“I was a big fan of Grey's Anatomy” … born in France, Jaicy Elliot (Taryn Helm) tells us how she managed to integrate the casting of the famous series – News Séries

Jaicy Elliot entered Grey's Anatomy at the start of season 14 to play Taryn Helm, a young resident full of ambition. Over the years, this endearing character has experienced many trials that have brought her where she is today.

While season 21 of Grey's Anatomy is currently broadcast every Wednesday on TF1, Allociné spoke with Jaicy Elliot to discuss his atypical journey as well as the future of his character.

Allociné: You are French and yet you are playing with one of the biggest series of American television. What was your background to meet you at the casting of Grey's Anatomy?

JAICY ELLIOT: I grew up in France in an international community. I was indeed in an international school so I had a lot of friends from all over the world and who were talking about English.

I was looking at a lot of American series, including Grey's Anatomy. I was a big fan, I grew up with and looked at everything. And very young I wanted to be an actress. So I did theater, and after high school, I went to Paris to do the Florent lessons.

Once my course is finished, I wanted to travel. And as my father is American, that I have dual nationality and that I speak fluent English, I decided to go to live in Los Angeles, because I had never lived there, and that I had family in California.

Originally, I planned to stay there for a few months and then go to South America, but ultimately I stayed. I worked as a waitress to make money, and thread by needle, I started to take theater lessons and build a little life in Los Angeles.

At one point, I found myself in front of a dead end. Either I stayed here, or I was traveling or I returned to France. So I decided to set up a play in Los Angeles, and see where it would take me. The theater is not a very popular genre there, and I, coming from Cours Florent, I wanted to test.

It was then that a member of my family told me about a hearing for Grey's Anatomy. He knew someone who knew someone and I was able to test. I had a positive response just a few days before the launch of my room.

And so during the first, I had to tell the team that it would also be the last, because I was going to be a little busy (laughter).

It has been over 8 years since you have been in Grey's Anatomy. What continues to inspire you and fascinate you in this character?

What I like in the series, and it is the talent of Shonda Rhimes is that it follows the events that take place in the real world. There are many things that we are talking about that reflect the socio-economic problems of the United States.

And this is something that we also find in the characters. They are also built according to events that can affect the medical profession in the United States. We talked about the pandemic or the burn out around the character of Taryn.

And that's what I find very interesting because you never get tired of the series and its characters. It reflects us, it tells us and it tackles difficult subjects. I find it genius.

And more specifically on my character, I started in the world of television at the same time when Taryn started his career in the hospital. And over the years, I have had many other parallels between my life, and that of Taryn.

For example, in season 21, she lost her best friend Levi, who left the hospital, at the same time I lost my best friend Jake Borelli, who stopped working on the series. I learn at the same time as she learns.

For a very long time, Taryn had a crush on Meredith. Does she always have feelings for her, or did it pass her? Would you have liked something to do with them really?

Taryn had a lot of admiration for Meredith when she arrived. In the world of Grey's Anatomy, she was an icon, she managed to break the glass ceiling and experienced incredible things.

Everyone comes to Seattle to work with her. And Taryn came for that. So she has a lot of admiration and fascination for Meredith. And it was very natural to play for me, because in real life, Ellen Pompeo is very impressive and radiant.

She too has traced a way for many actress today. And so in real life, I also have a fascination for it. As for Taryn's feelings for Meredith, I think that very quickly, she understood that it would not be done, and that her Crush would never materialize.

Would you have liked them to take the plunge and that something romantic happens between Meredith and her?

For me, their relationship could not have been made. If something had happened, it would have left Taryn in an ambiguity because they could never have been together. And Taryn would have suffered.

Ultimately, the only love story of Taryn that we saw on the screen is the one with Mika. Would you like us to see this character's facet in the next seasons more?

I think that one of the reasons why we love the series, these are the love stories and the connections between the characters. We like to see them fall in love. But ultimately, I like Taryn is not attached to a person, but rather to his inner journey and his relationship with herself, with her friends, with her ambitions and with his difficulties.

We are in a world where women are accepted as independent beings, who have the right to have dreams and ambitions, apart from love and the family. So I like Taryn to play this role.

Above all, I want to see her grow as a doctor because it is her dream and that she put everything aside to get there. And precisely, she gets more and more to know herself which will allow her to really fall in love. I would like to see her do a real operation that changes the situation and that saves a life. This is especially what I want for her. Love will be for later.

Grey's Anatomy season 21 was marked by Levi's departure, who is Taryn's best friend. How did you react when you learn?

Personally, I was sad to see my friend go. And it's the same for Taryn. But I find that it is good that Jake Borelli left for his career, to be able to do what he wants. And the character of Levi left with the man he loves, so these are good circumstances.

But it is certain that now, Taryn is the last of his promotion has still been in Seattle. I hope it will be the opportunity for her to really get into her work. I hope that we will see her much more as a chief of the interns, and that in her solitude, she will find the courage to rebuild herself.

What was your biggest challenge in Grey's Anatomy?

I have all the time new challenges in Grey's Anatomy. I am someone who always follows thinking, so as soon as I have a challenge, I try to solve it and I work until I can move on.

So it evolves from season to season. But I think my biggest challenge in Grey's Anatomy is that it is a job that never stops. We must always be present on social networks, we must make red carpets.

And personally, I like to be disconnected from the world so I have a little trouble with this aspect of the profession. This is something that I am still learning. I am not used to putting myself in the spotlight, and yet it is necessary to do it.

And going from scratch to Grey's Anatomy, overnight, it is not necessarily the easiest. I am grateful because there have been actors who have been in Los Angeles for 15 years and who are still waiting for the role of their lives.

But for me, it was difficult and what made me feel better was to hang up on my family and my loved ones in France. When I am in my family, I remember who I am and it then helps me to manage public life.

For the moment you have never shot for a French project. Is this something you would like to do?

Yes it is something that I would really like to do. I built myself in Los Angeles but in the end, people do not know that I am French. But I would love to work in France. There are a lot of things that I miss.

It doesn't mean that I want to stop working in Los Angeles, I want to do both. But I miss French humor very much. And the films and author series too. For me, it's the future.

With the show of artificial intelligence, I think there will be a lot of blockbuster in the United States. What will inspire us, talk to us and change us, I think it will happen in independent productions. It's the future and I want to be part of it. And instinctively, I would really like to do comedy.

Find two unpublished episodes of Grey's Anatomy this Wednesday, June 18 from 9:10 p.m. on TF1.