Sarah Drew is peeling back the curtains on how her Grey’s Anatomy return came to be.
The former series regular came back for Thursday’s episode to provide closure for Jackson and April’s story, as well as to send Jesse Williams off as he prepares to leave the long-running medical show in his final episode on May 20. In the hour, the former couple had a heart-to-heart about where they stood and what they wanted to do with their lives, with the pair making the decision to move to Boston and leaving the door open for a romantic reconciliation.
“I got a text from Krista [Vernoff] saying, ‘We got an idea for a Japril episode for this season. Would you like to hear us out?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ She had [writer] Meg Marinis call me and pitch this whole idea and I was like, ‘It sounds like Jesse’s leaving.’ And they said, ‘Yes.’ I was just really excited to get to be a part of his departure, just that relationship — both between the two of us but also the Japril relationship is so meaningful to both of us,” Drew said Friday morning with a handful of reporters, including ET, over Zoom. “It just felt like the perfect time to come back and do a special episode to be able to help Jackson make his big departure. I was honored to do it.”
It’s revealed in the episode that April’s marriage to Matthew, whom she wed in the season 14 finale, didn’t last. Though April and Jackson still have a ways to go, it seemed apparent that the natural next step for the fan-favorite duo was to, one day, give their relationship another go. Asked whether she believes they are ultimately endgame, Drew gave an answer that will make fans happy.
“I am deciding that they are. I think we’re leaving it up to the audience to come to whatever conclusion that makes them happiest. But I’ve never been shy about wanting Japril to be endgame. It’s what I’ve wanted the whole time,” she admitted. “One of the biggest heartbreaks about me leaving in season 14 is that they didn’t get to be endgame. That was one of my biggest heartbreaks. Who knows what happens when they make their way to Boston. I think there’s a great deal of hope that’s there.”
Naturally, with April back in the Grey’s orbit — even if only for an episode — fans were clamoring for more with their favorite couple, even throwing out ideas for potential spinoffs on social media. Drew was all for a Japril spinoff and even pitched her own idea that would follow them on their adventures in Boston.
“Yes! I mean, you guys, how cool would that show be?” Drew said excitedly. “I gotta be honest. I’ve been on Twitter and Japril was, I think, trending worldwide all day. It was absolute insanity. When I read the script, even just going on set to get my COVID test before we started shooting it, running into crew members and they were like, ‘Oh, we thought this was a spinoff.’ It feels like it’s setting up for a really great journey. And I was like, ‘I know.’ How amazing and needed is a show about racial justice in the medical field and inequity and equality. How amazing would that be?”
