April and Jackson are back for the 400th episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
April Kepner is coming home.
Because you could’t have aGrey’sfinale without some major stakes!
Sarah Drew on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Richard Cartwright via Getty Images
Drew first appeared during the drama’s sixth season before exiting the show in season 14.
Shereturned last seasonto help say goodbye to Williams' character.
Now,they’re both back, and … bringing a bit of calm?
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This is not the first time you’ve come back toGrey’s Anatomy.
Did this time feel different at all?
Last time I went, we were shooting in a little bubble.
It was in April’s house.
It was not a familiar space to me.
And it was with a crew that I had not worked with before.
So this really felt more like a homecoming and more like I was just returning home.
But it also felt like I had just been there yesterday.
And I’m like, “Weren’t we just here yesterday?”
And it’s like, “No, no, you weren’t.
It’s been four years.
Your children are a lot older.”
I think she’s different because I’m different.
I found her to be very different last year.
But what I always do is I just follow the dialogue.
And she felt more grounded last year and more sure of herself.
She still had her little eccentricities of course.
But that has a lot to do with Jesse and my relationship and our partnership.
And it’s fun to just let her be that, because that’s who I am.
I’ve grown a lot in the last four years.
So I wasn’t trying to recreate some version of her.
She changed as I changed.
It just happened that way.
She changes so much.
She went through the ringer and went through a lot of joy as well.
And it’s really, really fun to play her.
She’s just so fun.
What can you tell me about her and Jackson and how they’re doing?
It’s so funny.
You all ask me that question and you know that I can’t answer it.
Well here, I’ll ask you this question.
Will the episode answer it?
You’ll get a little peak.
We’re onscreen together, which is nice.
So you’ll get to see us interact, so that’s good.
But yeah, beyond that, I can’t really tell you anything else.
So is she spending this episode doing her old thing?
She doesn’t have a moment where she’s standing on top of a truck.
We don’t have any moments like that.
But you do get to see her handling stuff, figuring stuff out.
She’s like a calming force in the hospital as the hospital is in major crisis and disarray.
This is a big explosive episode for what is going on.
Everybody’s a mess.
Everybody’s a mess, but April and Jackson are not a mess.
And April has a kind of a calming energy.
I think she’s living in her purpose in a really amazing way right now.
I think she knows who she is.
Well, you’ve been a part of manyGrey’s Anatomyseason finales.
How do you feel like this one compares?
Like, what happens now?
What are we doing?
What’s the show?
It’s a very big, massive question mark.
I’ve always said that I’ve never closed the door on that family.
They asked me to come for the 400th about two weeks before I was on set shooting.
So it always happens very quickly.
And so it was like a whole thing.
It’s a fun little happy surprise.
I love people over there.
I love popping back into April’s life for a second.
She feels like a part of me.
She’ll always be a part of me, so yeah.
Grey’s Anatomyairs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
