Kim Raver on Leaving ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: “Who Gets to Play a Character for This Long?”

Gray’s Anatomy star Kim Raver is aware of what a present Teddy Altman has been.

“I love having been able to play this character for so long,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter of her long-running position on the hit ABC medical drama. Raver joined Gray’s in 2009 for season six. She left the present after three seasons, returning briefly in 2017’s season 14, after which coming again full time ever since 2018’s season 15. She additionally directed three episodes.

Within the season 22 finale that aired on Might 7, nonetheless, Raver and co-star Kevin McKidd ended their run as beloved couple Teddy and Dr. Owen Hunt, respectively, when the coparents reconciled and selected one another after Owen narrowly survived a bridge collapse and determined to observe Teddy to her new job in Paris.

The choice to leave the show was not on the actors. Showrunner Meg Marinis previously explained to THR that the selection was a monetary one amid a shifting business.

“I’ll just say that playing Teddy and letting go of Teddy is a deeply felt and an incredibly emotional journey for me, because the gift of being on the show for so long and working with Shondaland, as an actor, is lightning in a bottle,” Raver now says. “I went to work every day aware of what an opportunity it is. It means so much to me.”

Beneath, Raver brings THR inside the choice whereas sharing extra of her response and present ideas, and her hopes for Teddy’s legacy.

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First, how are you doing?

I’m good. I’m actually, actually good. Thanks a lot for all of your superb assist over time. I’m at all times trying out what you all are pondering and feeling concerning the present.

I spoke with showrunner Meg Marinis previously and I perceive this choice was dropped at you and Kevin, and that it was a monetary one. She stated you have been each professionals about it. However I think about in spite of everything these years, that’s a tough dialog. How tough was that dialog about leaving the present, and what questions did you might have once they first advised you?

Look, I’m so grateful to have been part of this present so long as I’ve been. As an actor, to have the ability to inform the story of Teddy Altman for this a few years and undergo all of those unimaginable [stories]… One in all my favourite issues that Shonda Rimes does is that she permits these characters to be messy and sophisticated, and make big-swing errors and I do know that’s a present. I might go to work and simply be grateful daily. I’d go onto that lot, and I used to be so excited to determine, “Okay, what’s a different way that we’re going to tell this today, and how we’re going to do do that?”

There’s such a collaboration. Working with Meg was so superb. We might have sit downs the place I might ask the large questions: “Where is that going? What’s the overall arc?” The writers room and Shondaland have at all times been unimaginable advocates for telling these tales. It’s been an actual reward to have the ability to inform Teddy’s story for therefore lengthy.

If it have been as much as you, would you might have stayed on for extra seasons?

I really like this character. I really like working with Shondaland. I hope to proceed being collaborative with Shondaland sooner or later. I’ve liked daily being there.

You’ve been on this present lengthy sufficient to see many different co-stars depart, and a few come again. The business is now shifting. Budgets are smaller. There are shorter episode orders and smaller ensembles. Whenever you look again, what are you nostalgic for and if you look ahead, what does it make you consider as a working actor with the way forward for scripted community TV?

I believe they’re discovering methods to increase and maintain telling unimaginable tales throughout the board. Showrunners are discovering methods to inform tales. I really feel so lucky that I labored with unimaginable folks like Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, and outdoors of that, the John Wells and Howard Gordons. These individuals are discovering methods to maintain telling tales, and I actually really feel grateful I’ve been a part of these ensembles and gotten to inform unimaginable tales via unimaginable characters.

I perceive you had this preliminary dialog in January. So that you knew for a handful of episodes what was coming. How emotional have been you performing out your remaining episodes, realizing that you just have been attending to the top of Teddy and Owen’s story?

You possibly can think about! I really like this character. I really like having been in a position to play this character for therefore lengthy. I really like having the ability to collaborate with the writers room on the place Teddy has come from, the place she’s going. Even after we have been hitting sticky storylines like the open marriage, Meg was unimaginable at shepherding that in a extremely sleek and inventive and natural character-driven manner. Working with this solid and all of our visitor stars are unimaginable. I really like our crew. It’s an ensemble and an organization of extraordinarily gifted folks.

Have been you concerned in Teddy and Owen’s ending? How did you’re feeling if you came upon what they decided?

I believe we’ve all felt all through the years that the endgame we wished was Teddy and Owen. It felt actually essential. I really like the speech final season the place Teddy says, “I choose myself.” For me, it was actually essential that Teddy actually did select herself for the primary time and wanted to develop as a person earlier than she may actually love anybody again. At that second, she didn’t know who that was going to be.

So coming into this finale with them leaving collectively, I had some actually unimaginable conversations with Meg. She’s at all times been extraordinarily collaborative and delicate to what I’ve been captivated with by way of honoring my character. She undoubtedly heard me saying that I wished it to be together — that from when Teddy stated “I choose myself,” she actually really did discover who she is and what she wants, and she or he’ll be a significantly better individual in a relationship as soon as she is on that path.

Teddy actually acquired that this season by doing these breakout surgical procedures and discovering her personal voice. Then with selecting to go to Paris to take this job — and attending to do it with the love of her life.

