This week brought the arrival of Season 3 of Hallmark Channel‘s “Mistletoe Murders,” with star Sarah Drew returning as small-town sleuth Emily Lane.
While the series — on which Drew also serves as executive producer — keeps her busy, fans of her previous TV role have been wondering when — or if — she’ll be making another return to “Grey’s Anatomy.”
She’s ‘Never Closed the Door’ on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Speaking with Us Weekly, Drew ruminated on her years at Grey Sloan Memorial, and why she hasn’t paid a visit there in recent years.
“I have never closed the door on that opportunity,” said Drew, who exited “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2018 after nearly a decade on the show.
“They’ve invited me back twice [in 2021 and 2022] and I’ve gone back with my heart full, ready to work and excited to be home,” she explained.
As for another visit, Drew shared that she hasn’t “gotten the call” to return, although she’s keeping the door open.
Meanwhile, Drew admitted that she’s “very booked and busy” at the moment, what with a new season of “Mistletoe Murders,” promoting the new Jimmy Stewart biography “Jimmy” (she plays legendary Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper) while in the midst of writing another Hallmark movie script (she’s previously written the screenplays for 2023’s “A Cowboy Christmas Romance” and 2024’s “A Carpenter Christmas Romance”).
Asked if she’d be open to reuniting with former “Grey’s” co-star Jessica Capshaw by guest-starring on her new show, “9-1-1: Nashville,” Drew said she was all in.
“Oh my gosh, that would be so fun!” she gushed. “Please, please bring me over there.”
She also expressed interest in reuniting with “Grey’s” love interest Jesse Williams.
“We haven’t [discussed reuniting professionally yet]. But it would be so fun,” she shared.
“I would love to work with that guy again. I love him,” she added. “We had the best time on that show. We were such good partners. So I would jump at the chance.”
Her Faith Has Kept Her Grounded
During the interview, Drew also opened up about the importance of her faith.
“For me personally, I would not survive this career without my grounded and rootedness in my faith. This industry loves to tell you who you are and loves to tell you whether you’re valuable or not or how valuable you are or not,” she said. “You’re really just swept on the whims of popularity at any given moment.”
Describing her faith as her “grounding force,” she added, “I know that at the core of who I am, I belong and I’m beloved. I am a child of God, first and foremost. Nothing that happens in this industry can shake that and make me wonder if I have value or not because I know fundamentally. So that, for me, is the greatest gift that my faith has given me in trying to kind of weather the waves of this industry.”
She also credited husband Peter Lanfer for helping her choose projects that resonate with her.
“The question that he always poses to me is, ‘Is this a story you want to tell?’ Full stop. Doesn’t matter what network it’s on. Doesn’t matter how fancy it is. Doesn’t matter how much money you’re going to make. Doesn’t matter what it’s doing to move the needle,” she shared. “[He reminds me], ‘You are fundamentally interested in telling stories. You want to help people feel less alone in every story you tell. So, do you want to tell this story? If the answer is yes, we’ll figure it out. If the answer is no, why are we even talking about it?’”
Sarah Drew Reveals Why She Hasn’t Returned to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’