Kate Walsh Talks ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ McDreamy vs. McSteamy and a Possible Return (Exclusive)
The star shares behind-the-scenes memories and opens up about her lasting TV legacy
Key Takeaways
- Kate Walsh won't choose between the beloved Dr. McDreamy and Dr. McSteamy.
- Kate Walsh says she'd return to ‘Grey's Anatomy’ if the story is right.
- Kate Walsh credits ‘Grey's Anatomy’ with inspiring her environmental work.
Kate Walsh is opening up about her time on Grey’s Anatomy. In a recent interview with Woman’s World to promote her work with Oceana, an environmental organization that the actress is being honored by later this summer, Walsh took the time to reflect on her work as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery Shepherd and even weighed in on the viral McDreamy vs. McSteamy debate. To learn what she had to say, keep scrolling.
Kate Walsh talks ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Walsh joined Grey’s Anatomy in 2005. At the time she was a guest star, but because of how iconic her entrance was—spoiler alert, she walked in and looked at Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and said, “And you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband”—people quickly fell in love with her and Walsh quickly became a regular cast member. She then appeared in two full seasons of the show before getting her own spinoff, Private Practice, in 2007, but did continue to make guest appearances on Grey’s Anatomy from time to time. In fact, her most recent appearance was just a couple of months ago!
“We all experienced this massive success together, and it was very special. And to be on a show that was critically acclaimed, but also had mass appeal to people, I just loved it,” Walsh says. “The crazy bomb episode in Season 2 got 24 million views the night it aired after the Super Bowl. That’s just unheard of anymore, unless it’s a sporting event. And you have to remember, too, that this was Shonda’s first TV show. It was new for all of us, and the joy was so pure and awesome.”
In terms of McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) and Dr. Mark Sloan—also known as McSteamy (the late Eric Dane), most people have their side, but Walsh says she couldn’t possibly pick one.
“I couldn’t decide,” the actress notes with a smile, “It was all so fiction, but it was a great time.”
One thing she can decide on? If she would even go back on Grey’s Anatomy if given the chance.
“I’’m always open if there’s something for me to do there,” she offers. “The steadiness of that show and being able to check in with this finite structure—beginning, middle and an end, a case, and things get solved. There’s always romance and drama and people. It’s very delightful.”
Kate Walsh reveals how ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ inspired her environmental work
Just as delightful is the passion for protecting the planet that Walsh took away from her time on Grey’s Anatomy.
“When I was on Grey’s and Private Practice, they were moving away from single use plastics and they started with water bottles. They would give you Grey’s Anatomy water bottles—they always had recycling programs there,” she reflects. “They gave us the option of not using paper sides—the script pages for each scene. When I went back to Grey’s in the last couple of years, I noticed the younger cast members had tablets with their sides on them. I’m old school, though—I prefer holding a physical piece of paper, but they’re doing as much as they can to reduce waste, which is great because there’s a lot of waste in the industry.”
At the same time, there’s significant waste in the ocean, which is why for almost two decades Walsh has been working with Oceana to help clean up the seas and draw attention to how imperative ocean conservation is.
“It’s important for everyone,” Walsh emphasizes of helping protect the climate. “I started working with Oceana almost 19 years ago, but people don’t just have to be with Oceana to get involved. There’s always things to do in the community. You don’t have to do some grand gestures, just get involved in any way you can.”
For more information on Oceana, click here!
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
