The Grey's Anatomy Cast Had an Intense Reaction to DeLuca's Fate
It didn't take long for Grey's Anatomy fans to learn not to get too attached to their favourite characters, ever.
The doctors and nurses at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital see death on a regular basis, and many of them face it at some point in the show, and not all of them make it.
Fan favourites have been lost to a hospital shooter on the loose, a violent plane crash and many other shocking fates.
No matter how important they are to the story or how popular they are with fans, death can be waiting around the corner for any beloved Grey's Anatomy character.
Sadly, this was the case for everyone's favourite Italian doctor, Andrew DeLuca.
After 7 seasons on Grey's, the show's writers approached Giacomo Gianniotti to tell him that his character's time had come to an end.
When the Grey's Anatomy cast sat down for what they thought would be a normal virtual table read, they had no idea what was about to happen.
It was during this reading over a Zoom call that DeLuca's final moments would be set in motion. As fans may recall, the tragic episode took place in season 17 when DeLuca was pursuing a dangerous sex trafficker linked to one of his patients.
He was confronted and stabbed by the trafficker's accomplice.
Fans weren't alone in experiencing this sudden and devastating scene, as Gianniotti recalls the moment his fellow actors reached DeLuca's stabbing in the script.
It was a stunning moment for everyone on the call, with a few sitting in silence with tears in their eyes.
The most painful part of it all was that the cast had no idea that DeLuca would die, as the writers had not revealed anything beyond the stabbing to protect the integrity of the script.
Everyone had to wait anxiously for the next script reading to find out if DeLuca would live or die, desperately hoping it wasn't the latter.
Giannotti had spent 6 years and 7 seasons on Grey's Anatomy and although he was ready to move on to the next adventure in his acting career, walking away from the medical drama was difficult for him and his cast mates.
DeLuca's journey began and ended within the walls of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, where he eventually died, but as a hero. A heartbreaking ending, but a worthy tribute to the dedicated doctor he was, willing to do anything for his patients.