Sarah Drew Reflects On Returning To ‘Grey’s After Her “Mean And Unjust” Exit: “I Don’t Need Anything From Anyone On That Set”
By Radhamely De Leon,
4 hours ago
Almost seven years since her character was written off of Grey’s Anatomy , former main cast member Sarah Drew reflected on being “unceremoniously let go” from the hit ABC show after nine seasons.
“We were unceremoniously let go in a way that felt mean and unjust, and, because of that, the outpouring of love was so enormous it was like you were sitting there watching people [eulogize you],” she told her former co-stars. Capshaw, who played pediatric surgeon Dr. Arizona Robbins on the show, was also let go at the time.
Drew starred on medical drama as Dr. April Kepner, a surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital who strikes up a passionate and tumultuous relationship with her longtime friend, Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams). Drew joined the show in 2009 as part of the new class of interns before working her way up to trauma surgery and ultimately resigning in Season 14.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, Drew said she was let go because “the show had too many characters and that they needed to downsize because they couldn’t service all of the characters effectively.”
But Drew expressed to her former co-stars that she “had zero anxiety” reprising her role as a guest star in Seasons 17 and 18.
“I have no attachment to [the show] at all,” she said. “I had zero anxiety [going back because] I don’t need anything from anyone on that set anymore.”
She continued, “They’re not responsible for my livelihood anymore. They’re not responsible for my success or my joy … I’m like, ‘Hey! This is a fun spot to come visit.’”
But Drew also shared one major reveal about her character for fans: April was originally intended to have a one-night stand with Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, played by Eric Danes , in Season 7.
“Before they made my character love Jesus and a virgin, there’s a scene where Sloan and Reed [Nora Zehetner] have sex, a random one-night stand. That was supposed to be me originally. It was supposed to be April,” she said.
“April was supposed to have some random one-off with Sloan and it was in the original production draft [of the script], and then they changed it,” she continued. “I didn’t have anything to do with it, but then they changed their mind.”
It remains to be seen if Drew will ever pay another visit to Grey Sloan Memorial. But this has generally been a big week for Grey’s fans.
For more entertainment news and streaming recommendations, visit decider.com
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Guest
1h ago
I liked April & hated to see her leave. She represented a morals and values perspective that is rarely shown on TV, and the real life “wrong” choices that sometimes plague the most pious and moral among us. Even the “pure” are tempted and don’t always win the battle.
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