It’s long been known that Grey’s Anatomy puts a lot of effort into making its medical cases as accurate as possible — which can lead to some incredibly long days for the big surgery scenes — but a new revelation has fans shocked at just how far the actors have had to go. An interview with members of the cast is going viral on TikTok after Camilla Luddington and others opened up about scrubbing in for real-life surgeries, and the comments from baffled viewers are hilarious.
Grey’s Anatomy Actors Describe Actually Scrubbing Into Surgeries
Camilla Luddington, Caterina Scorsone and Kim Raver dropped by The Jennifer Hudson Show recently and talked about one experience that creator Shonda Rhimes required of them before they joined Grey’s Anatomy. Check out the viral clip below:
@jenniferhudsonshow ♬ original sound - Jennifer Hudson Show
Jennifer Hudson was aghast that the Grey’s cast had to go to such lengths, especially when Camilla Luddington (aka Jo Wilson) explained that the procedures they witnessed were actually pretty significant. She said:
I thought it was gonna be, you know, like a papercut or a bunion removal, like no big deal. And I showed up and they had me scrub into triple heart bypass surgery. … I thought I’d be in the gallery, like in the show, how we watched. No, I was by the guy’s head.
Kim Raver, who plays Teddy Altman on the show, said she also scrubbed into a heart surgery. She said she was excited about the experience at first, but then started to get a little woozy — as did I when she described that smell — and ended up having to stand against the wall to keep from passing out.
Fans Are Shocked At The Grey’s Anatomy Actors’ Admissions
Jennifer Hudson was not the only one taken aback by the actors’ stories. We're assuming the hospital would have had to get clearance from their patients before allowing the actors to be present for the surgeries, and TikTok user Tashaluv tried to imagine how those conversations might have gone, commenting on the viral clip:
Imagine if prior to brain surgery your doctor says ‘And will it be alright if we have Patrick Dempsey observe?’
I actually cannot imagine being stressed out about a major surgery and then being asked if some A-list actor could be there to see the inside of my body for research for a role. How incredibly bizarre. Several other commenters were just as befuddled by this, saying:
- Imagine a greys surgeon showing up during your actual surgery. 😂 -Heather Cruz
- Imagine a doctor asking you for consent to have actors on greys watching your surgery -flora
- Shonda is wild😩😂😂 -Raquel
- Jennifer is FLABBERGASTED 😂😂😂😂 -Bloey7233
- Can you imagine saying Teddy scrubbed in on my open heart surgery and like you technically aren’t lying 😂 -Buckwild
Those patients certainly would have a story to tell afterward! Hopefully none of the Grey’s Anatomy cast members witnessed any complications during their surgeries, because it seems like that would be a pretty traumatic experience. Although, I guess they could then use that to make their performances even more realistic?
Shonda Rhimes is considered a TV genius for a reason, and with the medical drama in its 20th season, it’s obvious that she’s done something right. Maybe getting her actors in that surgical mindset from the beginning has contributed to its record-setting run.
You can continue to see the wild medical cases featured on Grey’s Anatomy in new episodes that air at 9 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC. If you want to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy’s best episodes so far, all 20 seasons are available to stream with a Hulu subscription, and be sure to check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming soon.
