E.R. Fightmaster has joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Kai Bartley in a recurring role, marking the first time a non-binary actor has played a doctor on the long-running series, according to Variety.
The character was introduced in episode three of the current 18th season, meeting Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and neurosurgeon Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) when Meredith was being recruited for a Parkinson's disease research project by a Minnesota hospital.
Fightmaster, who is non-binary, will appear in several episodes when the show returns, including the midseason finale in December. The character description for Dr. Bartley reads: 'They are dedicated to their craft and extremely talented at what they do. Confident as hell and able to make even the most detailed and mundane science seem exciting and cool.'
This is not the first time Grey's Anatomy has featured a non-binary character; trans actor Alex Blu Davis played surgical resident Casey Parker in seasons 14-16. Fightmaster previously appeared in Shrill on Hulu and Work in Progress, and is also part of the band Twin.
Fightmaster celebrated the news on Instagram, sharing a screengrab of the Variety article and photos with co-stars Caterina Scorsone and Peter Gallagher, captioning the post: 'I am having so much fun #greysanatomy'.
