Sarah Drew on Life After ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: ‘I Feel Like I’m Spreading My Wings’

Moving on. Sarah Drew opened up exclusively to Us Weekly about life after Grey’s Anatomy while attending The Hollywood Reporter Emmy nominees party at the Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio in Beverly Hills on Friday, September 14.

“I was sad at the time, but I’m feeling so good now,” she told Us of being fired from her role as Dr. April Kepner in May. “I really am. I’m such a true believer in everything happening for a reason. I really believe that in the depth of my being. The nine years on the show were absolutely formative, and transformative, and absolutely incredible season of my life.”

The actress, 37, certainly has reason to celebrate: She earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her work as a first-time director on the 2018 web series Grey’s Anatomy: B Team.

“It was such an exhilarating experience that the experience in and of itself would have been enough. I didn’t need a nomination to, like, allow that experience to be as gratifying as it was. But the nomination was just the cherry on top of the most extraordinary experience. Everybody worked so hard,” she told Us at the Heineken-sponsored party. “It’s so exciting. It really is. It’s so exciting.”

Drew said she developed an interest in moving to the other side of the camera after executive-producing the film Indivisible, which is set for release next month. “That really jump-started my desire to pursue directing,” she told Us.

She also credits her forced exit from the show for inspiring her to try something new. “In some ways, I feel like it was time for me to go, and I was ready to go, but it would have been hard for me to walk away,” she said. “So it was kind of done for me, and I’m actually, in this moment, I’m feeling grateful for that. I feel like I’m spreading my wings and I’m jumping out into the world, and exploring all kinds of new avenues to tell stories, and I’m so excited.”

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