Grey’s Anatomy season 14 finale: See Sarah Drew’s farewell to April

Just in case you felt the need to be choked up one more time about Grey’s Anatomy and the departure of Sarah Drew, we do feel like this article will do the trick.

Drew, after years of playing Dr. April Kepner, formally checked out on this past episode of the show, and in a post on Instagram you can see her pour out her heart explaining some of what she loves about this character, coupled with precisely what playing April has meant to her.

Often with actors, there is a certain nomadic quality to the work. That mostly just happens as a consequence of having to hop from one job to the next and working with a different cast and crew. It’s hard to become altogether attached to one particular job since it can be gone in a second. Yet, Grey’s Anatomy is different — this is a job that for Drew lasted almost a decade, and as she indicates she worked on the show for a good nine or so months a year during her time there. Many of these were extremely long and she thought of the show has an enormous second family. Leaving that is emotional — while you may see some of these colleagues again, it’s never going to be quite the same. You won’t have that same bonding experience you had on-set and there will be future stories and experiences you are not privy to.

Life goes on, but this is a significant chapter of life that will not be forgotten.

Related – Read our full review for Thursday night’s finale, in the event you have not already

What’s next for Drew?

That’s a really good question, given that her reboot of Cagney & Lacey alongside Michelle Hurd is not moving forward at CBS. She has an opportunity now to take her time and find the part that she thinks is ultimately perfect for her. We imagine that there probably won’t be any reason for her to rush,

What are you going to miss the most about Sarah Drew on Grey’s Anatomy? Be sure to share some of your thoughts right now in the attached comments!

Meanwhile, be sure to also like CarterMatt on Facebook to secure some additional news and insight regarding the ABC series. (Photo: ABC.)

 

Thank you @ouafae_japril for putting together this beautiful April collage.☺️☺️ It’s hard to say goodbye to characters I’ve played. It always feels like a little death, but this is different. I’ve lived with April nine months out of the year every year for nine years. She’s a part of me. I’m a part of her. Saying goodbye to her is big and deep and sad and beautiful and joyous. Its all the feelings mashed up into one. Because I’ve spent so much time with her, advocating for her, investing in her journey, she feels like a real person to me. She’s been through a lot of joy and a lot of pain, and I’ve felt that joy and that pain while playing those scenes. Her stories have made their way deep into my soul. So it is hard to let her go. She has taught me about courage, about taking a leap no matter what anyone else says. She has taught me about resilience. She was fired twice and then came back twice with her whole heart ready to throw herself into whatever was put in front of her with no resentment or anger. She lived through unspeakable pain and fought to heal not only herself but her marriage as well. She was beautifully flawed and unapologetic about needing to work through her pain in whatever way was necessary. I admire her courage. I admire her fighting spirit. I admire her ability to speak her mind regardless of what people think of her. And I admire her compassion and empathy. April’s faith journey has been especially important to me. It’s been my great joy to tell an honest story about an authentic, multi-faceted, complicated person of faith with a deeply felt faith journey. April’s journey has made an impact on so many, and it’s been my great privilege to hear their stories and know that through her, I’ve been able to meet people in their own suffering and to offer some comfort to them… to take away 1/60th of their pain (did you catch that reference?). This is truly why I love being an actor. To remind people that they are not alone. I am so grateful to Shonda Rhimes and our incredible team of writers for giving me the opportunity not only to tell this story, but also to participate intimately in the development of her journey.

A post shared by Sarah Drew (@thesarahdrew) on May 17, 2018 at 7:01pm PDT