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SPOILER ALERT: This textual content incorporates spoilers from “If Partitions Could Focus on,” the Season 21 premiere of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

In 2012, Camilla Luddington examined for an unsold ABC pilot referred to as “Gilded Lilys,” a soapy, Nineteenth-century interval drama govt produced by Shonda Rhimes. Whereas Luddington didn’t land considered one of many roles, Rhimes’ manufacturing agency, Shondaland, shortly afterward requested her to audition for the ninth season of “Grey’s Anatomy” — a gift that Luddington would try to observe dwell every Thursday.

There was only one issue: On the Friday that she was presupposed to audition for “Grey’s,” Luddington was already contracted to go to San Diego Comic-Con to promote the “Tomb Raider” on-line sport, throughout which she voiced its lead character Lara Croft. After wrapping up her obligations, Luddington found that the producers nonetheless hadn’t found the becoming actor to play a model new intern who would develop to be the model new love curiosity of Justin Chambers’ Alex Karev. So, she went in for the place the subsequent Monday, found that she had booked it that Wednesday — after which found herself strolling on the set of “Grey’s” that Friday.

It was admittedly a quick turnaround for Luddington, who’s now coming into her thirteenth season of participating in Dr. Josephine “Jo” Wilson on the venerable ABC medical drama. The British actor has now appeared in extra than 250 episodes, surpassing genuine stable members Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh. (Solely Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Chambers, Kevin McKidd and Jesse Williams have logged additional hours inside the O.R. than Luddington.)

All through that time, viewers have watched Luddington’s character rework from a fresh-faced intern working away from her earlier into an attending regular surgeon who elected to redo her residency as an OB/GYN. “Grey’s” being “Grey’s,” Jo has endured ample trauma to last a lifetime: She was a product of rape, left at a fire station as a brand new little one and launched up inside the foster care system; she managed to flee an abusive marriage and later watched her estranged husband die in entrance of her; she has battled despair; and he or she married Karev, solely to have him go away her for ex-wife Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) by means of a letter off-screen.

“I didn’t even find out about her backstory of being a foster baby, of homelessness, until about halfway by means of the first season that I was on the current,” Luddington tells Choice. “And by the best way wherein, that’s what happens — and because of this I like the current. So many points get revealed all the time by means of every season. Nonetheless, now, I’m discovering new points about her, nonetheless that was truly pleasant.”

After being largely outlined by her relationship with Alex for the first eight seasons of her tenure at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Jo has ventured out on her private. She adopted a daughter, Luna, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally decided to cross the highway from platonic to romantic last season collectively together with her longtime best buddy Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack). And in Thursday’s season premiere, Jo tells Hyperlink that she’s pregnant with their baby.

“I merely went to a convention, and everyone was so divided,” Luddington says of the response to Jo and Hyperlink’s relationship. “I’m considerably bit biased. I met my husband [Matthew Alan] prepared tables, now we have been associates after which we clearly ended up married with children, in order that’s just like their storyline. I like them collectively, and I really feel their communication is the easiest communication she’s had in any relationship.”

Does Luddington assume Jo and Hyperlink are endgame? “I in no way know, because of on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ each factor modifications regularly — nonetheless I hope that they’re endgame,” she says.

Whereas driving her kids dwelling from school on a present afternoon, Luddington discusses the evolution of her fan-favorite character, how she truly felt about the best way wherein “Grey’s” chosen to jot down off Karev, and why she thinks Jo’s story is nowhere near carried out however.

You’ve now carried out Dr. Jo Wilson for over a dozen years. How would you say she has superior inside the time that you simply simply’ve spent strolling in her sneakers, and the best way has your understanding of her modified over time?

Initially, she wasn’t trusting the least bit with anybody, and he or she held her enjoying playing cards truly close to her chest, and I’m so glad that she’s found that she might be open and weak. That’s not one factor I felt we seen initially, inside the early seasons. It was one factor she truly resisted. I actually really feel like as time went on, I noticed additional of the depth of her trauma and her ache. Initially, she appeared just so combative over so many points. And over time, I really feel I bought right here to know why she had knee-kick reactions to certain points.

One issue that I really feel has been an unlimited issue that’s important to talk about is her psychological properly being journey. She realized that there was a level, a few seasons in, that she truly needed help, and he or she reached out and finally requested for help for the first time. That was merely such a transformative second, and that’s carried her to the place that she is in now.

