Grey’s Anatomy Star Says What We’re All Feeling About Departed Characters

Time comes for Grey's Anatomy, as it comes for all things. The past three seasons have seen Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey, and Sara Ramirez walk through the hospital doors for the last time. And Jessica Capshaw, who plays Arizona Robbins, has some perspective on the years she's spent in front of the camera. She appeared on AOL's Build Series to talk to HuffPo about the show's return for its 13th year, and all those absences. “Thirteen years is a really long time. Think about where you were 13 years ago,” she said. “I think everybody’s thirst is different. You have an idea that you want to stay somewhere for a little bit and then maybe a longer time ― it’s just really person-dependent. And sometimes it’s story-dependent ― sometimes a story just has to go a certain way. So, I think [the show] has gotten to go through a lot of different iterations. It’s a really long time, so for people to hang in there or exit gracefully or exit abruptly is sort of, I think, par for the course.” She won't be exiting anytime soon, she assured viewers. “No [I don’t worry about dying]. I already lost a leg!” she joked. “If I’m going to go, I don’t think I’m going to die! I’ll exit gracefully.” Hopefully no time soon. Capshaw has been a cornerstone of the show, her acting superb even as her former castmates depart around her. Grey Sloane would be a grayer place without her. Watch her appearance below.