Recap of "Grey's Anatomy" Panel at PaleyFest

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"Grey’s Anatomy" Panel Teases Ellen Pompeo’s Directorial Debut, Japril’s Future & More – PaleyFest
by Liz Calvario
March 19, 2017


The "Grey’s Anatomy" cast took center stage at Sunday’s PaleyFest, where fans gathered at the Dolby Theatre to see their favorite actors of the Shonda Rhimes-created ABC series. The last time the hit show took part in the celebration was in 2006 and now 11 years later, the cast returned to tease Ellen Pompeo’s directorial debut and what’s next in this heavy-hitting drama.

In attendance were Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Kevin McKidd, Jessica Capshaw, Jesse Williams, Sarah Drew, Caterina Scorsone, Camilla Luddington, Jerrika Hinton, Kelly McCreary, Jason George, Martin Henderson, Giacomo Gianniotti and executive producer Debbie Allen.





The festivity kicked off by showing episode 18 of Season 13, Pompeo’s directorial debut, which will air March 30. The episode omitted any advancements in telling the main character’s personal storylines and love lives, instead focusing on Maggie’s (Kelly McCreary) mom Diane’s (LaTonya Richardson Jackson) cancer, which had spread.

When asked about why Pompeo decided to go behind the camera by moderator Henry Goldblatt, EIC of EW, Pompeo said Allen wanted her to direct and “wouldn’t take no for answer.”



“This force of nature wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I’m forever grateful to her for that,” Pompeo stated. She was then asked if she was nervous about directing, replying, “I’ve been doing this show for 13 seasons, so I wasn’t really nervous about any of the scenes, not to sound arrogant… I have the best cast in the world. I wasn’t really afraid of anything.”

Pompeo continued by explaining that she was most nervous about the technical aspects of directing but trusted her cast and had the best mentor. “I was lucky to have Debbie Allen right with me every step of the way, so when I was tired or confused, she jumped in.”





In the emotional episode that had fans wiping away tears, Maggie will also get some advice from her mother, who tells her to enjoy life, “be slutty” and not be so uptight.

McCreary previewed a change for her character in the next episodes, saying, “I think major life events enable you to shift your perspective and reevaluate what you think is important to you…For a long time, being one version of herself was the right way to do things.”





Last week, "Grey’s" fans saw a steamy hookup between Jackson (Williams) and April (Drew). The question everyone was wondering was, “Will they get back together?”

“I honestly think the main takeaway is that these two people, there’s so much love there, there’s so much respect there, they know each other so well, so whether it continues toward romance or stays platonic, we know these two people are going to be OK,” Drew explained, staying coy about Japril’s future.

“Everything’s hopeful… They know each other so well and respect each other. They will be okay in the end no matter what.”

http://deadline.com/2017/03/greys-an...st-1202046662/