What’s most important to the former “Chicago Med” star right now and what’s next…
When Torrey DeVitto was around seven years old living in New York, she studied briefly under a violin teacher who had a pet bird. Its cage, covered by a towel, sat against a sliding glass door where the sun beat down on it. The teacher would kick the cage whenever the bird made a noise until, after one lesson, outside in her mom’s car, Torrey couldn’t take the teacher’s treatment of the bird any longer.
“I asked my mom if we could knock on her door and say, ‘If you hate your bird so much, would you just give it to me?’,” she recalled.
Her mom agreed, so Torrey went back and knocked. She took the bird home that day.
“I’ve always been aware that animals don’t have voices to protect themselves,” she said. “To be that voice for them, that’s the least we can do.”
Torrey has just returned from Vietnam where she visited a bear sanctuary made possible by Animals Asia. The nonprofit organization is rescuing bears from bile farms where they’re held captive in cages that are often way too small for them. They can’t be reacclimated into the wild, says Torrey, but here they have a safe home and space to roam. During her trip, she was able to watch bears touch grass for the first time and cubs excitedly wait to play in a bubble bath—a “heartwarming” experience. Yet, her heart is not only with the animals.
In the weeks leading up to her Vietnam trip, Torrey participated in Planned Parenthood’s Bans Off Our Bodies virtual rally to also use her voice in protest of the vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. She also shared the story of her own abortion at age 22 with People magazine. While the efforts to ban abortions has been “very personal” to her, she tells her story to stand in solidarity with women who may have felt shame about their own story or fear about their rights being removed.
“The thought that, as a woman, our rights regarding what we choose to do with our bodies could be taken away is devastating. It’s so alarming we can go backwards,” she said. “I just want to lend my voice to help end the stigma that surrounds female rights and abortion. I want to fight against this.”
At the time of our call, Torrey had only been home from Vietnam one day—after 30 hours of travel. She had a migraine, and her body was “a little out of sorts.” Yet, you’d never know it speaking with her. I could hear a genuine smile in her voice as she assured me it was a “perfect” time to talk while she gave her body time to rest. She says a migraine is always a sign that her body needs it.
Torrey, who recently ended her run on the NBC medical drama “Chicago Med" after six seasons, learned early on how critical it is to take care of herself amid the bustle of the entertainment world.
As a child, she spent many years traveling with her parents—her father played drums for Billy Joel. Torrey herself got into music via the violin at age six and, in fourth grade, earned the fourth chair violinist position for a high school orchestra. She went on to study dance before landing work in commercials and as a model followed by appearances on “Scrubs” and “Dawson’s Creek.” Today, she’s amassed an impressive list of TV and film credits, but she says “what’s important” are the days when she has nothing to do. Today is one of them, and she plans to stay on the couch, order food, and watch a favorite TV show.
“In America, we go, go, go. While I’m part of that culture, one of the things I want to try and take home with me from Vietnam is to slow down,” she said. “Everywhere we went to eat, everyone took their time. I noticed I was shoveling my food in my face, and they were on their second bite,” she laughed.
To slow down and maintain balance in her busy life, Torrey practices yoga and transcendental meditation and works with an energy healer. Still, she says, self-care doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. “You don’t have to go to the spa,” she explained. “You can veg out on the couch, go for a walk, or shut off your phone. I’ll plug my phone in on the other side of the room and just disconnect. You’ve got to tap into your inner sloth.”
For Torrey, home is both in Chicago and on her seven-acre farm in Michigan which she renovated and personally designed after purchasing it in 2020 in honor of her late dog “Twigs.”
“She got into my heart so much that, when she passed, I got this farm and named it ‘Dear Twigs,’ as a love letter to her,” she explained.
Twigs was 12 at the time of her adoption, so Torrey’s hope is to eventually turn the farm into a dog hospice that gives sick and elderly dogs a place to live. In the meantime, she’s focused on making her farmland usable. A cousin and some friends are helping her plant an herb and vegetable garden. Torrey recently had a pond dug out and plans to get ducks as well as some goats and a pig. She’s also making it a haven for deer that have been displaced by construction in the nearby area.
“I really want it to be a communal space for people that I love—and for animals,” she said.
Back in Chicago, she’s able to stay in touch with her former “Chicago Med” co-stars whom she considers “family.” While she left the show to consider her next moves in her career and life, she says it’s still bittersweet. Her “Chicago Med” character—the ‘girl next door,’ Dr. Natalie Manning—was the first character who she really felt was most like herself.
“It’s like the saying ‘art imitates life.’ [Natalie] would be going through something and I’d be going through something similar, and I’d wonder how the writers were listening to me,” she laughed. “She will always hold such a great space in my heart.”
Before Torrey landed “Chicago Med,” she’d been ready for something new—an opportunity to relate to an audience closer to her age. She had held a recurring role as Melissa Hastings in ABC Family’s hit show, “Pretty Little Liars,” for seven years. Before that, she had recurring roles on The CW series’ “Vampire Diaries” (Dr. Meredith Fell) and “One Tree Hill” (Carrie).
“As much as I was grateful for where I’d come from, I was so ready for an older audience. ‘Chicago Med’ was perfect. It was everything I wanted and more,” she said.
While she recently starred in a couple of Hallmark films, “The Christmas Promise” and “A Rip in Time,” Torrey isn’t in a rush to jump into anything.
“I want to do something that I would want to sit down and watch, whether a show or an excellent movie,” she explained. “There are so many possibilities, and I’m being a little picky—I did just do six years on a show and don’t want to hop on to something too quick. I feel like something is great out there, and I’m really excited to find what’s next.” She added, “I’ll find it and feel it in my heart.”
For now, she’ll continue her advocacy work which also includes a partnership with SafeBAE, a student-led nonprofit focused on educating middle and high school students about sexual consent and assault. Torrey has worked with them for almost six years and makes a point to show up to events, holding one-on-one and breakout sessions, wherever SafeBAE is requested—whether by school administrators or students.
“When I was a teen girl and in my early 20s, they didn’t teach young girls to speak up and say ‘no’ or to set boundaries. I made choices and, when I took review, felt sad I didn’t stand up for myself,” she said. “So, I made a vow that no teenager—male or female—who crossed my path would not have access to this knowledge.”
Torrey is inspired by SafeBAE’s progress and by the teenagers who “show up on free will” to get information and then use it to intervene in assault situations or change policies within their schools. This summer, she’ll participate in the organization’s first Summer Activist Institute, which has already reached its capacity for registration.
Outside of this critical work, Torrey is making her personal life a priority.
“Focusing on my personal relationships and family right now is really important to me,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to have kids—I think I’m so lucky and I’m so grateful that my career has kept me busy the last 20 years—but I haven’t given myself the time and space to grow in those areas. A huge point of focus for me is making that happen for myself.”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Jessica Catignani
- Photography
- Meagan Shuptar
- Hair & Makeup
- Lellis Ribeiro of LAB Artists
- Retouching
- Brianna Kish
