Jesse Williams is trading in his scrubs for another new TV role. The Grey’s Anatomy vet, who exited the long-running ABC medical drama last season, has joined new Hulu drama pilot Olga Dies Dreaming, alongside Aubrey Plaza and Ramón Rodríguez.
The drama pilot is based on the novel of the same name by Xochitl Gonzalez, according to Deadline, and follows a brother and sister following Hurricane Maria, as they deal with gentrification, an absent mother leaning toward radical politics, and their work amidst the elit of New York City. The brother and sister for the one-hour pilot will be played by Ramón Rodríguez, of The Affair fame, and Aubrey Plaza, known on the small screen for Parks and Recreation and Legion.
Jesse Williams, who portrayed plastic surgeon Dr. Jackson Avery on Grey’s Anatomy for twelve years, is set to play Mateo, who hails from Brooklyn and is a collector of a variety of things, ranging from objects to opinions. His genuine curiosity about anything and everything keeps him from rubbing people the wrong way as a know-it-all and won't conform.
The Grey’s Anatomy actor is keeping busy following his departure from the medical drama, and Olga Dies Dreaming is the second television project he has signed on for since leaving the ABC series. He will headline the limited TV series adaptation of the Tony-winning play Take Me Out, but will begin the role in the Broadway production that will feature him in his birthday suit. For the stage play and subsequent TV adaptation, Williams will portray mixed-race baseball player Darren Lemming.
Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy was an emotional one, what with Meredith’s COVID-induced coma and DeLuca’s death, but the exit of Jackson Avery came as an unpleasant surprise for many fans of Jesse Williams, although many were excited by the news of the Japril reunion with the return of Sarah Drew as April Kepner. His big exit gave some closure to fans of the Jackson/April relationship, as April agreed to move to Boston with Jackson and their daughter to keep their family unit at the very least in the same city. And who knows? Even with Jesse Williams' new TV jobs, maybe that won't be the last fans see of Jackson and April.
Seeing Jesse Williams portraying a character who is not Jackson Avery will be hard to get used to but at least he won't be gone from the limelight forever! Who knows? Maybe a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff could even be in the works in the future. And since Williams’ new Hulu drama project is only a pilot at this point, any further developments could be a ways off. You can also revisit Williams' days as a doctor with Grey's Anatomy streaming on Netflix.
