After first appearing briefly at the end of the most recent season of Grey’s Anatomy, Trevor Jackson is getting ready for his series regular debut this fall for Season 22.

“I’m coming in there with a little chip on my shoulder. I’ve been here before, and it’s gonna be fun,” Jackson told Blavity/Shadow and Act’s Managing Editor, Trey Mangum, in a recent interview. “I’m definitely causing some drama, too, and there may or may not be some romantic [tension].”

He added that being part of the long-running ABC series feels like a full-circle moment, as it brings him back to the network after starring in American Crime.

Returning to ABC with ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

“So many incredible actors have come from that show and are still on that show,” he said. “To be next to them, sharing scenes with them, and being directed by them is an affirmation that I’m on the right track. Regardless of your field and what you do for work, there’s gonna be a time or two or a million that you question if you’re doing the right thing and if you’re in the right place. So moments like that are like, ‘Hey man, good job here. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.'”

And that’s not all. Jackson also has a new album on the way—a breakup project, he said—which, alongside his new acting rol,e has him feeling aligned and grateful.

“You know, being a Black man, playing a doctor on TV, I’m living my ancestors’ dream right now,” he said. “Denzel is one of my biggest inspirations and one of his first jobs ever was playing a doctor on TV, on St. Elsewhere. So yeah, it feels good.”

Trevor Jackson partners with Eli Lilly to raise awareness about eczema in the Black community

Alongside his TV work, Jackson is partnering with Eli Lilly to spread awareness about eczema and its effects on the Black community. The campaign spotlights Ebglyss (lebrikizumab-lbkz), a new treatment for moderate-to-severe eczema in patients 12 and up who weigh at least 88 pounds. Jackson recorded a version of a classic song for a recent commercial for Lilly.

Jackson said the opportunity felt personal from the start.

“Eli Lilly is from the city that I’m from, Indianapolis, Indiana. So it kind of brought some of that back,” he said. “And then, there are a few people that are extremely close to me that suffer from moderate to severe eczema. I wanted to give them a voice, make sure they’re being represented properly and help spread the word about Eli Lilly and just encouraging people to talk to their doctors and find the best treatment.”

Lilly reports that nearly 16.5 million Americans live with eczema (also called atopic dermatitis), with 40% facing moderate-to-severe forms. Symptoms can show up differently depending on skin tone—something Jackson said is key for Black people to understand.

“They could just be like, ‘Oh my skin’s just dry today or whatever’ and have been dealing with this quote-unquote dry skin forever,” he said. “But because they didn’t know that it was possible or know what it looks like on someone who has the same skin as them, they can’t identify it.”

Jackson emphasized how important it is to push past stigma, especially as a Black man.

“Being a Black man, it’s kind of like, bite the lip, ‘nothing’s wrong with me,’ but it’s okay,” he said. “That’s why, again, I think it’s so important to have a campaign like this to show awareness and to let people know it’s okay. You’re not any less than. You’re not weak, you’re just different.”

He also reflected on his own family’s experience, revealing that his dad unknowingly struggled with eczema for years.

“He didn’t know he had moderate to severe eczema. He thought it was just itchy skin,” Jackson said. “I also noticed my dad wouldn’t shave his beard sometimes because he’d be flaky or something. So he would always keep his beard full. And seeing him have the confidence to shave and go out or do those types of things definitely inspired me in my own life to not be afraid, to be fearless and to love everything about myself.”

He added, “Being Black, sometimes you’re taught to hate yourself and then you learn these [self-help] things throughout life. The self-love part is the most important part I’ve learned. Some people are afraid of their greatness and afraid of their beauty, but to me, once I had started nourishing it, watering it, oh man, my life changed.”