‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Jake Borelli Says Life Changed After Coming Out Alongside Schmitt

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Jake Borelli has become so much more than the clumsy intern. His character, Dr. Levi “Glasses” Schmitt, has found his confidence, realized he is gay and got himself a hot doctor boyfriend, and the actor also publicly came out, becoming an inspiration to many fans.

Borelli talked to IBT about how his life has changed since coming out alongside his character and what to expect from Schmitt in “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 16, which premieres Thursday on ABC.

IBT: You’re starting your third year on the show. Does it feel different coming back and not really being the new kid anymore?

Borelli: It definitely feels different. I'm a series regular this year, which is very, very exciting. I think it sort of affords us an opportunity to look a little bit closer at Levi's character, which is always exciting as an actor. We get to delve a little bit deeper into my relationships with some of the other doctors, which will be great. But I will say, Levi is still firmly at the bottom of the barrel. He's still working his way up as a doctor, so I think we're in for more of his antics moving forward, which I'm also excited about.

IBT: What are you most excited about exploring this season with your character?

Borelli: At the end of last season, we sort of ended a year of him finding himself more, and growing in his power, and sort of taking huge, courageous leaps in his personal life. And I'm just excited to see how that sort of shifts his whole character, and shifts how he becomes a better surgeon, too. So, that's what I'm looking forward to this year.

IBT: I have to ask if we can get a relationship update. How are Levi and Nico this season?

Borelli: We pick up right where we left off. So as far as the last episode was concerned, we made up, we had a big realization that Nico could teach me a lot medically, but that I also had a lot to offer him in terms of taking control of his emotions, and being a little bit more brave in that sense. So, we've reached a really good place, but we've had a rocky relationship from the start, so I think we'll have to tune in to see if the rockiness continues.

IBT: I saw on Instagram that you were in Seattle. Were you filming scenes up there?

Borelli: Yeah. A few of us went up to film some scenes that will be in Season 16, and then, also to do some prep for the show. And it was my first time in Seattle, which was super exciting. It's kind of cool to see where my character grew up, and where he's lived and has learned everything that he knows. It's just a beautiful city, so it was really nice to be there.

IBT: Did you have any favorite parts of Seattle?

Borelli: I actually went to Capitol Hill, which was super fun. It's like the more queer part of town, which was really cool, and I had been wanting to see that for the longest time. So, that part of town was wonderful.

IBT: You did a few episodes of “Station 19.” Do you have any plans to go back to that?

Borelli: Oh, I love “Station 19,” ...I would love to go back. We're all kind of just super excited that we get to share the universe a little bit more closely this year, now that Krista Vernoff is running both shows. Yeah, we're excited to see some more crossover relationships and crossover storylines, and the station is like a block away from the hospital, so we're bound to have some intermingling, which I'm excited for.

IBT: You publicly came out when your character came out. How has life changed for you since then? It's been almost a year.

Borelli: Oh, I've changed dramatically. My life is so much better after coming out, to be honest with you.

Everyone has been so supportive, and I think, for the longest time, I had been nervous what it would be like to be out publicly. I was out in my private life for the longest time, and my family and friends knew. But it's sort of the next step in a coming out process, which a lot of people aren't afforded the opportunity to have, but I had this opportunity to come out on a large scale and not many people can prepare you for that. So I was nervous, but it's been really, really wonderful.

I pass people on the streets all the time who tell me how much it means to them that I came out, which is icing on the cake. I didn't think it would affect people the way it did, and I knew it certainly affected me in a very intense way. So, it's been wonderful. It becomes a lot easier to live your truth when you're out like that, so much better.

IBT: Do you have any particular fan reactions to that storyline that stand out in your mind?

Borelli: Oh gosh, there's so many. Even to this day, I still will open up my Instagram and I'll have 100 messages on Instagram about it. And they're all so different.

One of the first ones that I got, that I've talked about a bunch is, this kid who was 13 years old, 12 years old, who messaged me saying how happy he was that I came out, but that he was also more excited for the generation that was coming after him, that they had someone to look up to. Which I found shocking because he was so young, yet he was already acting so selfless, and being so welcoming of the community that's coming up after him, which just sort of blew me away. It made me realize that this is not about one single person. It's sort of about the entire community, and how we can all help each other. That was a great reaction.

IBT: What do you really want to do on “Grey's Anatomy” that you haven't been able to do yet?

Borelli: I would love to lead my own surgery, but I think that's a couple years down the road. But I think that would be really cool and how it kind of means you made it as a surgeon, and people trust you. So, I would love to see that and see if I drop my glasses in a second time, but hopefully not.

“Grey’s Anatomy” Season 16 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.