When a TV show has been on the air for, like, a millennium, keeping things fresh and introducing new characters is the only way to keep even die-hard viewers glued to their screens. Considering ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy has captivated prime-time viewers since 2005 (being a staple series in the Shondaverse), it has mastered the art of perfect comfort television via impressive character development and juicy storylines involving imperfect but sexy doctors (looking at you, Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey).
Season 20 of the five-time Emmy-winning medical drama saw Natalie Morales guest star as pediatric surgeon Dr. Monica Beltran, who’s more interested in being a great doctor than getting buddy-buddy with her Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital colleagues. After appearing in six episodes of Grey’s Anatomy Season 20, Morales officially joined Season 21 as a recurring cast member.
Morales spoke with MovieWeb ahead of the theatrical release of her film My Dead Friend Zoe, discussing what made her come back to Grey’s for another handful of episodes as the no-nonsense Dr. Monica Beltran. “I think the crew is awesome, and I like so many of my fellow cast members that I’ve gotten to work with,” she began. “I’d never played a doctor before, which was interesting to me to do, and I really wanted to learn the technical aspects of it. I spent a lot of time asking a lot of questions to the medical advisors on how to move, what to do. I wanted to feel as real as possible.” But something about Dr. Monica Beltran herself really struck a chord with Morales. She explained:
“I liked someone who is unlikable because they care about their patients more than you. I wish [Dr. Monica Beltran] was a doctor that I had. … Grey’s is kind of wish fulfillment in that, I’ve never seen that many good doctors who care about their patients in one place.”
Natalie Morales Applauds ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for Its Impact on Women in the Medical Field
While some may turn on Grey’s Anatomy when they wish to turn off their brains, others have found inspiration and hope in the long-running medical drama.
“I think the incredible thing about Grey’s is — the show is such an institution, it’s been on for so long, but it’s not just TV. The fact that there are so many more female surgeons now because that show existed than there were when the show started — this is the power of media and of film and movies,” Morales told MovieWeb. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the number of women in the physician workforce rose from 28.3% in 2007 to 36.3% in 2019. Additionally, an AAMC annual report revealed that the majority of U.S. medical school students were women (at exactly 50.5%) for the first time ever in 2019.
“To see something on TV [and] think, ‘Oh, that’s cool. I could be a doctor that’s like that, that cares about my patients in that way,’ that’s something I love to put out there,” Morales concluded.
You can catch Natalie Morales in Season 21 of Grey’s Anatomy, which returns on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.