Jeanine Mason: From TV ‘Dance’ Champ to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ New Blood

I might’ve yelped when I first saw Jeanine Mason show up on Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Sam Bello, one of the new class of interns at Grey Sloan Memorial. Grey’s does this every few years, bringing in a new class of young docs whose sexy, clueless antics mirror those of the early-seasons cast. Some of them stick around and become the veteran cast members we’re currently living for (think Jesse Williams’s Jackson Avery). It’s how a medical drama makes it into season 14 still going strong. But I yelped because Mason had long been a personal fave, since the summer of 2009 when she won the 5th season of So You Think You Can Dance, emerging as a late-breaking contender with her graceful physicality and magnetic personality. When she showed up a few years later on Amy Sherman-Palladino’s late, lamented ballet dramedy Bunheads, it felt like fate.

Mason may have entered the TV world as a dancer, but the shift to acting is no happy accident. Acting was always a dream of hers, and with recent roles in the miniseries Of Kings and Prophets and now Grey’s, she’s having a moment. Dr. Bello is currently the intern with the biggest storyline potential, as they’ve introduced her via a fraught romantic past with Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianiotti) that has already led to some sparks and break-room trysts. She’s also gotten a bit more shine in the webisode series Grey’s Anatomy B-Team, which follows the new class of interns on their tumultuous first day on the job.

In anticipation of tonight’s Grey’s Anatomy 2018 premiere, we got a chance to speak to Mason on the phone about her dance background, starring on the show she watched with her sister and a box of Kleenex, and the women directors she’s been fortunate to work for.

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Decider.com: When you were pursuing dance at such a young age, I think you were the youngest winner of Dance, if I’m not mistaken…

Jeanine Mason: I was.

…was acting something you had on your horizon, or were you so focused on dance at the time? Was this always in your plans?

Yeah, acting was always the plan. I’m actually a theater kid, which is part of the reason why — I love that you’re a Bunheads fan, because that was just the best job ever. And part of it was because growing up a theater kid, you grow up worshipping Sutton Foster. So I was dying when I got that job. I was very excited. So my interest in acting started when I was really young, and my parents put me in theater. And my goal was to just do Broadway. So I was taking voice lessons and acting lessons and dance lessons to prep for that, and I just got really good at dancing. Honestly, that’s how that worked out. But I always knew that it was as a complement to the end goal, which was to get back to acting or to be an actor full-time. And yeah, even now, my dream gig would be a movie musical. Something like a Chicago. When that movie came out, I remember being in Miami and just thinking it was the pinnacle of performance, you know? So totally, always keeping my eyes open for stuff that’s either dance or is at least a challenge physically. I love that shit so much.

So Bunheads, then, must have been a great bridge for you. Where you could utilize all that dance talent and then move into this more actorly place. Especially with Amy Sherman-Palladino, her shows are so verbal. So that must have been a really interesting blend for you.

Absolutely. Amy was such a champion for me in that process. As soon as the possibility came up — I had really been going after them trying to see if there was something that would be right for me, thinking, hopefully, to be a guest star. And when this real gig [happened], I was just so excited. It really felt like the perfect vehicle to at least get the industry and fans on board with a little bridge. And I had so much fun, because there were so many Dance alumni on it. Kent Boyd, who was on season 7 of Dance, he had been a friend of mine. We had been friends — we won a [dance] title when we were 12.

[enthusiastic gasp]

Yes. It is hilarious. Because I think he’s 11 and I’m 12, and I’m twice his size, you know? [laughs] He looks like a little bitch. He was fantastic [on Bunheads], I think his name was Jordan? So it was such a fun gig. I’m obsessed with Amy Sherman-Palladino, and I’m totally on this Marvelous Mrs. Maisel bandwagon right now, oh my god.

And now you’re on only the most successful show on television, Grey’s Anatomy. Did you watch Grey’s growing up?

