As A Million Little Things Nears Its Final Episode, David Giuntoli Reflects On Fighting For Realistic Representation Of Eddie’s Wheelchair Use
Only four episodes remain before A Million Little Things closes the book on our beloved Boston friends group’s stories, and as we’ve come to expect from the ABC drama, Season 5 has been an emotional ride. One of the series’ most compelling arcs continues to be Eddie’s journey after being hit by a car in a Season 2 finale cliffhanger and becoming paralyzed, as this season has continued to put David Giuntoli’s character in new situations to work through. The actor spoke with CinemaBlend about A Million Little Things coming to an end and how he fought for Eddie's story to be told authentically.
Eddie has faced a lot in A Million Little Things’ fifth and final season, including tough conversations with Delilah regarding their daughter and his complicated friendship with Nicole, the woman who hit him with her car. David Giuntoli spoke with CinemaBlend’s Adam Holmes ahead of the release of the animated DC movie Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (in which he voices Batman), and the actor talked about his fight to portray Eddie’s challenges as well as his triumphs as truthfully as possible in regards to his wheelchair use. He said:
It’s a drama where you have to card flip to keep a story going, and we didn’t want to just turn Eddie being in a wheelchair into a little narrative piece that then gets cured in five episodes, ‘cause that’s not how it generally goes… And I fought for a very realistic narrative on that. I took it very seriously, I think it’s shining a light on a situation that often isn’t explored, and the pain of having to relearn everything, and the overcoming, where it is now your new normal and you can live a life. And I think we got to show both of those, the struggle and the overcoming, in the three years I portrayed Eddie in a wheelchair.
Series creator D.J. Nash has expressed similar convictions, not wanting to use Eddie’s paralysis as a trope, because that would be inauthentic to what most people in a wheelchair experience. The fact that Eddie will never walk again was a conversation that the character had with son Theo in Season 4, and again in the current season, when his daughter Charlie was surprised to see him walking in pictures from the day she was born.
The fight for realistic representation has taken shape in other areas of A Million Little Things’ plotlines, including Rome’s (Romany Malco) recurring depression and both Maggie (Allison Miller) and Gary (James Roday Rodriguez) seeing their cancer come back.
In addition to talking about his wheelchair with Charlie, Eddie has also had to figure out whether he wanted to include his chair in his profile picture on dating apps, and we've seen the limits of his forgiveness get tested, when it looked like his friendship with Nicole could develop into something more. It has definitely been a journey, and it's clear how much the role has meant to David Giuntoli, as he told CinemaBlend:
We just wrapped [in March], and it’s so sad ‘cause I love everybody. You only get so many five-year chunks of your life, and this was a beautiful one and bittersweet. What can I say?
I think Millionaires can agree the ending will be bittersweet, but perhaps the series finale will be less of a “goodbye” and more of a “see you later.” D.J. Nash did say he’s leaving the door open, in case they want to revisit this world again sometime down the road. For now, though, fans should savor what's left, with new episodes of A Million Little Things airing at 10 p.m. ET Wednesdays on ABC until the May 3 finale. In the meantime, take a look at our 2023 TV schedule to see if any upcoming premieres grab your interest.
