Writer Shonda Rhimes is in search of a "name" actor to play the role of a new male doctor for "Grey's Anatomy" season 12 to fill in the gap caused by Dr. Derek Shepherd's untimely death. Rhimes is looking for someone in his late 30s or 40s who is charismatic, good-looking and believable as a surgeon.
Cast member Jerrika Hinton said it's about time for some fine-tuning. After several major departures from the long-running medical drama — Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh — it seems like a Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital newbie is just what the show needs.
"I think it involves a lot of recalibrating. You mourn the loss and unfortunately in both of those cases, internally as a family, we knew it was going to happen, and we got to have our grieving process with the people while they were there," the actress, who plays the role of Stephanie in the series, told Vibe.
The actor to snag the role will automatically be a series regular. According to reports, there is a great possibility that an Asian actor will portray the role. There's no word about the progress of Rhimes' ultimate search for a McDreamy-material replacement but fans are already convinced this newbie, whoever he will be, might just be Meredith's new love interest.
Meanwhile, fans will be seeing Ben a lot in season 12. Jason George, who plays the character, was promoted to series regular and he himself broke the news via Twitter, thanking Rhimes for the promotion and giving the "Grey's Anatomy" family a heads up of having to "deal with" him for a while.
It is unclear what the future holds for Ben in the series but Zap2it believes that he will be around more now that his wife Bailey is running for Chief of Surgery. As for a hard-hitting storyline for the character, the site believes delving into his brother's transgender identity will allow him to step up.
"Grey's Anatomy" season 12 will premiere in fall.
