Grey's Anatomy star Sarah Drew says April was originally scripted to sleep with Mark Sloan
Published on April 20, 2026 EDT

Sarah Drew is reflecting on her time on Grey's Anatomy.

The actress, who played April Kepner for more than 200 episodes of the long-running medical drama, recently reunited with her former costars Jessica Capshaw and Camilla Luddington on their Call It What It Is podcast. When asked about her time on Grey's, Drew divulged a few secrets, including the fact that, at one point, April was scripted to sleep with Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).

When Luddington asked, "Who do you think would've made the worst love interest for April Kepner?" Drew responded, "Sloan," referencing none other than the plastic surgeon better known as McSteamy. And that reminded Drew of a "funny story."

Kelsey McNeal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

"Before they made my character love Jesus and a virgin, there's a scene where Sloan and Reed [Nora Zehetner] have sex, a random one-night stand. That was supposed to be me originally. It was supposed to be April," Drew said, "April was supposed to have some random one-off with Sloan and it was in the original production draft [of the script], and then they changed it. I didn't have anything to do with it, but then they changed their mind."

It's a good thing they changed their minds because April would later enter into one of the series' most beloved couplings, with Jackson (Jesse Williams), and we're not sure how he would've felt about her having slept with his mentor.On the podcast, Drew also talked about the beginning of her journey with Grey's, revealing that she was originally offered her the role of the woman whom George (T.R. Knight) died saving in the season 5 finale. But when scheduling issues stopped her from playing that part — which was then played by Shannon Lucio — she later got the opportunity to play April Kepner, though it was only a two-episode offer at the beginning.

"I came to get fired," Drew said of her character's original arc in season 6. But as fans know, Kepner's firing was only the beginning of her story. Hunt (Kevin McKidd) would later bring her back to the show and give her a second chance.

Drew was then a series regular on the drama until she says she was "fired," along with Capshaw, when they both left at the end of season 14. Drew has since returned the show for two episodes, one in season 17 and one in season 18, while Capshaw reprised her role as Arizona in season 20. From their discussion on the podcast, it sounds like both actresses would be open to more time in the hospital, should the opportunity present itself.

Listen to the full Call It What It Is episode above.

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