Capshaw opens up about 'Grey's' premiere
Well, we didn't see THAT coming.
In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, actress Jessica Capshaw discusses Thursday night's season premiere of Grey's Anatomy, which saw one character die and another reveal a major, major injury.
(If you've not watched the premiere episode, stop reading. Spoilers ahead!)
After last season's horrific plane crash, the fates of some of our favorite Seattle Grace doctors were, pardon the pun, left in the air.
Viewers watched Lexie's emotional death, but weren't sure what would happen to Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Derek (Patrick Dempsey), Mark (Eric Dane), Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Arizona (Capshaw) who were all injured and stranded in the woods. If you've read our recap of Thursday night's premiere, you know that everyone except Mark survived, and that Arizona's leg was amputated.
Capshaw sat down with THR to talk about Arizona's situation and how if may affect her relationship with her bone surgeon wife, Callie (Sara Ramirez), who may or may not have performed the amputation herself.
Her reaction to the amputation storyline: "I was shocked. ... It was shocking and it was meant to be shocking and to go on shocking and to provoke and tell a story that is a rare one. It's a rare story in the sense that we think that while there are many people who have had to amputate or will have to amputate, it's not something people are aware of in their daily life. It's still something where it's rare to see someone who is an amputee and a lot of times I think you might see someone who is but might not know about the disability. I don't think I thought of it, it wasn't even in my ether that it could happen to one of the characters on the show."
The amputation's impact on Arizona and Callie's marriage: "It's a very complicated reckoning. If you lose something that's that important to you like a limb — and it's the only thing that Arizona said in the preview: 'Don't let them take my leg' — she sees Callie as her guardian. It's really hard: the worst thing thing that's ever happened to this woman is going to come as the hands of the person that's supposed to be the best thing in her life. That's a very rich dilemma. The story is going to be about how to come to terms with that and how to figure that out. Of course there's going to be blame and Arizona definitely sees herself as a victim in this. This happened to her, she didn't do anything to make this happen."
How Arizona's recovery will play out this season: "There's a strong commitment to telling the story authentically. It's going to be as close to what the real story would be if this happened as it possibly can be. There's loss, rehabilitation, how will she become mobile again, using what devices. That's going to be a big thing. The intent is not to spend the entire season with her struggling and trying to find the way. There will be some resolution and understanding as well as some coming to reckonings if you will early on. It's not all darkness and brimstone; it's trying to get through this. There's no light without dark and there is no dark without light. You have to have both to understand what the other is in relation to itself. That's what the beginning of this season is for her."
What will change between Arizona and Alex (Justin Chambers)?: "Arizona's two most important relationships at Seattle Grace are Callie and Karev. Her relationship with Karev has always been very intimate; she's always been a mentor to him and told him to believe in himself more than he thinks he should even believe in himself. She felt very betrayed by the end of last season when he was going to leave after she'd done all she'd done. She yanks him of the plane and look what happened. Arizona always has been so perky and present and always says things you'd wish you'd say in a moment and has the outlook that you wish you'd had. For first time, she's actually saying things that sound a lot more honest and in the moment so there's definitely blame and resentment. She is a devastating circumstance and she blames everyone."