Richard no longer work here.
>> What?
>> I just need Dr. Bailey in my
life.
Don't we all?
If you can believe it, it's been
16 seasons of "Grey's anatomy."
The show is back tonight on ABC.
>> And joining us now is Dr.
Bailey, Chandra Wilson is here!
>> Oh, Chandra!
When you say that, what goes
through your mind?
>> 16 seasons, you know, you
never think past the pilot
episode.
Maybe a season or so.
You keep your bread and butter
job, you know.
You don't want to invest.
Yeah, people keep telling us
they're watching.
And so we're here to keep
telling stories.
>> It's fascinating to think
you're like one of the ogs.
>> Og, og.
>> Come on, right?
A lot of people have come in.
A lot of people consider gone.
But you have maintained.
>> Somebody's got to be
consistent around here.
>> Yeah.
>> Remain true.
>> Who would you like to come
back?
>> All my babies.
The dead ones.
Have to figure out a way to do
it.
The audience would appreciate it
so much.
And because of all of the ways
folks watch and all of the kids
that have just found us and
they're watching with their
parents.
You know, everybody that's gone,
it's still fresh to all of the
>> My daughter was you for
Halloween.
She was Dr. Bailey, because she
wanted to be the boss.
That was great.
Whole new generation, that has
to be kind of wild for you all.
>> It's incredibly wild.
But it's part of the waves.
When we started, I was still
recording it on my --
>> VCR.
>> I couldn't do TiVo.
>> Did you say VCR?
>> Yeah.
>> And you couldn't program it.
Had you to hit --
>> I was reluctant to start
doing the DVR thing.
But all of this stuff that's
here now wasn't here when we
started.
So we're here.
>> You talked about bringing
some of the babies back.
Who were you happy to see go?
>> You are so trouble sclrm!
Don't let the doorknob hit you
on the way out.
>> Are you talking to me, or are
you talking to Bailey?
Because that's a whole different
situation.
>> We were talking about this
earlier, we read the part was
written for a short, blonde,
white woman.
>> That's right.
>> And you are not a white,
blonde woman.
So talk about that audition
how did that happen?
>> Auditioning for me was always
about not paying attention to
what was on the sheet and what
they were looking for and just
trying to show up and give the
best me and see what would
happen.
From the pilot episode, it was
the whole situation Bailey where
she was walking the interns
through and giving them the
I said that feels like a teacher
to me.
I said let me walk in with this
kind of teacher mentality, stern
teacher mentality, somebody
where you sit in the back of the
classroom and you go ooh, that's
the Nazi.
I said maybe that will work.
And here I am.
>> You're the nicest person ever
in real life.
Do you ever go Dr. Bailey in
real life on somebody?
>> I wish I could.
My kids say I do.
They're like, I don't know what
you're talking about.
>> Dr. Bailey is really just
mama.
>> Apparently, yes.
>> Were you a bank teller before
you got this job?
>> I worked at Deutsche Bank,
the investment banking firm.
So I was in the cushy little
office.
>> You had a real job.
I thought you were a teller.
You managed the money.
>> I needed the overnight shift
money.
>> Overseas account.
>> In our portfolio.
>> I auditioned during the day
or I would do shows and theater
and Broadway so this was my
overnight shift to make sure I
was still paying my rent on time
and not calling home.
It took me to season two of
"Grey's" to finally let the job
go.
I went back and forth from L.A.
To New York.
>> You did not!
>> You can't count on these TV
shows.
You can't.
I didn't want -- I wanted my job
to know they were important to
me.
>> That's a real job.
>> Yeah, you know what I mean?
>> So what was it like then to
walk into the building and say
guy, this is it?
>> They actually kicked me out
because I kept calling in.
I was working the weekends and I
kept calling in saying I'm not
available, I'm still working.
And they said Chandra, please
don't calling in.
We're looking at you on TV so
clearly you're not coming to
work so stop calling in.
>> They say to everybody now,
that's my friend.
She sat right here.
And directing, this is your 21st
episode!
I love the boss hat you put on.
What does that fulfill inside of
you?
>> Goodness, I never even
thought that was for me,
directing theater, maybe.
I grew up in musical theater and
the whole concept of theater I
but series television was
foreign to me.
It was my producers and my
director of photography that
said you need to do this in like
season four I think.
Season five I watched and they
gave me a shot in season six.
And I had been shooting two
episodes a season ever since.
>> Talent.
>> The og!
The og.
We also hear you're quite the
game player.
>> We're doing pyramid with you.
R.E.P. Told us you're the
stealth bomber!
>> You know how you play real
good at home and then you get
the opportunity and you kind of
suck.
Well, I didn't want to be that
one.
So it was like me and Everett
Nicole and jai Rodriguez, I
think and we were determined to
like one-up each other.
>> We're playing when you come
back!
We're doing pyramid!
>> "Grey's anatomy" airs tonight
at 8:00 on ABC.
>>> U next -- "Downton abbey"
favorite Allen leech is here.
His new movie is all anybody is