Photo: Liliane Lathan/abc
ForGrey’s Anatomy’sKate Walsh, there are perks to being on a show with longevity.
The formerPrivate Practicestar joinedKelly Clarksonon Wednesday’s episodes ofThe Kelly Clarkson Showto discuss herrecent return toGrey’sas Dr. Addison Montgomery.
“It’s incredible to be back,” said Walsh, 55. “But theyounger set of actorswho are thenew set of interns, they grew up watching the show. You’re like, ‘Oh, hi!'”
She continued, “It’s funny to be the elder statesman of the show. They’re so beautiful, all of them are such great actors.”
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Walsh told Clarkson, 40, she was also thrilled to work with her old colleagues behind-the-scenes again, too.
“The writers, I mean,Krista Vernoff, Meg Marinis, all of them, Jamie Denbo… Krista isShonda [Rhimes]’s right-hand woman, and they’ve been there since the beginning,” Walsh shared. “They’re just incredible, and it’s iconic writing.”
Walsh’s praise comes on the heels of this week’s news thatVernoff is leavingGrey’sand its spin-offStation 19.
“It has been theprivilege of a lifetimeto be entrusted to runGrey’s Anatomyfor the past six years andStation 19for the last four,” Vernoff said in a statement to Deadline. “The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated. The amount of talent in these two extraordinary casts and these two brilliant writers rooms is beyond measure — and these crews work magic week after week.”
Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic
Vernoff, 51, joined the show for its debut before leaving temporarily after season 7. She returned for season 14 in 2017 and signed on to also write Shondaland’sStation 19starting in 2019.
The showrunner is not the only mainstay phasing out ofGrey’s Anatomy— starEllen Pompeoannounced last year that she would be paring down her screen time as Dr. Meredith Grey in order to pursue other projects, including Hulu’s televised adaptation of the 2009 horror filmOrphan.
Richard Cartwright/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Pompeo, 53, has played the hit medical drama’s title character since episode 1 and was last seen in thefall finaleas she told her colleagues she would be moving across the country from Seattle to Boston.
Meredith will make an appearance on the mid-season premiere in late February and will leave her final mark on the show in the season 19 finale, which is also set to be Vernoff’s last episode.
But as anyGrey’sfan — and Walsh herself — knows, the door is certainly open for both women to return to Grey Sloan Memorial in the future.
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Season 19 ofGrey’s Anatomyreturns Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com
