Meet the New Interns! Interview with Ava Bunn, David Gridley, and Jacob Dudman of “Scrubs”

The EEEAAGLE is landing as Scrubs returns to ABC in a brand new revival. And I got to interview the new interns!

The 30-minute revival comedy series stars Zach Braff as John “J.D.” Dorian, Donald Faison as Christopher Turk, and Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid. Original cast Judy Reyes and John C. McGinley will guest star as Carla and Dr. Perry Cox, respectively. 

JD and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.

As a long-time fan of the show, this revival feels like a natural next step for these characters in their professional and personal lives. We’re not picking up where we left off; we’re just catching up after many years. 

But it’s not just the familiar faces at Sacred Heart as new medical interns are also coming up into the world of medicine. The “Scrubs” group is joined by nervous newcomer Asher Green (Jacob Dudman), social media influencer Sam Tosh (Ava Bunn), and know-it-all Blake Lewis (David Gridley). I sat down with the trio to discuss what it’s like coming into the world of Scrubs, both as new doctors and new cast members. 

The Geekiary: This is specifically called a revival. Why do you think that term matters so much? 

Jacob Dudman: Because I think it honors what has come before, but is so forward-facing, and really does feel like a continuation of these characters’ lives. And I feel like the dynamic that we bring in is to support their onward journeys, you know, 20-odd years later. It doesn’t feel like we’re replaying the hits. To me, it feels like this is, you know, the new series of Scrubs. We’ve just had to wait a long time in the edit for it to turn up.

David Gridley: You nailed it. 

TG: How do you think things are different for the new interns than when JD, Turk, and Elliot were all starting out? 

Ava Bunn:  I think the medical field looks different in a lot of ways now. I think, something my character talks about a lot is how people are using social media for medical advice, and some patients come in almost thinking they are a doctor.  I will say, I’ve been guilty of that in my real life, where I come in being like, you just have a cold, take Zycam, go home. And I think that it’s interesting to see the new generation and all the different things that are… happening in the medical field, and just in the world. 

DG: And practically,you know, we all have iPads now instead of clipboards, so the technology’s different, which is fun.

AB: Yeah, and Vanessa Bayer’s character (Sibby), she works in HR. That wasn’t really something [on the show] before. Where now, Dr. Cox is laying down the hammer, and she’s coming in, like, “You can’t say those things anymore”. He could get away with calling Elliot “Barbie” back in the day, but not anymore. 

TG: So, for you, as the incoming cast, what was it like to integrate with these people who have known each other for 20 years? 

DG: It was pretty seamless. We got a lot of time together as the new interns and we bonded really quickly, which has been the best. And Zach is such a great leader and really facilitated us connecting with them by doing these dinners every weekend. So we got a chance to hang out with them and learn. their personalities and how they work. We’ve just been welcomed into the family in such a cool way. 

JD: When we arrived, Zach took everyone round the hospital, right? The first thing that happened when I arrived in Vancouver was that I went to Zach’s office, and he showed me around the hospital. It was immediately that one-to-one time to connect. This is what the show is and what you’re a part of now. Giving us the space and time in the family setting to really integrate quickly. 

AB: Yeah, it felt like college, kind of. David and I shared a wall, in our living situation. We were head-to-head when we slept. 

DG: Not a room, a wall. Yeah, we’re neighbors. We’re neighbors. 

AB: When I first met David, we checked into our [hotel] at the same time. We got off the plane and got there at the same time. And then the woman [checking us in] was telling us our amenities, and David and I were kind of bantering, like, every time she’d be like, “There’s a jacuzzi, there’s a pool.” Then she said, “It looks like you two will be right next to each other.” I looked at David, I tried to crack a joke, and I went, “Watch out, because I’m an animal.” 

DG: Ava has many attributes that are just very endearing. One of the best ones is when she gets embarrassed, you will know exactly when, because her face gets beet red. 

JD: They invented a new shade, haven’t they? 

DG: Yeah, Ava’s blush. And, like, the guest attendant did not respond at all, so we were just standing there with Ava’s red face. 

AB: And then I had to be like, I’m not actually an animal. I’m really quite boring, actually.  

TG: One last question. Describe your character in one word. 

DG: Blunt. 

JD: Anxious. 

AB: Icon.  

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The first two episodes of Scrubs premiere back-to-back on Wednesday, February 25, at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC. Stream the next day on Hulu. 

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