A variety of what we knew about Jo was tied to her relationship with Alex, and it has been fascinating to see her select up the gadgets and decide simple strategies to switch on collectively together with her life on her private phrases. How did you personally actually really feel about the best way wherein “Grey’s” chosen to jot down out Alex, and have Jo examine that he’s left her for Izzie by means of a letter?

It’s attention-grabbing, because of on numerous reveals, you want this second of being able to tell somebody in a breakup, or see any individual in a breakup be succesful to say, “Screw you!” or have this complete big argument. And in life, there are numerous breakups the place people don’t get that sort of closure. So, I actually truly favored that we carried out a breakup the place any individual was not going to get that last second with that completely different particular person. So, what does that indicate for that character? Successfully, they’ve to complete up discovering closure for themselves.

I keep in mind when [Alex’s goodbye] episode aired, there have been a lot of folks that actually wrote to me on social media saying, “I do know this sense. I do know not being able to have that last battle or that last say,” and easily sort of getting to hunt out that themselves. I actually really feel want it’s not so widespread to see that sort of breakup on TV, so I beloved it, and I favored that she ended up as soon as extra having to hunt out that for herself. That’s strong. That’s truly strong. Nevertheless I felt like she’s stronger for it. 

How do you’re feeling about Jo and Alex’s relationship now? Has Justin’s absence from the current given you an opportunity to see your characters’ dynamic in a definite mild, or do you proceed to have a specific affection for that relationship?

It’s humorous. It modifications now to me that she’s with Hyperlink, because of after I look once more on their relationship or assume once more on their relationship, I noticed their communication was horrible. There have been so many points about her that she didn’t actually really feel cozy saying to him, even after they’d been collectively for a really very very long time. I actually really feel like do you have to don’t have that communication, ought to you’ll be able to’t be honest and weak and likewise you’re concealing points, it’s in no way going to work. What I like now might be that she’s in a relationship the place I actually really feel like she might be open, points might be exhausting, and she’s going to have the ability to have these strong conversations. So, I actually really feel in one other manner participating on this character in a model new relationship. That’s how I mirror on the earlier for her. 

Nevertheless do you proceed to have any favorite moments from Jo and Alex’s relationship, whatever the manner wherein they ended points?

The wedding was hysterical. I indicate, the wedding was such a scorching mess for these two characters that I can undoubtedly look once more on that episode and nonetheless chortle, although they broke up. I can acknowledge these moments because of your entire factor was a disaster, but it surely certainly was a perfect disaster for these two.

What are numerous the brand new layers that you simply’ve been able to find in Jo in latest occasions, considerably as she has superior away from Alex and into the woman she is now?

As time has gone on, I actually really feel like there have been moments the place she didn’t know what she wished in life. So I actually really feel like as a result of the character has developed, what you see an growing variety of — and what I found as an actress — is that she realized what she deserves and exactly what she needs out of life. What’s so humorous is, I went once more and watched some episodes of the earlier seasons, and you might inform that she’s sort of misplaced, even in her career. And I like this second in the middle of the pandemic when she was like, “I want pleasure. Actually, this [current job] is not going to be what I want anymore.” So that’s what I proceed to hunt out as an actress collectively together with her, is that she stumbles upon, again and again, these kinds of exhausting turns in her life the place it’s like a fork inside the freeway — and she’s going to have the ability to make that decision. I can’t say inside the earlier seasons that she truly was ready to make these decisions from a really healthful place for herself.

Let’s discuss a sort of life-changing, fork-in-the-road moments: Jo is pregnant with Hyperlink’s little one! How did you personally react to this storyline on the end of ultimate season, and the best way will Jo’s being pregnant impact her relationship with Hyperlink going forward?

I’m not allowed to reveal the place the story goes, because of it could go some methods with a being pregnant, and likewise you’ll uncover that, clearly, in our premiere and transferring forward. Nevertheless I’ve always wished Jo to have an unlimited family, because of I really feel that’s one factor that she needs too. So, I was so excited — and I was truly excited that it was with Hyperlink. He’s her best buddy. It felt very romantic and I like the two of them collectively. I actually really feel like they’ve such a healthful relationship, so I was sport as long as they’re sport. Up to now it’s been truly simple crusing with these two as a pair, and this season you’ll see it get way more rocky.

