For Kate Walsh, returning to Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery in last week’s “Hotter Than Hell” episode was like a homecoming.
“It was very emotional. It was like going back to your hometown and your family and your first best job ever all at once,” she said. “It was a lot, it was great.”
During a press conference on Monday, Walsh opened up about returning to the long-running ABC medical drama. In “Hotter Than Hell,” Walsh’s Addison returned to Grey Sloan Memorial to shepherd the new generation of residents and perform a hysterectomy on her patient Tova. When the lack of A/C at the hospital puts the surgery in jeopardy, Addison calls on Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) to complete the procedure. This leads to a rare but touching moment between the two women.
The intimate post-surgery moment between Meredith and Addison, where they finally grieve Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) death together, showcased the “genius” of the show’s writers, Walsh said.
“The genius of Grey’s is the container of space, the container of the hospital, the container of the elevator, the container of the O.R. All that pressure releases in the elevator and comes out in this odd, strange moment which I think is so Addison and very apropos for these people who are just such ballers and the best of the best.”
During the press conference Walsh also teased this week’s upcoming episode, “With a Little Help From My Friends.” The actress said that viewers and fans can expect a little more airtime between Addison and former sister-in-law Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and can look forward to seeing their “sisterly relationship.”
“You really see Addison’s and Amelia’s dynamic play out and they’re reconnecting and that was a total delight for me,” she teased. “It was a completely different kind of episode from the first one but intensely intimate and satisfying.”
Viewers wondering about what the the Covid-19 pandemic looked like for Addison and her family, fret not as the upcoming installment will also touch on that as well, Walsh added.
While fans rejoiced to Addison’s return, Walsh did not reveal too many details about how long she’ll be part of the series, noting that “right now, we’re just doing a few episodes.”
“For now, that’s what we’ve got planned just to have Addison pop in and we’ll see what happens, what transpires,” she said.
Walsh joins a number of original and early Grey’s Anatomy cast members who have returned to the series for appearances. In the previous season, Dempsey returned to Meredith’s dream beach. Among those revisiting Grey’s have been T.R. Knight, Chyler Leigh and Sarah Drew.