The ABC network recently announced the Shonda Rhimes Thursday night lineup, which will include three shows back-to-back from the acclaimed writer/director/creator. The first show up to bat will be Grey’s Anatomy, which is gearing up for a huge season finale tonight. It’s no small feat that after ten seasons the series is still going strong, and still pleasing new and longtime fans alike. Much of the success of Grey’s must be attributed to brilliantly-written, beautifully flawed (and—let’s be honest—just plain beautiful) characters like April Kepner, played by Sarah Drew. Paste caught up with Drew to talk religion on and off set, Shonda Rhimes, and some of those great scenes with the sinfully irresistible Jesse Williams. Drew also broke down her theories about some of the criticism surrounding her controversial new film, Mom’s Night Out.
Paste Magazine: One thing I’ve always loved about your character is that you’re essentially the religious girl in the group, but it’s also more complicated than that. On a personal level, how does that play out for you?
Sarah Drew: I didn’t know that she was going to turn into a religious character. It wasn’t until the end of season eight that it started to come out that she was a Christian. So I had two-and-a-half years of playing a character that was a virgin, but we didn’t know why.
Paste: Yes, that’s right.
Drew: I was excited to play April, but I was also a little bit trepidatious because often times Christians are written into mainstream media as the butt of every joke, or as just horrible, judgmental people. I’m a Christian personally and I didn’t want to add to that stereotype. That hasn’t been my experience with the Christians in my life. What was wonderful was that, right off the bat, the writers wanted to tell a different story about a Christian that we don’t see in media—one that’s more authentic. Shonda [Rhimes] said early on, “I would love to have your input. Whenever something doesn’t feel right, let me know so we can figure this character out together.” So it’s been a really cool, collaborative journey.
Paste: That’s such a unique experience. Do you have any examples of times where you stepped in and said, “I think we should do it this way instead”?
Drew: My Dad is a minister and they called me when they were writing the scene where April and Matthew were going to premarital counseling. They wanted to know what my take was on it. We have people in the writing room that are Catholic, but they’re writing April more as a Protestant, so they wanted to know what some specifics might be. And I said, “The last time I was in premarital counseling was 12 years ago, but my Dad does it every year, so give him a call.” So they called and talked to him, and specific things that he said to them wound up in the script. It was so cool.
There was another scene where I was supposed to be in the ER praying over a patient, and it didn’t really feel like the way I would pray. So they told me, “Okay just pray. Say whatever you think is right.” It’s been great to work with such incredible writers and incredible visionaries who are so committed to telling an authentic story that they’re willing to adjust what they’ve written.
Paste: Now what about those other, really sexy, raunchier scenes? What’s that like for you?
Drew: I just feel like art imitates life, right? Christians really like sex. Even when April was trying to save herself and wound up having sex with Jackson in the bathroom, I completely understood the desire to want to do that, even though you’re also trying to remain faithful to a promise you’ve made. So I know what that struggle is and what that tension is like. For me, I love any chance where April can be sexy because that also goes against stereotypes that Christians are all prudes.
Paste: Right.
Drew: I think God is a huge fan of sex! He puts it in a particular context, but he’s a huge fan of sex. So it makes sense for April to have really enjoyed the sex, and then afterwards to feel like she shouldn’t have done that. There’s not a Christian out there who hasn’t struggled with wanting to break a rule, or having broken a rule over and over again. It’s real and it’s authentic.
Paste: One of my favorite scenes of yours is when you had your boards and you fail, and you’re flipping out. That was another really authentic April moment. Can you talk about some of the more intense scenes that took a lot out of you?
Drew: You mean the one where I’m sweating uncontrollably at the boards? (laughs)
Paste: (laughs) Yes, that one.
Drew: What’s funny is all of those episodes came very soon after I had my son.
Paste: Wow.
Drew: So my son was 10 weeks old when I was shooting my first sex scene on the show. It was nuts. I was running to and from the trailer while trying to breastfeed, all while playing out these incredibly intense scenes. That time was kind of a blur because I was so exhausted and so sleep-deprived, but I was also so excited to have so much great material.