Jason George Supports Grey’s Anatomy's Controversial Cast Shake-up: 'You Need Drama'
Jason George knows fans aren’t happy about Grey’s Anatomy’s recent cast shakeups, but he says they’re ultimately necessary to keep things interesting.
“You gotta make change, otherwise the show’s gonna get boring,” George, who plays Dr. Ben Warren on the series, tells PEOPLE Now, referencing the fan outrage over the news that Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw will leave the long-running series at the end of season 14.
“You know, these people are our friends that we check out every week [and] you want your friends to be happy and to be in good relationships and healthy relationships, but happy, healthy relationships are boring TV, ultimately,” adds George, 46. “At the end of the day, you need drama.”
George, who is leaving Grey’s Anatomy to focus on the new spinoff Station 19 — a series that follows a group of heroic firefighters at Seattle Fire Station 19 — also praised creator Shonda Rhimes for her “fearlessness” when incorporating twists and turns into the series.
“Even though she knows the fans are going to be mad the day of, they’re gonna tune in next week because we turned it a little bit and now you gotta tune in to see what happens next. And that’s the good stuff — that fearlessness of a writer. That’s what Shonda’s got in spades that I think a lot of writers are missing,” he continues.
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The actor pointed out that Rhimes has to balance different aspects of her job.
“There’s Shonda Rhimes and then there’s Shonda. And Shonda is a writer. She wants to be doing this and telling stories and that sort of thing. Shonda Rhimes has to be in front of people and do all the other stuff like that, so it’s interesting to watch that dynamic,” he says.
“She’s just one of the most fascinating people. She’s so smart and genuinely, genuinely a lovely human being,” he adds, pointing out that even though he sounds “like some sycophant,” he thinks that Rhimes, her producing partner Betsy Blues and Station 19 creator Stacy McKee “are people who believe in using their superpowers to do good in the world.”
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“You know, they’re trying to do good and do well,” he adds. “They’re making a product, they’re making the best, the hottest and sexiest shows that they can, but they’re also trying to make sure they put messages out there that are useful.”
Station 19 airs at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, and Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
