Surprising Secrets Behind The Screen Of Grey’s Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is one of the longest-running shows on television. This show has been through a lot since it first aired— from onscreen drama to behind the scenes drama. Basically, there's drama all over the place.
Shonda Rhimes Wrote Crossroads
Remember that movie Britney Spears was in way back in 2002? Britney and Zoe Saldana and Tarryn Manning played best friends who faced a lot of drama.
That film was written by none other than Shonda Rhimes, the creative mind behind Grey's Anatomy. I think we can all agree that her writing skills have improved since Crossroads.
Rob Lowe Was Almost McDreamy
Rob Lowe was offered the part of Dr. Derek Sheppard on Grey's Anatomy. The part went to Patrick Dempsey when he turned it down.
Both Rob and Patrick have the signature McDreamy eyes, but I couldn't imagine anyone else as Dr. Derek Sheppard. Rob Lowe is dreamy, but he's not McDreamy.
Ellen Pompeo Is The Highest Paid Actress On Television
Before Ellen Pompeo negotiated her $575,000 per episode raise (that's more than `$20 million a year), the star of Grey's Anatomy was told that the show didn't need her because they had Patrick Dempsey. That's not a very nice thing to say to the actual "Grey" in Grey's Anatomy.
After Dempsey left the show, ratings spiked, and Pompeo got her raise.
The Real Reason Isaiah Washington Left The Show
Back in the late 2000s, Isaiah Washington played Preston Burke, a morally superior cardiothoracic surgeon who served as Cristina's mentor and love interest.
Washington had a pretty big role on the show, but when he used a homophobic slur in reference to T.R. Knight (the actor who played George O'Malley), Shonda decided that it was time to let him go.
Sandra Oh Originally Auditioned For The Role Of Miranda Bailey
Sandra Oh first auditioned for the role of Bailey. While she was speaking on a panel at the Pale Center, she said, "Thank god I did not get that part! Can you imagine not having [Chandra Wilson]? Forget it!"
I'm really glad that Sandra ended up playing Cristina. She was perfect for that part, and I'm so sad she isn't on the show anymore.
T.R. Knight Said That The Incident Pushed Him To Come Out
T.R. Knight said that being called the F-word by Washington pushed him to come out. He told Ellen DeGeneres, "I've never been called that to my face. When that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself."
T.R. played George on Grey's Anatomy until the end of the show's fifth season. George's exit was pretty dramatic so I won't spoil it here in case you're a few seasons behind.
Why Katherine Heigl Removed Herself From Emmy Consideration
A year after Katherine Heigl won an Emmy for her portrayal of Izzie Stevens in Grey's Anatomy, she withdrew her name from consideration. She explained, "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention."
Ouch. Shonda Rhimes responded that Izzie had less screen time because Heigl asked for a lighter schedule so she could do movies.
Shonda Rhimes Wasn't Happy About The Way Things Ended With Heigl
It's been years since Heigl left Grey's Anatomy, but she and Shonda Rhimes still have some bad blood. Shonda told TV Guide, "On some level, it stung, and on some level, I was not surprised. When people show you who they are, believe them."
This sounds like more drama than the actual show.
Sara Drew And Jessica Capshaw's Double Departure
Both Sara Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner, and Jessica Capshaw, who played Dr. Arizona Robbins, left the show after season 14. Producers decided not to renew their contracts based on "the show’s creative direction."
Neither Jessica nor Sara wanted to leave the show, and the news came as a shock to them.
Jessica Capshaw Is Stephen Speilberg's Stepdaughter
Jessica Capshaw is the daughter of actress Kate Capshaw, and sales manager and high school principal Robert Capshaw. In 1991, Kate Capshaw married Stephen Speilberg. Jessica has several half-siblings whose father is Stephen Speilberg.
Keep reading to find out what Dr. Miranda Bailey was supposed to look like before Chandra Wilson nabbed the role.
Kate Burton Is Richard Burton's Daughter
Speaking of famous fathers, Kate Burton, who plays Meredith's mother, Ellis Grey, is the daughter of one of the most famous actors ever. Her mother was producer Sybil Burton, Richard Burton's first wife.
Shonda must really love Kate Burton because she cast her as Sally Langston in her other primetime drama, Scandal.
Shonda Got The Idea For Grey's While Watching The Discovery Channel
In an interview with Oprah, Shonda Rhimes explained that she got the idea for Grey's Anatomy while she was watching reality shows about surgery on the Discovery Channel.
