'Grey's Anatomy' actor Jaicy Elliot was such a fangirl of ABC's show, she 'hyperventilated and blacked out' on hearing she was cast
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Jaicy Elliot, who plays Dr. Taryn Helm in the show was already a big fan of the show before she was cast. Speaking to Alana Jordan of MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) on the red carpet for the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's, Elliot shared about her experience on the show and Alzheimer's disease.
“It’s important to show help as much as you can when you have an opportunity to show up and actually do a walk. It’s like they say, 'Actions speak more than words.' I think it’s important we all come together and support each other and spread the message,” said Elliot about the Walk to End Alzheimer's.
She added, “I mean my grandparents had Alzheimer's. It’s detectable but it’s still… to see someone going through that, and to go through that, it can be destructive for a family.”
Talking about the medical drama in relation to the irreversible, progressive brain disorder, Elliot said, “In ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, the main character’s mom has Alzheimer's. So it’s a very… it’s kind of at the root of everything that happens to Merideth Grey. So, I think it’s always kind of lingering. It’s a heavy presence we have,” adding, “It is close to my heart and it is close to people at ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for so many different reasons.”
Talking about her experience on the Shonda Rhimes show, she said it was everything one might think it was. “I grew up watching the show. So, it was strange to be part of it,” she said, revealing she was an “insane, huge fan” of the show even before she was cast.
In fact, according to her, when her casting was confirmed she "hyperventilated" and "blacked out a little bit". “For the first year, I basically was sleepwalking and trying not to fangirl,” she said about working on the show.
The medical drama airs every Thursday night on ABC at 8 p.m. EST.