Love the chemistry on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’? You’ll be obsessed with these real-life friendships
After more than 20 years of portraying the same characters, while starring alongside dozens of different actors and participating in hundreds of storylines, it’s inevitable that members of the Grey’s Anatomy cast would become close and form genuine friendships.
On-screen, the stars of Grey’s Anatomy were always tied up with surgeries, patients, romance, friendships and drama. Behind the scenes, their lives weren’t too different, minus the surgeries and patients, of course. See which of the Grey’s Anatomy stars were friends in real life and which had some tension between them.
Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey
McDreamy and Meredith as a couple were the lynchpin for the 11 years Derek was a core cast member and even after. On-screen, their undeniable chemistry kept audiences tuning in week after week, year after year. But were the two thick as thieves off-screen?
It has always been rumored that Pompeo and Dempsey had a somewhat tense relationship behind the scenes, often having to do with his demanding deferential treatment in comparison to others. While their friendship was rocky at times and they didn’t remain close following his departure from the series, they did reunite as Dempsey returned in season 17 as part of Meredith’s dream sequence. The return was a huge surprise to viewers, as Dempsey’s character was killed off five years prior.
Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
And it seems their friendship seems to have steadied since working together again, as Dempsey has declared he would love to work with Pompeo in the future. “It has always been a really special relationship Ellen and I have had together in front of the screen and behind it as well.
How did Ellen Pompeo get along with other ‘Grey’s’ co-stars?
They were each other’s person on Grey’s Anatomy, but were Pompeo and Sandra Oh, who portrayed Christina Yang, best friends in real life? Luckily for fans, the on-screen soul mates are close behind the scenes as well. Although Oh left the series in season 10, nearly a decade ago, Pompeo and Oh continue to support each other.
Pompeo explained that she loves seeing her Grey’s bestie shining outside of the OR. “Selfishly I would love to see Sandra Oh come back to Grey’s,” Pompeo shared. “But I also love Killing Eve so much, and I love seeing her have so many of these incredible moments. So, as much as I love Sandra, I’d rather see her shine out on her own. I enjoy that more. That‘s more gratifying to me.”
As for Meredith (Pompeo) and Alex (Justin Chambers), they might just be the sweetest best friends on TV. Although the characters had a rocky start, over the years they have grown closer than ever, ready to drop anything for each other.
The two actors are close friends in real life and when Chambers left the series, Pompeo shared her appreciation for the character and his friendship with hers. Pompeo and Chambers reunited for dinner in 2021, along with co-star Eric Dane, who portrayed Mark Sloan, which was captured on Pompeo’s Instagram.
Camilla Luddington and Jessica Capshaw
You might know them best as Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) and Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), but did you also know these two doctors are real-life besties? Capshaw and Luddington grew very close while working on the set of Grey’s and they even co-host a podcast together titled Call It What It Is.
James Pickens Jr. says the ‘Grey’s’ cast feels like family
Grey’s Anatomy simply wouldn’t be what it is without Dr. Richard Webber. There from the very beginning of the series, James Pickens Jr. has shared that his co-stars feel like “family,” especially having worked together for nearly 20 years.
“I think everybody has a great respect for one another’s talent and what they bring to this process and, obviously, that makes Grey’s such a phenomenal hit after all these seasons,” Pickens shared.
The Grey’s Anatomy cast has been great about putting on a good show, something that probably has a lot to do with the on-screen chemistry between characters and off-screen friendships that have formed. Even with consistent cast departures and 20 years in the same setting, the Grey’s Anatomy cast always pulls it together enough to save a life — on-screen, of course.