ABC/Danny FeldIt's hard to imagine Jessica Capshaw playing anyone else on Grey's Anatomy other than Dr. Arizona Robbins, but it turns out that wasn't the first role she went after on the long-running series.
As Grey's executive producer Betsy Beers revealed on Friday during her panel at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, TX, the actress, who's starred as the lesbian pediatrics surgeon since the fifth season, first auditioned for the role of Nurse Rose, a love interest of Patrick Dempsey's Derek Shepherd in seasons four and five. The role ultimately went to Lauren Stamile.
"Jessica Capshaw came in for Nurse Rose," Beers revealed. "Jessica came in for Nurse Rose and did a chemistry read with Patrick...we fell in love with Jessica Capshaw."
If you're a bit foggy on exactly who Nurse Rose was, don't worry, so was the rest of the room. "Nurse Rose was a nurse who Derek had a brief relationship with and it didn't really end up going anywhere," Beers reminded the crowd, adding, "Nurse Rose ended up going to probably another hospital. That's my guess. She's probably on like Chicago Med!"
And, as Beers further revealed, Capshaw wasn't the only current Grey's cast member to audition for more than one role. It just so happens that Kevin McKidd, who also joined the show in season five, auditioned for the series well before his role of Dr. Owen Hunt even existed. "One of the things that happens a lot in Shondaland is that we meet actors and love them, but they're just not perfect for that part," she said. "We met Kevin McKidd generally for a couple of different parts for him, until she created the role of Owen."
Can you imagine a world where these two weren't available for the roles we've come to love them in because they were already stuck in different ones? We shudder at the thought!
Grey's Anatomy returns for season 13 this fall on ABC.