Who Is Grey's Anatomy's New Star, E.R. Fightmaster?
E.R. Fightmaster is ready to scrub in. Variety reported that "Grey's Anatomy" has tapped the actor, who goes by they/them pronouns, to become a recurring character on the show, making them the series' first non-binary doctor. They will play Dr. Kai Bartley, a doctor who will be working alongside Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and Amelia Shepherd (played by Caterina Scorsone) to try and find a cure for Parkinson's disease.
Fightmaster's character first appeared in the third episode of Season 18. They are set to reprise the role of Dr. Bartley in upcoming episodes. "They are dedicated to their craft and extremely talented at what they do," ABC's description of the character read, per Us Weekly. "Confident as hell and able to make even the most detailed and mundane science seem exciting and cool, Kai and Amelia bond over their shared love of medicine and the brain."
Fightmaster couldn't be happier to be part of the longest-running hospital drama. Per Deadline, they said that it felt like a "match made in heaven." "Booking 'Grey's' out of the self tape was really, really nice," they shared. "You send so many of these auditions into the void ... and I got the phone call the next day. It was just one of those things that worked out."
E.R. Fightmaster is also a writer and musician
Apart from being an actor, E.R. Fightmaster is also a writer and musician. They were part of the CBS 2020 Showcase Creative Team, per Variety. The group was composed of 11 writers, all of whom worked together to put the spotlight on diverse talent.
When they're not acting or writing, Fightmaster works as the other half of a band called Twin, which they formed with their comedian friend Mike Aviles. They told The Cut that the band's name is inspired by the "feeling of making art with other people." "When you are making art with someone, you often combine. Creating something with someone is unmatched," they explained. "There's so much ego that goes into creating and so much sensitivity, more importantly."
In terms of acting, Fightmaster said that they realized that it's upon them to shape the character they're portraying and forge their own path in the industry. "I was just like, 'Oh, you do kind of have to create the character yourself.' You have to create non-binary characters," they told IndieWire. "You have to decide that these characters are going to be non-binary because the industry is not creating them for us."
E.R. Fightmaster is eager to play Amelia's love interest
When E.R. Fightmaster first appeared on "Grey's Anatomy," fans already clocked their palpable chemistry with Caterina Scorsone's Amelia Shepherd. They even begged the writers to include their love story in the plot. "So...can they please make this ship happen? Dr. Shepherd and Dr.Kai? Pleasaaaseeee," one user tweeted.
When asked what they think of being involved in a love story, Fightmaster said that they are glad to show how a non-binary person approaches these things. "Getting to see someone be non-binary and flirting and doing science and communicating — it's all these baseline things I think a lot of times we can take for granted with people that are cis," they told Variety. "We don't see a lot of non-binary representation, but actually it really is important to see a non-binary person from every angle. If [it happens], to get to be allowed to be a love interest is a very important thing to see."
They also said that they feel honored to get the privilege to play the show's first non-binary doctor. "It's really exciting for me. I see a lot of the entertainment world through my eyes as a child, and I think about how little representation I saw on TV," they added. "Being able to become some kind of representation for non-binary people — of course, I don't represent every shade of non-binary, but I represent mine — and being able to be that on screen, for whoever needs it, is really, really rewarding."