1. Development

2. Background

3. Storylines

4. Reception

5. References

Andrea "Andrew" DeLuca, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on ABC in the United States. The character is portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti.

Andrew was introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at the end of the eleventh season, eventually obtaining the position of a resident in the thirteenth season. He becomes one of the few interns and residents in later seasons to have personal connections to the attending surgeons. Andrew struggles with the everyday life of being in a competitive profession, fitting in with his peers, and navigating personal relationships with his friends and colleagues.

Gianniotti was cast in April 2015 and was promoted to series regular status in January 2016. For his performance, Gianniotti was nominated for two Golden Maple Awards in 2016. In 2018, Gianniotti reprised his role in the spin-off series Station 19 as a guest.

Development

On April 15, 2015, it was announced that Gianniotti was cast in an undisclosed role for the final two episodes of the eleventh season, with the possibility of recurring in the twelfth season.^[1] He was promoted to the main cast on January 8, 2016, midway through the twelfth season.^[2]

The announcement of Gianniotti's casting and the character's introduction initially received backlash from some fans who felt that the character was meant to be a replacement for Derek Shepherd, a character that had recently been written off the series to accommodate the departure of actor Patrick Dempsey. However, Gianniotti denied that that this was the case, saying, "I’m just a new character on the show. I’m not filling any void." He also confirmed at the time that "Andrew won’t have any [romantic] intentions with Meredith [Grey] so fans don’t have to worry about any threat."^[3]

In the beginning, Gianniotti struggled with the technical aspects of acting out surgeries. "My first surgery went terribly because I didn’t know the protocol for so many things, and the other actors were laughing at me. I was just getting everything wrong. Like, once you’re in the OR, your hands have to be by your chest, otherwise you’re no longer sterile — I just didn’t know that, or how to hold my instruments." However, the lack of direction allowed for Gianniotti to "fill in the blanks" of the character on his own. "I think that [DeLuca] is a very honest, genuine, passionate guy. He’s very driven — I relate to him a lot — and he knows he’s good at what he does. I think he’s more of an introvert and now he finds himself as an adult and maybe he’s rediscovering who he is as a man [and] how to date women."^[3]

Background

Andrea "Andrew" DeLuca^[5] was born in Italy and moved to the United States with his mother when he was young. His sister Carina, however, stayed behind with their dad in Italy. Both DeLuca siblings speak fluent Italian and English, but Andrew does not have an Italian accent when he speaks English, unlike Carina.^[4][7] Before becoming a doctor, Andrew worked as an EMT.^[5] At some point, he dated future colleague Sam Bello. Their chaotic relationship was ultimately left unresolved when Andrew moved away.^[6]

Storylines

The penultimate episode of the eleventh season "Time Stops" features the first appearance of Dr. Andrew DeLuca. In the episode, DeLuca emerges from a rescue vehicle carrying patients from a tunnel collapse. At the hospital, he identifies himself as a surgeon and says that he was on his way to work at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital when he saw the accident and joined the rescue. He quickly lends a hand in helping the victims and, because he is wearing a suit and seems confident in what he is doing, the other doctors assume that he is an attending. However, he is later revealed to be an intern, which causes the other interns to ostracize him.^[7]

Alienated from the other interns, who believe that he posed as an attending and therefore do not want to share housing with him, Andrew ends up moving in with Arizona Robbins.^[7] He also briefly dates Maggie Pierce, the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, but breaks up with her out of professional intimidation.^[7] Andrew later develops feelings for Jo Wilson and takes her home from the bar when she is too drunk to drive. After getting her to bed, Jo begins to remove her clothes and causes Andrew to fall on top of her just as her boyfriend Alex Karev walks in. Alex assumes that Andrew is taking advantage of Jo and beats him nearly to death.^[8][9] Andrew files felony charges against Alex, which causes unease with his bosses and colleagues, most of whom have longstanding friendships with Alex.^[9] Andrew tells Arizona, Alex's friend and mentor, that he would be willing to move out, but she rejects his offer.^[7] Just as Alex is about to go to jail, Andrew retracts the charges for Jo's sake.^[10]

Andrew becomes a surgical resident as his ex-girlfriend Sam Bello arrives at the hospital as an intern.^[6][7] His sister Carina also joins the team at Grey Sloan and begins dating Andrew's roommate Arizona, much to Andrew's discomfort.^[11] Carina doesn't approve of Sam, whom she feels is a stalker. Andrew and Sam eventually rekindle their relationship until Sam leaves to avoid deportation.^[12] Heartbroken, DeLuca drunkenly kisses Meredith Grey at Jo and Alex's wedding.^[7] Andrew then realizes that his feelings for Meredith are genuine and begins to pursue her.^[13] After months of chasing her, Andrew finally begins a relationship with Meredith.^[14]

Reception

Despite initial skepticism, the character has been received positively. Rebecca Farley of Refinery29 described DeLuca's reputation as "passionate, handsome, and a bit of an idiot." She also cited the fact that the intern had remained on the show after multiple seasons as proof that the "Rhimesian jury" had ruled in his favor, affirming the character's likability.^[7] Elite Daily{{'}}s Rachel Chapman called the character "charming" and said that "he truly handles stuff like a pro."^[15]

In 2016, Gianniotti was nominated for Best Actor in a TV Series Broadcast in the U.S. and Newcomer of the Year in a TV Series Broadcast in the U.S. at the Golden Maple Awards.^[16]

References

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• Cedzyna
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• Cee-lo (dice game)
• Ceelo Green
• Cee-Lo Green