Sarah Drew discusses 'Japril,' as well as Ellen Pompeo's decision to take a step back from 'Grey's Anatomy' season 19. Image Source: EW
Sarah Drew discusses 'Japril,' as well as Ellen Pompeo's decision to take a step back from 'Grey's Anatomy' season 19.
Sarah Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner on the show, recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight during the Variety Power of Women event and spoke about how she is still hopeful for the ‘Japril’ spinoff.
Sarah Drew’s character Dr. April Kepner played the love interest to Jesse Williams’ character, Dr. Jackson Avery, and their fans have been wondering if the pair would get their spin-off show or not. The actress said that so many people have reached out to her and asked her about the spin-off show, and of course, she and Jesse Williams have been very verbal about their interest in exploring the lives of Jackson and April especially now it has been laid down that the two of them could be fighting the medical justice.
The actress said that the characters and their relationship are very special to both of them and they would love to see a spin-off show about them as much as fans would like it to. Sarah also shared that she and Jesse Williams, who are very close friends, love working together and they love the relationship they get to portray on screen. Any opportunity given to them to see Jackson and April on screen and put on those scrubs, they would hop on it. She said that she was sure that a lot of people would be really happy if it could happen.
Jesse Williams departed from the show at the end of season 17 and Sarah Drew returned to help wrap up his storyline. The duo reunited for Grey’s Anatomy’s 400th episode and the kiss in the end pretty much confirmed that the exes were back on and they share a daughter. On asking if she will be dropping for season 19 as well, Sarah Drew said that she does not know yet, but added that when she came back for the 400th episode, it was like three weeks before they started shooting, so she can never really say if she will be called in for season 19 or not. Sarah, however, mentioned that the door is always open.
Sarah Drew also commented on her thoughts on Ellen Pompeo’s decreased screen presence in season 19 as it was reported that she would be appearing in just eight episodes of the show and will continue to be an executive producer but will headline Hulu’s upcoming series about orphans.
Sarah said that Ellen has been killing it and working really hard for so many years, building the show from the ground up, which also makes sense that she would like to work on different incredible things too. She added that while acting, she gets to participate in some of it, but getting to do all of the stuff behind the camera is so exciting, it's such an exciting ride. She knows that when she is behind the camera and part of the creative process, producing, writing, and directing, she is activated on all cylinders, on every level. So yeah, Sarah concluded that she wishes Ellen Pompeo the best and thinks that it’s going to be awesome.
Sarah remembered that Ellen Pompeo was very supportive of her when she returned to the set after giving birth to her daughter in 2014 and son in 2012. One of the actress's favorite memories of Ellen is when she told Sarah how to express the things she needed and cared so much about the mom experience on set when her children were young. The actress said she simply remembers Ellen being such, like, a mama bear when Sarah was pregnant. She concluded that the actress tries her best to help everyone, especially mothers.
In August, Ellen Pompeo shared that even though she is not going to appear in all the episodes, it’s still Grey’s, she would still be there in spirit and that is the house that Meredith Grey built, so she is always going to be there, but for season 19, Ellen said that she has to step away and do a Hulu show. The actress said that she has a great company to work with and she is really lucky that they have allowed her to do both.
The show, which is constantly being reinvented, could go on without Ellen Pompeo, according to an interview she gave to Entertainment Tonight in May. She also noted that the show speaks to a wide audience and that young people particularly enjoy it. Ellen noted that it has motivated numerous generations of healthcare professionals and she believes it is a really important piece of content for the younger generation. They will work to maintain it for the younger generation when she is gone.
Grey’s Anatomy season 19 returns on October 6th!
