Medical dramas have always intrigued viewers and that may partly explain the success behind Grey’s Anatomy on ABC. It’s a show that has managed to run for 16 seasons so far. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy has gone on to receive 39 Emmy nominations and five wins. Grey’s Anatomy has also scored achieved Golden Globes nominations and two wins. It’s also been officially named the longest-running medical drama on television after the show aired its 332nd episode.
And as we wait for more episodes, we thought it’d be fun to reveal what the cast has said about the show:
11 Chandra Wilson Said The Show Didn’t Have A Time Slot Initially
“Our journey basically was that we got the opportunity to show four of our episodes while ‘Boston Legal’ was on hiatus for four weeks – that’s all [ABC] gave us!” Wilson told Variety. “We got to come in after ‘Desperate Housewives’ for four episodes, so we didn’t even have a time slot. Those four episodes apparently did kind of well…” Grey’s Anatomy aired its first episode back in 2005. The original cast included Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Justin Chambers, Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl, Isaiah Washington, and Wilson among others.
10 Ellen Pompeo Said Their Work Environment Was ‘Toxic’ Before
While doing an interview with Taraji P. Henson for Variety, Henson asked Pompeo if she ever wanted “off this bus.” In response, Pompeo revealed, “There were many moments. It’s funny: I never wanted off the bus in the year that I could get off. The first 10 years we had serious culture issues, very bad behavior, really toxic work environment.” The first years of the show have indeed been rocky. Heigl exited the series following her Emmy nomination drama. Meanwhile, Washington was fired after an on-set altercation with Knight.
9 Sandra Oh Would ‘Go 10 Rounds’ With The Writers On Scenes
“I would go 10 rounds in saying, ‘It’s not right.' You’ve got to do different levels with the writer, and then you bump it up and you eventually get to [Shonda],” Oh said while doing an interview with Kerry Washington for Variety.
“You’ve got to bother her. When it felt like such an impasse, we would both be digging in our heels hugely…” Oh decided to leave the show after 10 seasons. During her time on the show, she received several Emmy nominations for best supporting actress.
8 Kate Walsh Said Everyone Was Supportive She Got A Spin-Off
“Everyone was really supportive of me, honestly. There was no resentment — not to my face, anyway,” Walsh remarked while speaking with Marie Claire. “I felt a little guilt, and it's always scary to leave a sure thing. But it was like the trepidation you have when you leave home to go to college: It's absolutely the right next thing to do.” Walsh’s show, Private Practice, went on to air for six seasons. Meanwhile, Walsh also reappeared in Grey’s Anatomy when her character briefly returned to Seattle for a patient.
7 Patrick Dempsey Worked Long Hours On The Show
“Doing that for 11 years is challenging….,” Dempsey told Entertainment Weekly after he had just left the show in 2015. For several years, Dempsey portrayed the role of Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, the primary love interest of Pompeo’s Meredith Grey. Meredith and Derek eventually married. And as Dempsey was leaving the show, his character was killed off. During his interview, Dempsey talked about the show’s rigorous schedule and why he eventually decided to walk away. The actor later remarked, “It’s financially rewarding, but there comes a point where, how much is enough, really?”
6 Kim Raver Said Shonda Rhimes Created An Environment That Encourages Female Empowerment
“You walk on that set, and there’s a woman director, there’s a woman editor, there’s a woman showrunner,” Raver told Variety during an interview. “There is something that she has done without pointing a finger at it, and sort of saying without saying it: ‘This is the way it should be.’ So she sets an example without making it an example, if that makes sense.”
On the show, Raver was cast to play Dr. Teddy Altman. She has been appearing throughout various seasons with her character becoming a love interest to Kevin McKidd’s Dr. Owen Hunt.
5 Kevin McKidd Said Everyone On The Show Is Encouraged To Move Up
“I’ve directed 18 episodes now, and truly it’s the biggest kind of blessing I’ve ever had. Who gets that shot? Shonda and everybody here has supported that,” McKidd told Variety. “Me and Chandra were the first two to direct to direct on the show, and now other people are doing it, too.” Some of the other cast members who have directed episodes on the show include Debbie Allen, Jesse Williams, Eric Stoltz, and Pompeo. Meanwhile, other actors credited for directing some episodes of Grey’s Anatomy include Scandal star Tony Goldwyn and award-winning actor Denzel Washington.
4 Sarah Drew Learned She Was Fired While Shadowing Kevin McKidd
“I was let go during an episode where I was shadowing Kevin McKidd…,” Drew told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was supposed to be shadowing Kevin this whole episode with the hope that I would get to direct an episode of Grey's, but it seemed like that wasn't a possibility anymore. I wondered if I should keep shadowing Kevin.” Drew may not have been able to direct an episode of the show. However, she did direct the six episodes of Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team. The web series was later nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
3 Camilla Luddington Said Ellen Pompeo’s Excitement Set The Tone For The Proposal Scene
“In rehearsal she said, ‘You guys do the scene the way you’d do it,’” Ludington told Chicago Tribune. “And Justin and I were fumbling awkwardly, and then she was like, ‘OK, this is what we’re going to do!’” In case you were wondering, it was Pompeo herself that directed this episode entitled 'Old Scars, Future Hearts'. So far, the show’s lead actress has only directed two episodes throughout the show’s run but there is a possibility that she would be working behind the camera again in the future.
2 Ellen Pompeo Said No One Read The Script For Justin Chambers’ Exit
“It was beautifully done. The writers did a fantastic job,” Pompeo told Variety. “We didn’t get to read that script. We all filmed our parts not having read it. We did not know because they wanted to be very confidential about that story line [sic], and they didn’t want it to leak or get out. We all just read our parts on the day when we showed up.” In Chamber’s final episode, Alex Karev revealed in a letter to Meredith that he had gone to reunite with Izzy who has been living on a farm with their kids.
1 James Pickens Jr. Thought His Character Was Getting Killed Off
“They pitched this idea about cobalt poisoning. I said, ‘Oh, that's really interesting.’ I knew nothing about this condition and from what I understand it's common with that particular kind of metal,” Pickens told ET during an interview. “I was thinking in the back of my mind, ‘Is this it? This is the end…,’ kind of thing. But they assured me, ‘You're going to be fine, but we think it'd be a great storyline.’” Pickens has been on the show since the beginning. Early on, it was revealed that his character had an affair with Meredith’s mom, Ellis.