Things are heating up at Grey Sloan Memorial, even between the married couples!
“[There’s] going to be something hot tonight, but I can’t tell it. I can just say that it’s going to be good,” Debbie Allen, who plays Catherine Avery told Us Weekly exclusively at the Television Academy’s 24th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, November 15. “He’s full of surprises, Doctor Richard Webber. He’s trying to keep Catherine heated up. He’s doing pretty good at it too, I would say.”
The event honored Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and the TGIT lineup on ABC — something the cast and crew couldn’t be prouder of. Rhimes recently also signed a contract with Netflix, but the stars of her current series know that they have nothing to worry about.
“Shonda is still very involved in what we’re doing, and she has given a great boost to Grey’s Anatomy, bringing Krista Vernoff into the writers’ room as her co-head writer with her. That has been extraordinary,” Allen added. Executive producer Vernoff added: “She’s amazing and she changed the face of television, just by being her and just by casting Grey’s Anatomy. I had been in TV for a long time when Grey’s Anatomy hit the air and I knew that it was a game-changing show. I’m so grateful to be here tonight to honor her.”
With Vernoff returning to the show after a short hiatus — she is currently a co-executive producer on Shameless — she’s hoping to bring back some familiar faces, including Sandra Oh, who left after season 10.
“I hope so,” she told us, adding that the writers will push for it. “Sandra, if you’re listening, come do the show!”
Another actor that we may not have seen the last of? Martin Henderson. While his character, Nathan Riggs, walked into the sunset with Megan (Abigail Spencer) earlier this season, he’s not positive that that’s the real end.
“I would never say never,” Henderson told Us. “I only had a three-year deal when I came on. That was the term. I wasn’t sure about anything longer. Although, I was thrilled to be a part of it. It suited me, where I’m at in my life. So I knew that it was going to be a relatively short character. I didn’t know what the ending would be though. So I was relieved.”
He then added he’s hoping if it’s not on Grey’s, he still gets the opportunity to work with Rhimes again.
“In Shondaland, with Netflix, who knows? What’s exciting for me as an actor, obviously, that’s a very different demographic,” he told Us. “I’m really curious to see how Shonda wants to express herself creatively and the kind of stories she wants to tell without the demographic of ABC … So I’m staying really open. Hopefully we’ll get to collaborate again.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