She said, "My sisters and I would call each other up and talk about operations we'd seen on the Discovery Channel. There's something fascinating about the medical world—you see things you'd never imagine, like the fact that doctors talk about their boyfriends or their day while they're cutting somebody open. So when ABC asked me to write another pilot, the OR seemed like the natural setting."
Miranda Bailey Was Supposed To Be Blonde
Shonda Rhimes wrote the original Grey's pilot script with no character descriptions. She had no preconceptions about the characters' races or appearances, except for one. Miranda Bailey was described as a "tiny blonde with curls." Rhimes "thought it would be unexpected to have this sweet-looking person open her mouth and say tough things."
But then Chandra Wilson auditioned for the role, and she was absolutely perfect.
Alex Karev Wasn't In The Original Pilot
Justin Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev, wasn't in the show's original pilot. They actually shot the entire pilot without him and digitally added in his scenes afterward.
It's crazy that this show almost happened without Alex Karev, especially because Alex is one of the only characters left on the show who was there from the beginning.
Sara Drew And April Kepner Were Pregnant At The Same Time
Sara Drew went into labor just 13 hours after she pretended she was in labor as her Grey's Anatomy character, April Kepner.
Like April's baby, Sara's daughter faced some medical complications when she was born. Sara told Access Hollywood, "Having just been through something so emotionally difficult on the show almost prepared me, prepared my body in a weird way to go through what I had to go through with Hannah in the NICU."
Kate Walsh Was Only Scheduled To Be In A Few Episodes
Kate Walsh's character, Addison Montgomery Sheppard, was the twist at the end of the show's first season.
Originally, she was only supposed to be in a few episodes. Kate had such great chemistry with the cast that she stayed on for 59 episodes, and even got her own spinoff show, Private Practice.
Mark Sloan Was One Of Shonda's Favorite Characters
Mark Sloan was one of Shonda Rhimes' favorite characters, and she wishes she could have kept him alive for longer. She was trying to figure out ways not to kill him, but his storyline didn't feel authentic enough after Lexie died.
We miss Mark Sloan too, but Mark without Lexie just doesn't work. She should have kept Lexie alive too.
Katherine Heigl Spoke Up About Her Departure
Fans might remember the character of Isobel Stevens, played by Katherine Heigl, who abruptly left Grey's Anatomy partway through season 6. Rumors were Heigl was difficult to work with, so she left. Years later, the actress set the record straight.
During an interview with none other than Grey's title character Ellen Pompeo, Heigl discussed her exit from the show and how it was nothing more than her giving voice to production ideas. She said, "I've spent most of my life — I think most women do — being in that people-pleasing mode. It’s really disconcerting when you feel like you have really displeased everybody. It was not my intention to do so, but I had some things to say, and I didn’t think I was going to get such a strong reaction."
Maggie's Character Has Been Planned Since The Pilot
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shonda Rhimes said, "We've known the Maggie storyline since season four; basically, since the beginning of the show. I knew the Richard-Ellis love child was a storyline since I planned the pilot.
I was like, 'At some point, we're going to have the Richard-Ellis love child.' In season four, we started talking about whether we'd do it next season. Every year it was, 'Next Season? It's not right yet.'"
Denny Was Supposed To Be A Love Interest For Cristina
The relationship between Izzie Stevens and Denny Duquette was one of the highlights of the entire series. Denny's season is probably the season of the show you remember best.
The story of a doctor falling in love with a dying patient was originally supposed to go to Cristina Yang, but the writers ultimately felt like it was a better fit for Izzie.
Only Four Characters Are Left From The First Season
Meredith and Alex are all that's left of the Seattle Grace five. Most of the original cast has left too, except for Chandra Wilson, who plays Miranda Bailey, and James Pickens Jr., who plays Richard Webber.
This is a show that is constantly changing. Some iterations are better than others, but we have loved it for fourteen seasons, and we're not going to stop loving it now.
The Show's Original Title
Although the show's name Grey's Anatomy works great as is, the smash hit series would have been named something different if it were up to the producers. They originally wanted to call it Complications.
Due to all the wild events that go on with this show, that would have made sense, but we're glad they didn't run with it. Grey's Anatomy has a more unique feel to it and it's a play on words with Meredith's last name.
Big Surprise Here
On rare occasions, the leading actress or actor of your favorite show doesn't submit to an audition. This either means they are extremely perfect for the role, or they are tight with the showrunners. In Ellen Pompeo's case, she's more aligned with the latter.