How quickly earlier than you filmed the finale did you get the script and skim the ending?

I used to be crammed in on among the huge image elements. However we normally get the episode eight or 10 days earlier than we begin filming. Meg was actually fantastic in speaking me via, as a result of it’s actually essential for me to know what’s occurring in order that I can pepper sure issues into episodes earlier than that.

That’s additionally the large joke in tv. I keep in mind John Wells telling me a narrative about how he advised one of many actors 10 seasons in on ER, “By the way, you have a brother.” They have been like, “I have a brother?!” In your thoughts, you could be entering into a completely completely different course. And that’s nice writers and nice TV with the writers room. So I actually appreciated that Meg crammed me in in order that I may prep slightly for the place we have been heading. However I don’t assume I acquired the script till everybody else did.

How did you react if you learn that they make this choice to decide on one another in the long run?

The expertise that I had, saying goodbye, I don’t know the right way to describe it. As a result of it’s such an unimaginable household, and the crew means a lot to me, and the character means a lot to me, it’s not doable to only give it to you in a sentence. So I’ll simply say that enjoying Teddy and letting go of Teddy is a deeply felt and an extremely emotional journey for me, as a result of the reward of being on the present for therefore lengthy and dealing with Shondaland, as an actor, is lightning in a bottle. I went to work daily conscious of what a chance it’s. It means a lot to me.

When did your solid discover out? Did you guys need to maintain it quiet?

I don’t know once they came upon. That’s a Meg query.

Have been folks approaching you, what was that like?

We’re undoubtedly an in depth household. We achieve this many hours collectively and undergo so many various issues that we’re all conscious of how issues are ever shifting.

I perceive the ultimate factor you shot with Kevin was the ultimate scene we noticed, of the 2 of you strolling away. What was it like taking pictures that scene, in addition to taking pictures the scene earlier than the place your characters make the selection to be collectively?

There have been phrases [from the cast and crew] all through filming the entire episode, as a result of there’s an actual consciousness of the finite storytelling of such a closeness that I’ve with Teddy. I get fully related and emotional concerning the characters I play, particularly this one, as a result of I’ve been enjoying her for therefore lengthy. She’s gone via a lot; battle in Iraq. It’s a lifetime. Who will get to play a personality for this lengthy? So it’s not solely saying goodbye to solid and crew and place, but additionally saying goodbye to a personality I really feel a lot for as a result of I’ve needed to undergo the whole lot.

Whenever you image Teddy and Owen making a life collectively in Paris, what do you see?

Oh, it’s so good! They’re residing their finest lives in Paris. It’s pretty much as good because it was within the windowsill within the episode in Germany, the place they’re within the kitchen within the snow and head over heels in love. That’s what they’re doing, however they’re consuming croissants and strolling via the Marais.

When you consider the strides Teddy will make in medication, what’s going to her legacy be as a physician?

I believe she’s simply in the beginning of a groundbreaking profession. I really like what Meg and Shondaland had her doing by way of breakout medication. It’s such an honor to play these first responders and what’s happening within the medical world immediately and truly be capable to inhabit a cardiothoracic badass. I believe she’s in the beginning of a groundbreaking profession.

The door is open for Teddy and Owen to return. Meg said she’d love to have you back. Have you considered in case you’d be all for strolling again via the door as Teddy, or directing? Would you come again for an arc if the story was proper?

After all I might. I really like Teddy. I really like this group. Directing has been such an absolute entire new, thrilling world for me, and I’m so grateful to Debbie Allen and to Shondaland. That’s a household for me. So sure, I might completely come again and would like to direct and proceed the Teddy storyline every time.

Have you ever seen the episode but, and the flashback montage? [Note: We spoke before the episode aired.]

It’s written within the script “flashback.” I haven’t really seen that half. I’m certain I’ll love that. It’s simply so fantastically written and the truth that Kevin got to direct it is so fitting. He’s completed essentially the most directed episodes of Gray’s Anatomy, and he’s such a expertise. We had such an unimaginable working relationship, and our characters have gone via a lot collectively. The truth that he was directing it was excellent.

Did that make it simpler to be directed by him for this remaining episode?

Oh, for certain. It’s second nature for him now, and I’m so used to him directing. There’s such an ease there. I simply love that he was directing this finale.

Will you proceed to tune in to Gray’s?

After all. I really like this group. I really like all their storylines. I really like that Teddy was mentoring even to the final minute with Blue [Harry Shum Jr.]. It’s such an incredible little element that Meg put in as a result of that’s additionally how Teddy began when she was mentoring Christina [Yang]. Even with within the madness of what was occurring with the bridge and in her private life, she’s nonetheless on the market believing in others and their functionality. Additionally with Debbie giving me the prospect to direct, I really like that second in there.

What’s subsequent for you after Gray’s?

I’m actually captivated with directing, and I really like performing. I need to maintain doing that. I’ve a good time doing that. However I’ve the rights to this e book. It’s a feminine lead, so getting that off the bottom as a collection and EP-ing it and directing it, or as a characteristic, is my subsequent enterprise.

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Gray’s Anatomy has been renewed for season 23 and can return within the fall. learn Kevin McKidd’s exit interview with THR.