SPOILER ALERT! This submit accommodates particulars from Thursday’s episode of Gray’s Anatomy.
Paging Dr. Arizona Robbins!
Jessica Capshaw made her return to Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital on Thursday evening’s episode of Gray’s Anatomy. Naturally, the case concerned fetal medication, which she’s nonetheless been pursuing and advancing since she moved to New York along with her daughter Sofia to be nearer to her ex Callie.
On this episode, Arizona known as again to Seattle to carry out groundbreaking surgical procedure on a fetus with a mind abnormality that may possible end result within the child’s dying upon start.
She groups up with Gray Sloan’s chief neurosurgeon Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) to primarily carry out a miracle and, within the course of, inject some religion again into the remainder of the workers on the hospital after a collection of attempting circumstances. And, after all, she challenges a little bit of authority alongside the way in which, reminding Bailey (Chandra Wilson) why she’s at all times been such a incredible trainer within the first place.
Capshaw referred to the story as a “name again” to her introduction to Gray’s throughout Season 5 and, whereas it’s only a one-episode arc for now, she tells Deadline she’s nonetheless open for extra — which is sweet information because the collection was simply renewed for Season 21.
Learn her interview beneath.
DEADLINE: How did this come throughout your radar and why did you resolve now was the fitting time to return?
JESSICA CAPSHAW: It was actually Meg Marinus. She’s such an unbelievable human being. She’s such a beautiful storyteller. She’s actually woven into the precise material of every thing that Shonda began to create with Gray’s. She was there from the very starting. She is aware of it in and out. She’s only a hero for having been somebody who has the resilience and grit to start out in a spot as somebody who’s a writers room assistant after which to ascend to operating the entire thing is simply type of bananas. She wrote so lots of the issues, after I was there, that had been simply actually vital Arizona moments. So I knew that she actually clearly understood, and he or she was one of many folks that I actually, actually was so unhappy to say ‘so long’ too. When she took the job, I used to be so excited for her from afar. Then when she reached out, she’s irresistible. Who would ever say no to her? It additionally simply appeared like the fitting time. The way in which that she defined it and storyline sensible, clearly, that they had a shorter season this yr. She hoped there’d be a second the place some gentle and a few pleasure and perhaps even just a little reminder that there’s a lot magic in therapeutic and them being docs — and a reminder for Bailey, she’s a trainer. So all of that type of got here collectively…and it was simply the fitting subsequent step.
DEADLINE: Towards the top of the episode, Richard says one thing about how regardless of how lengthy he’s away from the OR, it at all times comes again to him. Did you are feeling that method stepping onto these units?
CAPSHAW: Funnily sufficient, all of it simply appeared proper. After I got here again… it was like each time I turned a nook and noticed somebody that I hadn’t seen shortly, the identical to the enjoyment and squeals and the screams and the laughter and the simply the enjoyable that took place was simply precisely the place we left off. So sure, completely. Stepping again into that character and placing on my scrubs was like I’ve achieved 1,000 occasions earlier than.
DEADLINE: That is, after all, Arizona’s first time assembly this new interns. She’s clearly labored with earlier iterations of Gray Sloan interns, however what was it prefer to step again into that mentorship function for them?
CAPSHAW: I’ve heard this was not a novel expertise, however I’m a type of if you can level to who…I genuinely at all times really feel new myself. I’m like, ‘What do you imply, they’re youthful than me? What are you speaking about? They’re youthful? No method.’ Then they type of do take a look at you want they’re youthful. And you then type of have a giggle. The entire interns are so dynamic, and so they’re so nice of their roles and keen and beneficiant and sort on set to work with, however then on prime of it, their neighborhood that they’ve created and the connection that they’ve with one another — enjoying playing cards in between takes by the chairs or one in every of them’s like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna order out for meals, anybody else need something?’ — only a very beneficiant and really cohesive spirit. It was so pretty. I actually loved spending time with them. I form of felt like one in every of them as a result of I used to be experiencing what they had been, which was like, ‘The place are the academics? What’s occurring?’ On the similar time, my character was like, ‘The place did your trainer go? You want some.’
DEADLINE: We didn’t hear an excessive amount of about Arizona’s life again in New York. Did you speak to Meg about something that’s been occurring along with her since we final noticed her?
CAPSHAW: So I imply, let’s be actual. Our private lives that play out on the present is, I imply, it’s in all probability 50/50. Proper? If not 60/40. You care extra about what they’re doing exterior the hospital than you do inside. That being stated, it felt to me and I heard in a really pointed method, that the half that Meg actually needed to deliver Arizona again to the present for this episode, actually [for[ the lightness and the joy after for the people who love the show and take great solace in the show. They kind of got gypped this year. They’re only getting 10 episodes instead of 24. So, I think she just wanted to give it that jolt of joy and magical medicine. It seems like these episodes go by so quickly. I mean, they’re an hour long and everything else, but it goes by really quickly. I don’t know that you would have been able to really get to anything of importance in her personal life. If she’d stayed for more episodes, my guess is that you would be hearing more, but I think for this particular episode, it really was about her as a doctor.
DEADLINE: How open are you to coming back for more?
CAPSHAW: I truly feel like you take everything one day at a time and obviously it’s a world that I feel like, on a lot of levels, I grew up in. I’m so grateful to the show for so many things. I’m so grateful to all the people that watch it and everything else. This was an amazing experience to go back and play Arizona, and I feel like it’s always a part of my life even when I’m not there. So I think that this character always exists and there’s always possibilities. It depends on a bunch of different factors.
DEADLINE: We might not have heard about Sofia in this episode, but I do think that Arizona’s growth as a mom shines through in this episode. I can’t imagine Arizona before having a child handling this situation with the same level of empathy.
CAPSHAW: The poignancy of Vida’s character, having to trust so much and have faith in something that she couldn’t see when she lived a life of partial sight…Arizona was speaking about something she knows. There are so many times in her life as a mother with Sofia, literally from her birth, trying to have faith in medicine in general to save her daughter’s life. She was so worried about not being a legitimate parent which was a very unique circumstance, but then obviously, feeling like a legitimate parent and growing in that way, and then through the divorce, having to live through something so hard and uniquely challenging to fight to keep custody of a child. But then, knowing that the right thing for the child was to give up the custody to then change her life. I mean, yes, there’s a million different times in Arizona’s life that were about having faith in something she could not see. So yes, I think that when she says that to [Vida], she actually isn’t promoting her one thing that she hasn’t purchased herself.
DEADLINE: I simply should say, it was so nice to have Arizona again, even for one episode. She did deliver that pleasure you had been speaking about.
CAPSHAW: Which, by the way in which, positively felt just a little bit like a name again to when the character first was launched. That season was just a little darkish, when issues had gotten just a little extra critical. Individuals had been already having close to dying experiences. I got here in and was on wheels and difficult and having little snippets with Bailey and brushing up in opposition to everybody and pissing all people off whereas sporting an enormous ol’ smile.