Blood, sweat and tears: Her role as the new chief
resident
Deanna Barnert Special to MSN TV
"Grey's
Anatomy" kicks off its eighth season tonight with a two-hour,
earth-shattering premiere -- literally! Not only does a sinkhole take out part
of Seattle, but the foundation isn't feeling very sturdy at Seattle Grace. In
the wake of last season, the drama is high between Meredith and Derek, Cristina
and Owen and Alex and, well, everyone. New Chief Resident April certainly has
her hands full. Sarah Drew (April) gives MSN TV the scoop on
"Grey's Anatomy" Season 8 and being pregnant as a Seattle Grace staffer.
Drew talks life as chief resident and teases a future love story, but the
premiere picks up on April's first day on the job. While the hospital manages
the sinkhole and its victims, Meredith must pay the price for tampering with
Derek's clinical trial, and that could mean more than just losing her job.
Pregnant Cristina and Owen are still battling over the abortion issue, and when
Chief Webber brings Teddy's husband in for a last-minute surgery, Teddy and
Bailey grow concerned. In addition to the drama filtering over from last season,
there's a new crop of useless interns to train. All in a day's work at Seattle
Grace ...
What story lines would you like to see develop this season? Tell us about
it on MSN TV on Facebook and Twitter.
MSN TV: How is April going to handle her new
responsibilities?
Sarah Drew: Blood, sweat and tears. I've had so many
moments in the first three table reads where I go, "Ugh, April!" In so many
ways, she's so clueless. She also tries so hard, and that's part of the problem.
When she tries too hard, nobody pays attention to her, which leads to a big
disaster in the first episode, but she doesn't know how else to do it. She's
used to winning science fairs and working hard. Hopefully, we'll see her change
and start to develop [some leadership skills] as the season goes on.
Did you get to do any of the green-screen work for the sinkhole in the
premiere?
I wanted to go on location and do the green-screen stuff, but I
was stuck at the hospital.
Running things, of course! Will April finally have sex and get pregnant
this season, or will you be carrying around a lot of charts to hide your baby
bump?
They're going to hide it. They thought for a second they might use
it: You know, get her knocked up while she's drunk and she doesn't remember it.
They played around with the idea for about a week, but then they were like,
"That's just lame." The fact that she's a virgin is a wonderful characteristic
about her and they want to take time developing that story and giving her a real
love story.
A real love story?
I do have a love interest this year, but I don't
know who it is, and it doesn't start until halfway through the season. She
doesn't have time for love right now. The thing is, she's 28. At some point, she
just needs to make room.
Has April seen any romance yet, aside from pining for Derek when she first
got to Seattle Grace?
There was that awkward moment with Alex, last
year, which ended horribly, so I'm ready for a love story. I get a little action
this year -- I don't know if it's actually action. I shouldn't say that! Let's
say, "a love interest that may or may not culminate in the loss of my
virginity."
Isn't it weird to talk about your virginity?
I know. It's just
ridiculous. What we do is all so ridiculous.
What do fans think of that?
I had fans -- well, not fans,
apparently! I had people come up to me and say, "I hope they make your character
more likeable." Wow, that's so nice of you. It's amazing how sensitive you are.
[Laughs] April's always been a little passive aggressive and overeager. She has
some unattractive qualities. People loved to hate her for a while. I read a bit
of the message boards in the beginning and had to stop, because some of them
were so mean. You know you're playing a role, but it doesn't matter.
April is a little ball of fire. How are you maintaining her energy now
that you're pregnant?
Acting! [Laughs] I've been really nauseous. I
sobbed my way through church this morning, and I've had moments on set. What's
great is, I'm on a set where there are hospital beds, so I can take a nap
whenever they don't need me. They also have a stool for me.
Have you gotten any tips from the mommies on set?
Totally, and the
funny things is, a lot of the tips don't agree with each other. It's not two
people arguing over me: I'll get them at different times. Over there Jessica
[Capshaw (Arizona)] will tell me something, then over here Ellen [Pompeo
(Meredith)] will tell me something and then over there, Chyler [Leigh (Lexie)]
will tell me something. Then I'll go back and review and go, "Yeah, I still have
no idea."
What is it like to have your pregnancy be such a public
experience?
We made an announcement, because we wanted it to be our news.
I didn't want to walk the red carpet and have people gossiping about, "What's
that? Is she just fat?" Within a day of the announcement, you Googled "Sarah
Drew pregnant" and you couldn't get to the end of it. So many people picked it
up. It's especially interesting because my character's a virgin, so everyone had
ideas about how it should play out, but it got weird. I had a moment. I was
like, "Honey, I can't look at this stuff anymore: I feel invaded." The thing is,
I welcomed it in by making the announcement, but it's still hard sometimes.
The season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" airs on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 9
p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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