"I didn't audition for Meredith Grey; I was offered the part by Shonda and the network," Pompeo said. Pompeo ended up being the perfect person for the character of Meredith. It's almost like she was born for this part.
Seattle Wasn't The Original Location
What if the show was never set in Seattle and we never grew to love Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital? Well, that could have very well been the case if Shonda Rhimes hadn't come to a helpful realization.
Rhimes wanted to have the series set in Chicago, which is her hometown. That's until she realized the show would be too much like a different popular medical show, E.R. That's how things ended up in the rainy city of Seattle.
THIS Actor Almost Played Derek Shepherd
Not only was Rob Lowe going to play the part of Dr. Shepherd, but another actor almost got that script on their desk. How interesting would it have been to see Dr. Burke, but as McDreamy?
We think he wouldn't have had the name of McDreamy for starters. Secondly, we're not too sure Meredith would have been his lady of choice, but instead, Yang. The whole show would have been different had this happened and we're kind of glad it didn't.
Retrieving The Ideas From Journals And Fans
Don't you ever wonder how Shonda Rhimes comes up with so many storylines for this show? They've filmed so many episodes it's almost daunting to think about, but Rhimes and others have some help.
The producers say that they want the show to feel as real as it can get, which is why they choose storylines based on medical findings. They also take suggestions from viewers that they find to be the most interesting. The cast also gets taught by professional advisers.
He Didn't Know A Huge Plot Point!
Remember in the first episode when Meredith and Shepherd wake up together after a wild night? Only one of them (Meredith) didn't know the other was married, but at the time of filming, neither of them really knew in real life.
Patrick Dempsey had a real surprise waiting for him at the end of season one. No one told Dempsey or Ellen Pompeo that Dempsey's character had a wife waiting for him somewhere else, attempting to get back into his life.
Multiple Auditions For Jessica Capshaw
Jessica Capshaw almost wasn't chosen to play Arizona Robbins. Capshaw initially auditioned for several roles, before getting the part fans all grew to know her by. The first role she tried for was Derek's love interest, Nurse Rose.
After that, she went for Meredith's wild friend, Sadie. Thankfully, none of those stuck and she became Robbins. Things wouldn't be the same had she not landed that part. Who would've helped shape Karev's path on the show if not for Robbins?
The Stone-cold Audition
Imagine you're auditioning for the biggest role of your life yet. You come in for the audition and see Shonda Rhimes there, waiting for you to give her a stellar performance. Then, Rhimes keeps an underwhelmed face for the entire performance.
That's what happened with Patrick Dempsey during his audition. "At first I thought [Shonda] hated me, but she was calculating in her head where to put me and what I'd be right for," said Dempsey.
Real Surgeons In Action
There are a ton of surgery scenes throughout the series. It's a show about doctors, what else do you expect?! Doesn't it look like the actors and actresses are performing the surgeries? Since when did Ellen Pompeo become a real doctor?
Well, the executive producer of the show, Jim Parriott says what you see as a viewer is real. "We have a really terrific medical producer, Linda Klein, who stages these operations and brings in real surgeons so the handwork you see a lot of the time is a real surgeon tying a knot," Parriott said.
Hiding Pompeo's Pregnancy
Remember the storyline where Meredith had to have liver surgery? Well, the writers threw this in when Ellen Pompeo became pregnant in real life. They needed a way to mask her pregnancy and this is what they did.
When Meredith's estranged father needed part of her liver, it was the perfect way to cloak the baby growing inside Pompeo. All they needed was the hospital sheets over the top of her baby bump and everything was solid.
Williams The Teacher
Before fans grew to love Jackson Avery, Jessie Williams worked in a far different field. The second half of the Plastics Posse was a teacher before he became a TV doctor! He helped kids in real life.
"I taught high school, I taught middle school, I taught kindergarten for about six months," Williams said. We wonder if he wanted to leave all the kids behind to go on-screen or was this path the one he always envisioned.
Suggesting The Emotional Breakdown
Award-winner Sandra Oh is the one who suggested Cristina Yang should have an emotional breakdown. Fans felt the heartbreak after Yang lost her baby and Oh's bone-chilling performance of a breakdown put the icing on top.
Oh probably knew that Since Yang always kept her cool, having her lose it for one episode would be perfect. She even wrote the episode herself to help give it a more genuine vibe. We still feel the chills just thinking about it.
