Grey’s Anatomy Star Harry Shum Jr. Nearly Entered the Mortal Instruments World Earlier
From hospital to fantasy drama
On Grey’s Anatomy, Harry Shum Jr. plays Benson “Blue” Kwan, a surgical resident responsible for helping save lives. Before taking on that role, he appeared as Magnus Bane, an immortal warlock in the fantasy series Shadowhunters, which aired on Freeform from 2016 to 2019.
Based on Cassandra Clare’s young adult book series The Mortal Instruments, the show follows human-angel hybrids with special abilities who hunt demons. Magnus brings centuries of magical experience to help Clary Fray, played by Katherine McNamara, and other Shadowhunters.
A character with devoted fans
Magnus is bisexual, and his relationship with Alec Lightwood, played by Matthew Daddario, has become popular with fans and the LGBTQ+ community. Shum’s performance made him a central figure in the show’s supernatural world.
Shadowhunters ran for three seasons and is described as the most successful live-action adaptation of Clare’s six-book series. Shum is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars.
An earlier audition, then casting
Before Shadowhunters debuted, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones reached theaters in 2013, adapting the first novel. Shum auditioned for the film but did not join the franchise until the television series began. Godfrey Gao played Magnus in the movie, and a planned sequel never materialized.
After Shum’s Shadowhunters casting was announced, Clare wrote on Tumblr that she had fan-cast him as Magnus years earlier. She noted that viewers might know him from Glee and said his audition was strong. Clare also called it “pretty cool” that her imagined casting had come true.
Key points
- Shum auditioned for the 2013 film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones but did not land a role.
- He later played Magnus Bane on Shadowhunters, which aired from 2016 to 2019.
- Cassandra Clare said she had imagined Shum as Magnus years before his casting.
- Godfrey Gao played Magnus in City of Bones, and its planned sequel was never made.