Anthony hill

Anthony Anthony Hill Hill

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Anthony Hill

By: Ashley Oken

Missouri born and Kansas City raised actor Anthony Hill may be a series regular as Dr. Winston Ndugu- a charming, sophisticated surgeon who began Season 17 in a longdistance romance with Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary)- on beloved hit show Grey’s Anatomy now, but he has had a long road to get there. After a sports injury in his his senior year at Shawnee Mission South High School sidelined his collegiate football career- offers from top NCAA Division I schools dropped off-, he realized he had to start over.

Upon making it onto the starting roster at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas and injuring his collarbone at the final scrimmage before his first game, he knew he had change his plans. He took first acting class in college, and never looked back. The run of bad luck ultimately pushed Hill to change his trajectory and lean on his interests in theater. He thought of a new plan: audition for a theater scholarship at a top university and continue to play football. He accepted a scholarship at Oklahoma State University (OCU) and became a walk-on wide receiver from 2008-2010. The main plan was to be able to play football for as long as possible and shift to acting professionally.

After numerous unsuccessful auditions for the medical drama, Hill received an unexpected call for the role of Dr. Winston Ngudu and made an appearance on an episode at the end of Season 16 before Covid 19 shut down production. After a few months,Hill received another call to be a series regular. Before this, he has made guest appearances on a variety of shows, such as “Scream: The TV Series”, Fuller House, Silicon Valley, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and NCIS: Los Angeles. Hill chatted with Rival Magazine LA about his role on Grey’s Anatomy, transitioning from sports to acting, and the legacy he hopes to leave as an actor.

You’re a Grey’s Anatomy series regular, What has it been like for you to be a part of such an iconic show?

It has been incredible. I joined a series that’s been building a worldwide fan base for the past 16 years. So getting in the mix and helping this cast and production team tell these stories that Grey’s fans look forward to seeing each week, has been a dream.

This season sees your character, Winston and Maggie (played by Kelly McCreary) end their long- distance relationship and you meet her ex, two huge hurdles in any romantic relationship. What can fans expect to see in terms of how their relationship develops? Would you handle these things differently than your character does?

Fans can expect their relationship to keep climbing. And if you’re a “Magston” fan and haven’t seen the season 17 finale yet, it’s definitely one that’s worth watching.

The season also touches on grief when Maggie grieves the loss of DeLuca. What have you learned about the process of grief through this role?

Seeing how each character in the show dealt with Deluca’s passing, and recognizing the differences in how their grief was expressed, it helped remind me how grief is never a one

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In addition to Grey’s Anatomy, you had a pivotal guest role on HBO’s “Watchmen”. Tell me about how you got that role and what it was like to be on the show.

I got that role by putting the audition on tape and sending it to Damon Lindeloff down in Atlanta where they planned to shoot it. The show was actually going by the codename BROOKLYN to keep secrecy. So I actually had no idea what the project was in the beginning. I flew down to Atlanta for the callback audition where I met the director and also learned it was Watchmen. It went pretty well and I ended up getting the role and shooting for a couple days in Georgia on location. It was a BLAST (solid dad joke for anyone who saw my Watchmen episode).

You’re a former wide receiver for the Oklahoma State Cowboys before becoming an actor. How has the pivot from sports to acting been for you?

I was a theatre minor in college. My plan when I left OSU was to transition into print work and commercials using football. Brands like Underarmour and Gatorade for example, always had football players in their ads. So, long explanation short, knowing my strength was football helped me make that obvious pivot. From there I worked on shifting again, but this time into TV and film. I’ve had a very blessed path, but it started out with a plan that involved the sport I had played my whole life. Made sense to me, and I’m glad it worked out.

You were raised in Kansas City, KS and now reside in Los Angeles, CA. What restaurants would you recommend from each city?

For KC, ya can’t go wrong with Gates BBQ. And if you want breakfast, Mildred’s is the spot. In LA, I’d go with a place called Granville. The mac n cheese there is a game changer.

I heard that you auditioned for Grey’s Anatomy 5 years before you got the call. Tell me about how you felt in the moment that you learned you got the part.

Oh yeah. I auditioned more than once over the years to no avail. But when I landed this one, it was originally meant to be a recurring guest role, and I’ll be honest, after I hung up with my agent I fell on the floor and cried. Not dramatic at all huh.

Your college football coach was very supportive of your acting career. Tell me about what that meant to you and your relationship with him today.

It was great that he was vocally supportive at that time. It helped my teammates recognize that it’s not only okay to do things outside of football, but it’s commended and encouraged. I just caught up with him this spring in Stillwater, OK for the first time in years, and he and the other coaches are still supporting to this day, vice versa, Go Pokes.

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Speaking of which, what’s your ideal date night with someone?

I like the idea of doing something I pick for us, AND something my date picks for us. Then having plenty of unrushed time to talk about life and eat delicious foods.

In addition to Grey’s Anatomy, you’ve also appeared in Scream and Fuller House. What was it like to be on both of those iconic TV series?

Scream is my all-time favorite scary movie, so getting a role on the show was a big deal for that alone. And Fuller House was nostalgia overload. And my first multi-cam, live studio audience experience. I loved it so much. Won’t ever forget it.

Outside of acting, what are hobbies that you like to engage with to unwind?

I LOVE boxing. It’s my main go to hobby these days. It’s so challenging and rewarding, I can’t get enough.

What kind of roles did you want to play when you started out? How does that compare to what you’re doing now?

Starting out, I wanted to be a part of stories that helped people in ways bigger than just entertaining them. Now here I am on a show that has a proven track record of literally saving lives. And I get to help tell these stories while playing a smart, confident, compassionate cardiothoracic surgeon. It’s amazing and I’m extremely grateful.

What kind of a legacy do you want to leave as an actor?

In a perfect world I’d like to leave a body of work that is not only culture shifting, but also helps to change systemic structures in our world for the better.

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Top: Zara Pants: Nordstrom Shoes: Converse

Bomber: Zara Tee: Mister Coat: Billy Reid Pants: Nordstrom Belt: Allen Edmonds Shoes: Allen Edmonds Bracelets: Express

Bomber: Zara Tee: Mister Coat: Billy Reid Pants: Nordstrom Belt: Allen Edmonds Shoes: Allen Edmonds Bracelets: Express

Jacket: Zara Top: Mister Shorts: Express Shoes: Ben Sherman