'Grey's Anatomy' Newcomer Midori Francis on Joining Season 19 and Playing a 'Messy' New Intern (Exclusive)
starts fresh in season 19 with the introduction of five bright-eyed medical interns, all hungry to make their mark on the medical world.With Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital slowly rebuilding its reputation following the dramatics of last season and Meredith stepping into the chief role, the new class of interns — played by Harry Shum Jr. (Blue), Adelaide Kane (Jules), Midori Francis (Mika), Alexis Floyd (Simone) and Niko Terho (Lucas) — are breathing new life while also harkening back to the past as the medical drama turns over a new chapter.For Francis, who portrays one of the new interns, Mika, joining the family has been as close to a full-circle moment as one can get after having grown up with the franchise as a teen and largely being inspired by Sandra Oh's iconic character, Cristina Yang.«That character and seeing her, especially in the town I grew up in in New Jersey and what I was seeing on TV at that time, it was not [every day] an Asian actor was so present, had so much screen time and was so messy and so good,» the Sex Lives of College Girls star shared in a recent phone interview with ET, adding later that «something in my gut said that this was a good move» when the opportunity arose to come onto the show. Ahead of Thursday's premiere, the 28-year-old actress discusses why she's proud to be playing an Asian character who's not buttoned-up and perfect, surprises that are in store for viewers and why Ellen Pompeo's legacy is bigger than Meredith Grey.I was a fan.