- Hi, I'm Camilla Luddington,
and I'm here today with BuzzFeed,
to answer your burning questions.
Spoilers beware.
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Do you remember what your audition was like for Jo,
and were you a fan of the show before getting the role?
First of all, I was a huge fan of the show.
I had recently moved to Los Angeles when the show aired,
and it was like the show that I ran home to every night
to watch live.
I was a massive fan of the show.
I geeked out, actually, when I first got to set,
and ran around Meredith's house,
and did things I probably shouldn't have done. (laughs)
Like sitting on the couch
when I shouldn't have been sitting there.
I do definitely remember that audition.
There were two scenes.
There was one scene that was just a big medical scene
with lots of medical dialogue like BP is dropping
and all that kinda stuff,
and then, my second scene was a really flirty scene
with another doctor.
Do you have a favorite Jo moment of any season of Grey's?
This one, I feel like might surprise people,
because I change them all the time,
but I was thinking about this one the other day.
I was working with Jake, who plays Levi,
and I think one of my favorite scenes for Jo
is actually the scene where she wakes up
after having sex with him,
and she creeps out of his mum's basement,
and steps on his glasses,
and it's like this really short scene,
but it was something I'd actually pitched
to Krista Vernoff in the summer.
To see it come to fruition and with him
and he was so funny and the whole thing was hysterical,
and that is actually my favorite moment
that I can think of.
In the season 17 premiere, Patrick Dempsey returned,
which was incredible.
Did you know about his surprise appearance?
When did you find out?
I did know about his surprise appearance.
I found out right before we started work.
I actually thought that everyone knew,
and then I ran into, that Krista said
that not everyone knew, and I don't know who didn't know.
But I remember thinking it's absolutely going to get out,
there's no way that it won't be spoiled,
and I'm shocked that it didn't,
and I'm so happy because the fans went crazy.
Also in the season 17 premiere,
Jo and Jackson have a hilarious, hilarious?
Sexy kiss, people, it was a sexy kiss,
where Jo ends up crying.
What was it like filming that scene with Jesse Williams?
So Jesse and I have wanted to work together
for a really long time, and so,
we've been begging for scenes together.
This is what we ended up getting. (laughs)
We read it together at the table read,
and we could not stop laughing.
It was really funny, and then,
when we actually filmed the scene,
we also couldn't stop laughing,
because we improvised a little bit,
and it's just really funny.
The writing was really funny.
There was a moment where little things happened
that made us laugh, like he hands me back the vodka bottle
that she had, and it kinda hit my hand in a way,
and it went all over my face,
and then they yelled "Cut" and we're like, no, keep it in.
That would be, it's already so awkward.
Just keep it in. (laughs)
So we had a lot of fun filming that scene.
Jo arrived on Grey's during season 9.
Is there any character that you wished Jo
could've met from the earlier seasons?
Okay, my husband knows this,
so it's okay for me to say this,
but I have a huge crush on Kyle Chandler.
I know he was pink mist in the bomb episode,
so it ended badly for him, but I wish I'd had one scene,
just one scene with him.
One of the best "Grey's Anatomy" episodes
is "Silent All These Years,"
when Jo helped a sexual assault survivor.
What was it like filming that scene
in the hallway with all of the women of Grey-Sloane?
That episode was incredibly intense.
That scene in particular was really emotional,
and what I love about the scene that some people know,
but maybe not everybody knows,
is that the women lining our hallway
were not just background actors
or actors, any actors that we had on the show.
We had a lot of people in all different kind of departments
on the show, a lot of women that wanted to be part
of the hallway of women.
There's people that were in editing,
or some of our producers.
It was an incredible scene, and it was very emotional
for everybody that day.
So it turned out to be a fantastic,
very powerful scene that I think spoke
to a lot of people.
Jo's backstory has slowly been revealed to us
over the years.
How much of it did you know going in?
Nothing is the answer.
I did not know anything.
When did you find out Jo's real name?
I didn't know anything.
The episode where I was helping a homeless man,
that's when I was told that she had been homeless.
They're like, oh, by the way, you were homeless.
And I was like, oh, good to know. (laughs)
Crazy thing about being on "Grey's Anatomy"
is that you find out as the show goes on,
so I didn't know that I'd been married before,
I didn't know the abusive relationship.
There was so much that got revealed over the seasons,
so I did not know anything going into it, really.
And I found out Jo's name when I read the script.
Do you have a favorite Jo and Alex moment
on "Grey's Anatomy"?
It's way back in season 9,
but the time when they got drunk together
at the bar, it was so funny,
in the hotel, and then, stealing a room key.
That is still one of my favorite scenes
with Jo and Alex, all the way back in the day.
What's a role people would be surprised
to find out you auditioned for?
So many roles that I auditioned for.
I think I did tweet this,
but I auditioned for Belle in "Once Upon a Time,"
and I really wanted it,
because who didn't wanna be a Disney princess?
And I did, I was so sad when I got,
and then, I got Grey's very soon after,
so it was meant to be.
Season 17 has been tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
What has it been like bringing
this important storyline to life?
It's very strange, because usually,
there's a separation between our real lives
and then, obviously, going and shooting the show,
and what's really bizarre about filming the pandemic
is that we're still in it,
so we're wearing the mask to work, we're washing our hands,
we're doing all the things we're supposed to be doing,
and you know, obviously, it's very scary,
and then, we get to work, and we're playing it out
as frontline workers.
So it's a very intense season, and you know,
it looks very different on set.
We all have to stay six feet apart,
and ABC and Disney are taking all the precautions necessary
to keep us all safe.
But I think it's really important,
and I can tell from the fan reaction
that people are really happy, actually,
that we're giving this storyline this season.
Is there a "Grey's Anatomy" cast group chat,
or who do you talk to the most when you're not on set?
Jessica Capshaw is one of my best friends, who plays Arizona
and she'll always be part of Grey's,
so that will be my answer.
I text Jake all the time, and there's no cast group chat.
There should be, but I think that we're all
on individual chats with each other.
Who is your dream "Grey's Anatomy" guest star?
Taylor Swift.
I know she loves the show.
I feel like she should just do one episode.
I don't know how it would happen, as a patient,
or she's a doctor, but I think that she deserves to come on.
And finally, what TV show are you current obsessed with?
Okay, guys, I have just started,
I know I'm late, but "The Boys."
I don't know if you guys are watching it.
It is so good.
I wanna be a member of The Seven so bad,
whether I'm good or evil.
It's amazing.
I've binged it.
I actually have just one episode to go,
which is the finale of season 2, but it's incredible.
I need to be part of that fandom, too.
Thank you, BuzzFeed, so much for having me.
It was a pleasure answering all of your fan questions.
Do not forget to watch "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC,
9:00 PM Thursday nights.
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