Grey’s Anatomy is a long-running medical series that first premiered in 2005 on ABC television, and is currently airing its 18th season on the same network. It is a show that brings the best of drama to fans’ screens with each of its fascinating stories, which have kept millions of viewers around the world hooked.
Throughout its career, Grey’s Anatomy has presented a large number of characters who, with their respective arcs, managed to penetrate the hearts of legions of viewers. Over the years, almost all of them have left but are still remembered and acclaimed. One of them is Dr. Jackson Avery, who despite being out recently, for 12 years presented an interesting story.
On Grey’s Anatomy, Jackson Avery was played by Jesse Williams from the sixth season of the series when he appeared as a recurring character. In the following installments, he narrated his arc as one of the main characters until he resigned from Gray Sloan at the end of season 17, to dedicate himself with his ex-wife April Kepner (Sarah Drew), of the medical foundation owned by his mother, Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen).
The truth is that Grey’s Anatomy fans were dismayed when a week before Jackson Avery’s final episode aired, Jesse Williams announced his departure from the medical drama he starred in for more than a decade, assuring that he would dedicate himself to theater on Broadway while away from the screen.
Now, a little less than a year after leaving Grey’s Anatomy, Jesse Williams finally revealed the real reason that led him to make the decision to leave the series and abandon Jackson Avery. The actor, during an interview with The New York Times, said that his role in the ABC series made him feel safe and protected, but that he also stated that he was isolated since his story was losing meaning.
Likewise, Jesse Williams explained that his goal was not to stay forever on Grey’s Anatomy and that therefore it was time to dedicate himself to working on something different. It was twelve years playing a doctor and spending long days on the filming set of the drama. This added about the reason for his departure from the drama:
“I knew that as I was preparing my exit, the next thing I was going to do had to be terrifying. I needed to get out of my comfort zone, I needed to go to a place that was unknown to me.”
