Grey’s Anatomy fans take note! Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April (Sarah Drew) may not be together on TV anymore, but the pair reunite offscreen on a regular basis.
“That’s my buddy,” Williams, 37, told Us Weekly and other reporters at the 18th Annual Debbie Allen Dance Academy Fall Soirée Fundraising Celebration in Beverly Hills on Thursday, November 1. “We absolutely talk and see each other regularly, happily, easily. She’s a tremendous, tremendous actress who has a film out now. She produced it and she’s starring in it. She’s a tremendous, tremendous person.”
Drew’s April was written off the long-running medical drama after season 14. While Williams revealed on Thursday that he has “no idea” if Drew will ever make a cameo or return to the ABC series, he would “love” if she did.
“That is the light of my career on the show, being her acting partner,” he gushed.
Williams also addressed his brief exit from season 15. (Jackson went on a soul-searching journey for multiple episodes after accidentally proposing to Kelly McCreary’s Maggie in the premiere.)
“People kind of freaked out about that. … They thought I’d left. Did you leave? Is this over? Did Jackson Avery leave the show? Did Jesse leave the show?’” the actor explained. “And I didn’t. But we have a really great season ahead of us. We are several episodes ahead of what’s been airing and it’s a really great year both for Jackson’s character – what’s happening for him and his relationships – and pushing further how he’s living post-trauma and loss and how these adults kind of navigate while also having to be professional and hold their s—t together.”
As for when the series will actually end, Williams would rather focus on the current season.
“It’s a great success. Why would we worry about forecasting when it would end?” he said on Thursday. “I think it’s kind of like please don’t take this from us, but I’m so honored and really grateful to be along on the ride. It’s an absolute pioneering show in terms of being compelling and storytelling and casting and diversity. It’s a change-maker.”
Justin Chambers, who has played Alex Karev since season 1, echoed Williams’ thoughts about the eventual end of Grey’s.
“It’s still going strong and as long as they keep writing the way that they do and people invest in these characters, the show could just keep going. It’s kind of crazy,” he told Us and other reporters on Thursday. “I deal with today and this season and I’m grateful and having fun.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Nicole Pajer