Absolutely. I loved it. It was probably the first television drama that I watched week by week, growing up. My sister and I, it was our ritual. We would watch with a box of Kleenex, just ready for whatever was coming our way. Love the show. And I honestly have had such a wonderful experience. I’m always nervous, you know, when you’re meeting idols, they always say to be a little hesitant. But I am always so excited to share with people that it’s actually a really lovely work environment and that everyone is so thrilled to be there. And I mean, I guess that’s not surprising when you think about the fact that it’s such a unicorn. It’s such a success, particularly now when it’s like, to do 24 episodes for 14 seasons, it’s just unheard of. What show will ever do that again? So I think everyone is very aware of how lucky they are and what an impact this show has had. So there’s a great reverence for it on set. It’s a super fun environment to learn in. Really great.

So do the veteran cast members freak out when you tell them how old you were when you were watching the show for the first time?

I mean, Justin — I really have come to love Justin Chambers [the original cast member who plays Alex Karev]. What a wonderful man. He’s such an interesting dude, too. He has like 5 kids, he’s been with his wife since he was like 19. He’s just such a family man. And he’s the sweetest man, but every now and then I’ll say like, “My birthday is this weekend and I’m turning 27,” and he’ll be like, “Ugh. God. You’re a baby! My daughter is—” You know what I mean? He’ll have those kinds of moments. He’s the nostalgic one.

So your character, Dr. Sam Bello, has a past with Dr. DeLuca that has started to flesh out. How would you describe the vibe of that?

It feels very cat-and-mouse to me, you know? They go back and forth between who’s being dominant and who has the other’s interest, really from scene to scene. And that is such a fun dynamic to have on set and to have with Giacomo. Every scene it’s like a little dance. [laughs] It feels like a tango to me, if we’re going to go for [the dance metaphor]. The writers are having such a good time. A couple of the writers are friends of mine I’ve known from before. I’ve worked with Krista Vernoff before, so it’s a little bit of the same team. And talking to them, it makes me so happy that they’re having such a good time writing and that they’re having a ball laughing at the results in post, in the editing bay. I probably shouldn’t tell you this but I’m going to anyways, but I want you to watch this scene. We have this scene coming up where I’m eating chips and I’m just driving him crazy. In only that way where the people you love most profoundly can piss you off by doing something so mundane like eating chips. And the writers are just so smart in giving us all these fun things where we can tantalize each other. Yeah. Giacomo is an awesome scene partner for this. It’s all about, “Oh, what if we do this?” or “Maybe if we do this.”

So tell me about Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team. Give me just a quick little synopsis of what’s the story here, what was it like performing in these?

So the story is it’s a fuller look at our first day on the job, our first day at Grey Sloan. And our first day coincides with the 300th episode, which aired towards the end of last year. And it was a big event episode, one of those classic Grey’s episodes where it’s like a train derails. So a lot was happening in the hospital, and we’re the newbies who are just trying to be of service. So this six-part series gives you an idea of what was happening behind the scenes for us. And what’s cool about it is that– I think this season in particular of Grey’s has such beautiful nostalgia because we’re celebrating such a landmark [with] the 300th episode, and it’s about to beat out ER as the longest-running medical drama, so a lot of big milestones are being met. And they’re really playing with this new intern class and how it mimics that first intern class and the pilot. And that’s just the most delicious part of Grey’s: that pilot, all of them fresh faced and eager to start their journey. And then to have that parallel with us starting our journey is not lost on any of us. When we did our scene in the tunnel — which I remember those scenes in the pilot most vividly, all of them sitting on the gurneys in the tunnels. So to be there for the 300th was so fun, with all the parallels that they’re letting us play with. And I think that the 6 episodes really do that.

Your webisode with Justin Chambers and Jake Borelli [who plays Levi, a.k.a. “Glasses”] was very funny. What I like about the webisodes is that they allow you guys to lean on the funny, because you can’t really do big, harrowing drama in 3 minutes, so it’s just a way to get to know all these characters’ personalities.

