Scott Speedman is sharing the surprising reactions fans had to his return to Grey’s Anatomy.
Speedman, 49, rejoined the cast of the long-running medical drama as a recurring character for its 20th season, which premiered in March. The actor, who first nabbed a guest role on the show as Dr. Nick Marsh in season 14, also appeared as a main cast member in seasons 18 and 19 as Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) love interest. His character currently has a recurring role on season 21, which premiered in September.
“They have lots of thoughts. I thought it was gonna be a layup, me coming onto the show,” Speedman said during a sit-down chat on SiriusXM’s The Spotlight With Jessica Shaw on Wednesday, October 23.
“I’m not a big social media guy, but I remember going on after my first episodes debuted with her, and they tease like, ‘There’s this character coming back to the show,’” he continued. “And the fans, you know, on social media were not… There was a lot of vomit emojis, which I was like, ‘Oh, alright, alright.’”
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Noting that all he could do was “kind of laugh at” the fan response, Speedman added, “It’s really funny how serious they are about that character, and who’s with that character and who’s not with that character.”
This isn’t the first time Speedman has experienced mixed reactions from fans about his onscreen return to the series, which premiered on ABC in 2006.
During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in October 2021, the actor told host Drew Barrymore that the cast and crew warned him about the “very passionate” fan base that had no qualms about sharing their opinions on Dr. Marsh being a main character years after his initial guest-starring role.
“I was naive to think that would be my only episode,” Speedman admitted to Barrymore, 49, at the time. “As soon as that [season 14] episode aired, they started asking me to come back, and it wasn’t the right time. [Now], it felt right. To be honest, I’m having a lot of fun doing it.”
Noting that his now-fiancée Lindsay Rae Hoffman was “showing me stuff on Twitter and it was all very positive,” the Animal Kingdom alum recalled making the mistake of scrolling through the comment section of the official Grey’s Anatomy Instagram account.
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“That was like Shelley Long in The Shining finding Jack Nicholson’s writing,” he joked. “It was just, like, 12,000 comments of, you know, diatribes against me. Just all caps, ‘No, no, no.’”
Speedman added, “They’re very passionate. They have their own ideas of who she wants to be with.”
The show’s 21st season premiered on ABC in September, and for the first time in series history, aired in the network’s 10 p.m. slot.
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“This is our first year at 10 p.m. I mean, I’ll push whatever boundaries they’ll let me push,” showrunner Meg Marinis told The Hollywood Reporter after the season premiere last month. “I’ll say, the show will still be the show.”
She added, “If we can get a few more risqué subject matters or steamy scenes, we’ll do it. But I won’t do it just for the sake of a time slot. We’re Grey’s Anatomy, people will find us wherever we are.”
New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy air on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and can be streamed on Hulu the following day.
