“It was kind of just a no-brainer,” DeVitto told NBC Insider while chatting about Natalie’s return to Gaffney.
Fans have been rooting for a happy ending between Chicago Med power couple Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) and Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) for years, and DeVitto tells NBC Insider she is always willing to return to the series to help deliver that on-screen happily-ever-after.
Natalie Manning returns to Gaffney in Chicago Med’s “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades,” following last week’s episode when Halstead returned to the Windy City with Natalie’s young son, Owen. After Natalie got a tragic call about her young son getting shot, she will make a bittersweet return to Gaffney to learn more about her son’s condition.
It’s been years since Natalie has roamed Gaffney’s halls after she and Owen moved to Seattle in Season 7 of Med. Halstead joined the family in Season 8, and now they’re welcoming a baby boy together, but the shooting has thrown a wrench in the couple’s harmony.
“I got a call from [Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald] and he laid out exactly all his wishes and dreams for this whole scenario to happen,” DeVitto told NBC Insider ahead of the episode. “And I knew Nick had already signed on for it and it was kind of a no-brainer to me.”
DeVitto added, “I loved the storyline. Any opportunity I can get to give Natalie and Will what they deserve for their relationship, because I feel like they never fully got that. To be able to come back and do that with Nick is just such a great joy for me, so it was kind of just a no-brainer.”
Torrey DeVitto called her Chicago Med return “such a lovely experience”
Chihards followed Halstead and Manning’s love story for several seasons of Chicago Med action, and relish any update from the couple now that they’ve both left Gaffney and relocated to Seattle. Considering most of their happily-ever-after has happened off-screen, viewers are excited to see Halstead and Manning back at Gaffney as a combined unit.
“That was one of the best parts about coming back, just knowing what the fan reactions would be. Especially with me and Nick coming back together, it was just really exciting because I know how much people love their characters,” DeVitto gushed, adding that the online reaction toward the couple’s return makes her very happy.
While the nature of Natalie’s return to Gaffney is jam-packed with hallmark Chicago Med twists and turns, DeVitto loved the opportunity to reconnect with her One Chicago family and meet some of the Gaffney newcomers in the process.
“It was so lovely. It was so great seeing everybody that I knew, but then also just all the new characters that I didn’t know,” DeVitto recalled. “Everybody was so welcoming.
Don’t miss DeVitto’s triumphant return to Gaffney as Dr. Natalie Manning in Chicago Med’s October 16 episode (“Horseshoes and Hand Grenades”). Watch Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