And that’s what’s so fun, and often when we have so much to attend to in the hour for the [main episode], the little subtle pieces sometimes will get cut. Sometimes those interactions that are the fun buttons at the end of the scene — these [webisodes] were just pure candy in a way; we got to really have fun with that.

And all the B-Team episodes were directed by Sarah Drew [who plays April Kepner on the show]?

Yes.

Which is so interesting because at the Golden Globes, there was such a conversation wanting to recognize these great accomplishments by female directors. And one of the cool things I thought about in Grey’s and in Bunheads, too, you’ve been able to work on these shows with these great female directors: Sarah Drew, Debbie Allen, Amy Sherman-Palladino. Is there something to be said about working on shows where women have such authoritative voices like this?

I think so. I can just speak from my experience, and I’m just so happy that that has been the case for me. I’ve always felt so championed and trusted. Bunheads was early in my career, and I was doing a lot of learning, still. And to just never feel like they had a doubt, like Amy never had a doubt that I would be able to handle it. That was huge for me. And Shondaland in particular is just its own beautiful universe, because it’s just a given on every one of her projects; I think there’s a reason everyone in town wants to be in business with her. Everyone is looking to get a bid on those shows. I can tell you, speaking for Grey’s, it is such a positive environment, and I think that speaks a lot to Ellen [Pompeo] and Krista and Debbie being the women who are the bosses, actively in charge on set everyday.

What has it been like working with Debbie again? She was such a big part of So You Think You Can Dance in those years.

Yes, it’s just amazing, it’s just so funny how things come full circle. Jake [Borelli] and I went to acting school together. We’ve known each other for years, we’re really good friends. When Debbie directed an episode we did together recently, we had a lot of big scenes, with a lot of people. And Debbie is so hands-on, so actually physical, she’ll grab you and put you where she needs you. She’s in your face, she’s always on her feet, she’ll be dancing in between set-ups if we have 10 minutes to kill, and it feels like a dance studio. I was driving home one day, and I was like, “I feel so comfortable. I feel so good this week, extra good.” And it was so nice to feel like I knew exactly what was needed for me. You know what I mean? In a way that a dance studio operates. We’re so clear, it’s about precision and it’s about communication, and there’s a clear language used and everyone understands the language. So I was understanding everything. Jake was a little like, “Where do I go?” It was kind of throwing him off, and he wanted information. The dynamic changes. And I was like, you gotta think of it like it’s dance studio. You’re going to be told exactly where you need to go.

Following the news at the recent television critics’ press tour, the fate of So You Think You Can Dance, whether it would be back for one more season or not, is still up in the air. If this is the end of the show, what does its legacy mean to you?

I’m so glad you asked me that, because I have to think about that more. When I think about my career and the things I want to do and the goals I want to meet, everytime something good happens, I’m always in gratitude to So You Think You Can Dance. I don’t think I will go anywhere where it won’t, in some massive way, be a part of my journey. It’s literally what got me started. So personally, I think I will be grateful to that show for the rest of my life. I know I will be. I also know that it’s hard to say whether dance would have had this resurgence, which I feel it has, had it not been for So You Think You Can Dance. I think it should be credited greatly for bringing dance back into the limelight. When I was a dancer back at home, I didn’t go to an arts school, and none of my friends were familiar with what I did. Whenever they got to actually see me, if I was at the talent show or something, they were so shocked with the way I could move. And now what’s so beautiful about So You Think You Can Dance is that it really made it popular culture, so now everyone has a baseline awareness of it. And it started a whole thing, it did. I’m so grateful to it. I’m so proud always when I see Mandy Moore and Travis Wall and Sonya Tayeh. All these choreographers who are now these Emmy winners and who are creative directors of Broadway plays and giant movies, Cirque shows and Vegas. The reach of the show, I don’t know who will be able to quantify it. Pretty amazing.

Stream Grey's Anatomy: B-Team on Hulu