There was not too way back a story about how considered one of many strategies the “Grey’s” producers are coping with a lowered funds for Season 21 is by not having the entire actors in every episode. As an illustration, Owen (McKidd) and Teddy (Kim Raver) don’t appear inside the premiere. Is that the case for you as properly? Will we not see Jo in every episode this season?

You acquired’t be seeing Jo in every episode this season. Nevertheless I’ll say one issue that I actually really feel want it sort of does is that you simply simply see inside the episodes that we’re in, you’re getting numerous story condensed into it. So, I hope followers don’t actually really feel like they’re missing out on seeing any of these characters’ storylines. I merely left a desk study, and now we have been all merely truly strolling out talking about how utterly unbelievable this season is. It’s stuffed with loads story for every character. It undoubtedly doesn’t actually really feel like any individual’s storyline is less-than in any method this season, and followers will get to see that. 

Certainly one of many key tenets of being an actor is you want to have the power to play as many alternative kinds of characters as doable, nonetheless you can have the distinct privilege of being able to play a character throughout — to the aim the place she does start to essentially really feel like an precise particular person, like she’s a part of you. What has it been like so that you could develop alongside together with your character, and why have you ever ever chosen to stay on “Grey’s” when numerous your co-stars have left to hunt out completely completely different alternate options?

For me, if I didn’t actually really feel pushed creatively, it is going to actually really feel like, “OK, probably now might be the time to depart.” Nevertheless I can say that every single season, the writers offer you such attention-grabbing supplies to play that I actually really feel like there’s nonetheless additional story for her. I do assume it’s crazy, clearly, participating in a character for this prolonged, because you nearly end up rising up collectively and having these moments the place your lives are parallel. For example, the an identical time on the current that Jo had a one-year-old that she was up all evening time with and he or she was exhausted, I moreover had my one-year-old that I was up all evening time with and I was exhausted. So, this very uncommon issue happens if you happen to’re participating in characters for this prolonged — the place sometimes your life sort of goes in and out and is parallel to the alternative. Nevertheless I ponder it a privilege to be prepared the place I get to play somebody this prolonged.

How prolonged do you hope to stay on “Grey’s”? Are you the kind of one which needs to expertise it out until the tip, or do you assume there’ll come a time if you happen to actually really feel you’re in a position to say goodbye?

There’s an pure second in numerous these characters’ storylines the place it’s obvious that they’re starting a model new chapter. And if that happens, you should be in a spot to embrace it, notably after I’ve been lucky ample to be on the current for this prolonged. Nevertheless I must proceed on this expertise collectively together with her. As soon as extra, with this storyline, she’s pregnant for the first time on the current. That’s one factor completely new and modern for me to play, and the dynamic of a mannequin new relationship is simply too. And he or she’s early on in her career, so these is not going to be elements of a character that, in any method, actually really feel stale to me.

Wanting once more, is there an episode or a storyline that you simply simply nonetheless uncover people wanting to talk to you about after they meet you on the highway?

I really feel the storyline of “Silent All These Years,” the place Jo meets her mom, is perhaps the episode. We deal with sexual assault and consent. There’s heaps in that episode that principally spoke to so many people, and we seen in precise time, which you don’t typically see on a gift, the implications of that. The calls into RAINN reporting abuse inside the few days after [the episode aired] have been by means of the roof.

You and your former co-star Jessica Capshaw, who carried out Dr. Arizona Robbins, not too way back launched a model new iHeart podcast, “Identify It What It Is.” What have you ever ever created from which have thus far? Has it modified your relationship the least bit?

First off, we’re truly, terribly shut, so it hasn’t primarily affected our friendship, because of we already actually really feel sort of like sisters, to be honest. I really feel what it’s had us do though — and we discuss this — is it appears like we’ve sort of opened up our friendship circle. One issue that’s been attention-grabbing about being on a podcast is that for years and years and years, you’re doing interviews and likewise you sort of have this etiquette, I assume, to doing press. And additional so if you happen to’re doing one factor like a podcast, you will need to shed that feeling and get truly weak, because you’re talking about additional personal points. Correct now, we’re talking about Jo Wilson and her experience. And on a podcast, I’m having to talk about me, Camilla — so that’s one factor that Jessica and I are learning to do collectively, and I really feel that it’s merely been this truly cool journey for us to do collectively.

This interview has been edited and condensed.