Warning: The article contains spoilers about fall finale of Grey’s Anatomy Season 15.
Typical of any Grey’s Anatomy finale, this week’s episode involved an intense windstorm that sent the hospital into chaos. Knocking the power out, the storm also left Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) stranded in an elevator together.
Entertainment Weekly caught up with Gianniotti to pick his brain on the idea of Meredith and Deluca becoming a couple. Would he be able to outlast the handsome Link (Chris Carmack) and win the heart of Meredith?
Giacomo admits the potential for a relationship between Meredith and Deluca really kicked off last season when Deluca had a drunken moment where he misread signals and kissed Dr. Grey. While he apologized to her afterward and claimed to be moving past it, the fall finale suggested that wasn’t how he felt at all. In fact, not only did Deluca admit to thinking about the kiss all the time, but he wanted Meredith to know he was an option as a potential love interest.
Gianniotti believes introducing the idea at the end of Season 14 was the writer’s way of testing the waters to see how the fan base of the show responded, as well as to see how it worked with the storyline. Because everyone seemed to respond well, he believes that is why they have moved forward with the idea in Season 15.
Paging #GreysAnatomy fans: Get on board the Meredith and DeLuca train because it’s officially “moving forward.” https://t.co/FzYZ4BuzcR
— E! News (@enews) November 16, 2018
The Grey’s Anatomy star did backpedal during the conversation and admit the decision wasn’t completely in the hands of fans.
“I mean, as much as writers and producers want to say that. That’s only true to a certain degree. We all have a curiosity about our audience. While they don’t write with them in the forefront of their minds, they still pay attention to it and it certainly affects conversations that happen in the writers’ room,” he clarified.
During the interview with Entertainment Weekly , Giacomo said he did not believe this was some sort of macho competition between Deluca and Link. He believed it was purely coincidence that his character was discovering he had feelings for Meredith the same time Link was realizing the same thing.
Some fans have taken issue with the age difference between Deluca and Meredith. According to Giacomo, part of the reason executive producer Krista Vernoff wants to explore the relationship is to step outside of the usual younger woman and older powerful man relationship.
“She wanted to make a comment that in the media, it’s normal for men to always be with younger women. It’s become this normal thing that we don’t really think about. But when the role is reversed in a film or TV show, and the woman is the older one, there is suddenly this weird double-standard,” he elaborated.
He added: “Krista was interested in exploring that and flipping it on its head by saying.”
Unfortunately, fans are forced to wait and see as ABC has yet to announce a return date for Season 15 following the winter hiatus.
