encouraging and supporting and they just want everyone to do the best job and have fun while doing it. It felt like I knew everybody already; it’s like a family.”

Jackson is tight-lipped about the exact nature of his character, whose name we still don’t know. We meet him briefly in the finale of season 21. After going home with a dejected Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) at Joe’s Bar, it turns out Jackson’s character is beginning his surgical internship at Grey Sloan that morning after his walk of shamelessness—and, you know, an explosion at the hospital because what would Grey’s Anatomy be without a disaster cliffhanger?

“I can say that there are definitely some tensions between him and Simone. He’s a hard worker and wants to be the best doctor he can be. He’s bringing some drama and some fun. That’s the extent of what I’m allowed to say!” Jackson says with a chuckle. “There’s some exciting episodes ahead that I can’t wait for fans to see.”

The parallels between the pilot episode of Grey’s are clear: Simone has been a clear proxy for the show’s namesake Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who begins the series having a one night stand with a dreamy guy she meets at Joe’s Bar who just so happens to be her boss. Simone’s grandmother who raised her has dementia, just like Meredith’s mom. Simone lives in Meredith’s house, and she’s dating Meredith’s late husband’s nephew, Lucas Adams (Niko Terho)—which makes her dalliance with Jackson’s character all the messier.

“That’s definitely the vibe—I love those similarities,” Jackson says. “That’s definitely the way we’re trying to go with it. Once you find out that I’m an intern the stakes are raised.”

For Jackson, though, the hardest part of the job wasn’t learning all the unwieldy medical vocabulary but the correct pronunciation of a simple bathroom cabinet staple: “Saline!” he laughs. “I had a few takes where I kept saying ‘Celine.’ People were like, ‘who is Celine? It’s say-leen!’ I’m like, ‘I’m sorry!’ That’s been the most difficult thing! [The big complicated medical terms] are easy! It’s the little things that always get me.”

Jackson has had a busy summer, acting on Greys and releasing new music from his latest EP, I Love You. Could we expect to hear his musical stylings on Grey’s?

“I like to keep the two separate. When I’m acting I like to just be an actor,” he says. “If it was up to me, no, but maybe we do a musical episode or something.”

Well there is precedence: Grey’s Anatomy did a musical episode in season 7, so we’re well overdue for a reprise.

“That’d be fun!”

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