It’s hard to imagine that ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy first premiered a decade ago and is still chugging along like the little engine that could. Many of the faces have changed over the years, but several series regulars have hung around for the long haul. One, Sandra Oh as Dr. Christina Yang, just checked out after the completion of Season 10 that is now available to own on DVD.
With Season 11 of Grey’s Anatomy just around the corner and Season 10 freshly stocked on store shelves, we have teamed up with ABC Studios to offer two lucky readers a free copy of the Grey’s Anatomy Season 10 DVD in this giveaway. For a chance to win one of them, please fill out and submit the short entry form below. The odds of winning can be increased each and every day you stop back to enter again for as many days as the contest is open.
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You get you prepped for the previous season and season to come, here’s part of a q/a with Justin Chambers who plays Dr. Alex Karev.
Q: You’ve been on the show from the beginning while many of your co-stars have come and gone. Do you have any favorite memories of those co-stars?
A: So many. It’s kind of insane how many people have come in and out of the show and after being on it for so many years you kind of forget some of the plots and some of the actors. Off the top of my head I can’t think of a favorite memory but I do miss a lot of the people who have left, like T.R. Knight [George O’Malley], Katherine Heigl [Izzie Stevens] and Kate Walsh [Addison Montgomery].
Q: Do you think Alex becoming a pediatrician is a nice evolution for the character?
A: Definitely. In the very beginning, Alex went in wanting to be a plastic surgeon. He was inspired by the money and the acclaim, but now he has found his bedside manner through working with children and that’s brought out more interesting aspects of his personality. He’s good at it too, so it was definitely a good career choice.
Q: What’s been your most memorable on-set blooper?
A: Probably the time when a light fell down and it almost hit an actor who was lying on a table. McDreamy [Patrick Dempsey] was there and he saved the day by pushing the light away. It was very heroic.
Q: So you always get everything right yourself?
A: [Laughs] Oh no, I always get something wrong. I have a thing that’s almost like Tourettes where when I can’t get certain words down I just start cussing. Then at the end of the year they do a reel of all the bloopers and there’s Justin cussing over and over again.
Q: With all the medical jargon on the show do you always understand what’s being said by the characters?
A: Just trying to pronounce it right is hard work. It’s interesting because in the beginning it was new and fresh and all the actors were nervous about the dialogue but it’s kind of like old hat now. Sometimes I’ll work on lines the night before and I can pull it all off convincingly. We have a sheet with the enunciation and definition of words, but it’s one thing to learn a word and another thing to put it in the middle of a sentence. There’s also a sense of urgency to the scenes and that’s when I start to flub. You have to rush in, save somebody and ramble off all this medical jargon at the same time.
Q: You’ve said that one of your favorite quotes is by the comedian Milton Berle, who said ‘If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door’. Does that apply to your own career?
A: For any actor starting out you can’t predict the future but you have to keep knocking on doors. This job created a door for me and it’s sort of been my ‘pot of gold.’ We’re going into our 11th season and it’s a door I keep knocking on.
Q: When you get a script are you ever fearful about what might happen to the character?
A: We never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes I have to call up Shonda [Rhimes, the show’s creator] and go: ‘What’s going on Shonda? Will I still have a job next week?’ But that’s what keeps people on their toes, not knowing what’s going to happen to these characters, the trials and tribulations of their relationships, and of course, life and death in a hospital. It only adds to the drama and makes the show more interesting.
Q: A lot of new doctors will be joining the show on the 11th season. Do you think it’s important to bring in new blood?
A: Absolutely. New blood means there’s something new to see and it brings in a new generation of viewers. I get a lot of young people coming up to me who are watching the show and I’m sure that has something to do with the younger actors coming in and bringing something to the table.
Q: When Sandra Oh [Cristina Yang] opted to leave the show at the end of the last season did it make you think twice about staying on yourself?
A: My situation is much different. I have a family and I have a blue-collar mentality. I like going to work, I need structure and I love what I do. I think Sandra just came to a point where she was ready to strike out and do something else. It’ll be strange not having her there next season because she’s a huge part of the success of the show, but I like where I’m at and I kind of want to ride it until they’re ready to get rid of me. I’ll really miss Sandra. She set such a great precedent professionally because she never lost her drive for the character. I’m excited to see what she’s going to do next because she’s such a great actor.
Q: What most surprises you about the continued success of the show?
A: What’s most surprising is that it’s been on for so many years and it still has a big impact on people. It’s very rewarding to see how excited the public are to meet the cast and I’m grateful for it. Another big reason is the diversity of the cast. There are so many different kinds of characters and actors involved. Plus it always ties up a really good story in one hour and you leave the show wanting more and wanting to know what’s going to happen. It has that soap opera aspect to it, where you feel invested in these characters.
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