Give the fans what they want! Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew will return to Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital after their individual exit from “Anatomy of Passion.”
“So, I heard you missed Japril… 😏 Don’t miss these two on your screens in the season finale of #GreysAnatomy!” the official Instagram account for the ABC series, published on Friday, April 22, along with a photo of 40-year-old Williams and 41-year-old Drew.
Initially, viewers fell in love with Jackson Avery (Williams) and April Kepner (Drew) as they formed their own bond in the medical drama. In March 2018, the “Cruel Summer” graduate was fired from the show after nine seasons, along with her film partner Jessica Capshaw (Arizona Robbins).
“The characters of Arizona and April are forever woven into the fabric of “Anatomy of Passion” thanks to the outstanding work of Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew,” said showrunner Krista Vernoff at the time. “As screenwriters, our job is to follow the stories wherever they want to go, and sometimes that means saying goodbye to the characters, whom we love. It was a joy and a privilege for me to work with these phenomenally talented actresses.”
Drew, for her part, later told The Hollywood Reporter that Vernoff, 50, explained her character’s departure by saying that “she felt that April had been through so much and came out the other side, and that she didn’t know what she could say.” her again.
In season 14, April married her ex Matthew (Justin Breuning) and decided to quit her job at the hospital to prioritize her faith. This upset fans who were hoping to see April back together with ex-husband Jackson.
April and Jackson did reunite when Williams left the series in May 2021. During season 17, Jackson moved to Boston to take over the management of his family’s foundation, and April joined him with their daughter Harriet.
“I directly influenced the dialogue, especially on the episode a couple of weeks ago when I was going to find my father. I was directly involved in all of this language,” the “Cabin in the Woods” actor told Entertainment Weekly at the time about helping create his departure. “I know this character like no one else. People come and go — some writers come and go, directors come and go, but I’m this character all day, every day. So it’s just great when they recognize it and feel that they are included. It’s a privilege.”
The Chicago native praised the writers’ room for letting him say how his character would end his time in “Anatomy of Passion.”
“It’s a great honor for me to have the opportunity, together with our screenwriters, to create a story that celebrates the character and the characters around him, this world, and also has a connection with the real world,” he added. “It really marks a journey for him, especially the personal element of the role with his father and the real pursuit of self-improvement. It really affected me.”
After their separate departure, Williams and Drew supported fan requests for an additional series dedicated to Jackson and April. “This is a really interesting premise. We would have killed him,” Williams told Insider in June 2021. “I get it. I’m with them.”
