"Supernatural" Vet to "Grey's"
by Dave Nemetz
January 28, 2020


"Grey’s Anatomy" is paging Shoshannah Stern. The "Supernatural" veteran will guest-star in an upcoming episode of the long-running ABC drama.

Stern will play Dr. Lauren Riley, a diagnostics expert who helps DeLuca with a supposedly "incurable patient." The episode, directed by Jesse Williams, will air Thursday, Feb. 13 at 9/8c.

https://tvline.com/2020/01/28/greys-anatomy-shoshannah-stern-cast-season-16-lauren-riley/

I've enjoyed her acting since I first saw her on Jericho. Glad to see her staying busy with Supernatural & Grey's Anatomy.

I don't know her but I look forward to the show!

Grey's Anatomy tonight features primetime's first recurring deaf doctor (https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/greys-anatomy-first-deaf-doctor-krista-vernoff-shoshannah-stern-perfect-union-interview-1203502570/)

Showrunner Krista Vernoff had no idea that Dr. Lauren Riley, whom deaf actress Shoshannah Stern begins portraying with tonight's episode, was groundbreaking. “I didn’t know until we were on set shooting it,” Vernoff tells Variety, calling the vibe on set “electric.” “And that is the power of Shoshannah: I fell in love with her as a human, as a communicator, as an actress. I thought she was incredible and I wanted to put her on my show. I did not even know it had never been done before. That’s wild to me. And so to learn that on the day that she was working that this was the first deaf doctor who’s ever appeared on network television? How is that possible?” Vernoff met Stern last year at a Television Academy panel on representing disabilities in storytelling. “I don’t know if I’ve ever invented a character because I fell in love with an actor,” Vernoff says of Stern's recurring role, which the actress once dreamed about. ALSO: Stern on joining Grey's: "I think having a deaf doctor on a show like this could change, even save lives." (https://www.etonline.com/greys-anatomy-shoshannah-stern-on-playing-the-first-deaf-doctor-on-tv-exclusive-141436)

Having a deaf doctor is enabling Grey's Anatomy to bring in new cutting-edge technologies (https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/greys-anatomy-save-the-last-dance-for-me-interview-dr-riley-justin-chambers-exit-1203503594/)

Some of these new tools will be seen in next week's episode, says showrunner Krista Vernoff, speaking of deaf actress Shoshannah Stern's debut as Dr. Riley on Thursday's episode. Vernoff says the tools "I believe, are paving a path for more and more hearing impaired people to become doctors and get to thrive in a traditional hospital environment. I feel like representation is everything. And that really excites all of us.”