[IMG:L]Yes one of them’s putting a broken marriage behind her and the other tied the knot for the first time over Labor Day, but Dr. Addison Shepherd and the actress who plays her, Kate Walsh, have more in common than that ravishing mane of red hair.
After over two Grey’s Anatomy seasons of being the third point in the hospital love triangle between herself, her estranged husband Derek Shepherd and his new girlfriend Meredith Grey– or maybe that’s a pentagon, if you count her lovers Alex Karev and Mark Sloane –Addison is finally taking a major leap of faith by breaking away on her own for a new chapter in her life as part of a medical co-op in Santa Monica, the upscale L.A. enclave on the sea. And Walsh is embarking on her own thrilling and risky venture as the star of her own spin-off series Private Practice, and she gives Hollywood.com her prognosis for Addison’s future and a post-mortem on all of Grey’s behind-the-scenes drama.
Hollywood.com: Addison could have been a one-dimensionally bitchy or tragic character on Grey’s Anatomy as either the other woman or the wronged wife, but she developed into a more multifaceted character, and now she seems like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders as she puts McDreamy and Seattle behind her. Is she a little closer to the real Kate Walsh these days?
Kate Walsh: Well, for sure. I feel pretty happy and blessed. My life is really full with good things. I have health, wealth, love, and great work. Yeah, but I also think it’s the evolution of her. She went through a divorce. Whenever anybody comes out of a break up of any kind it’s a rebirth of sorts. There is always the first initial bliss to drive you down a coast to California in a convertible. Everything seems great, but she still has a lot ahead of her. I think it will be really interesting to see. Its definitely the character has evolved, she came in like the Wicked Witch from the East, but that was her veneer. It keeps unfolding so it’s pretty exciting for me as performer.
HW: Do you relate at all to her biological clock ticking thing?
KW: Absolutely, I think that every woman who is past 30 relates to the biological clock. They have that kind of clock if they are working. Between career and being a mother, yeah.
[IMG:R]HW: How much is that going to come out in the show?
KW: I think they are definitely going to explore that, I think it will be interesting, and I hope they do. There is so much to explore. I think that is one of the biggest things to be clear about: That this isn’t Grey’s Anatomy in L.A.; it’s a totally different piece. Although there still is a structure of an ensemble, it’s Shonda’s [Rhimes] imagination, it’s her great writing and balance of comedy and drama. It is its own story, and it has such a great spectrum to deal with in terms of health insurance issues. And really the modern culture, even in Santa Monica, which is I think seen as a wealth and predominantly white community. Seeing how medicine is practiced there when you try to do a co-op, trying to bring it back to sort of small town fighting against insurance, against the institution of insurance, hospitals, rules, and regulations. There is so much to explore. Not only to mention women’s issues and story lines, and there is a lot to look at there.
HW: When you’re sick, are you a bad patient now that you know a little bit about medicine?
KW: No, I think I’m just a patient who is in denial. I don’t like going to the doctor and I never have. But I’m also a fan of alternative medicine.
HW: Have you talked to any doctors about this kind of medicine, which is much different than Grey’s?
KW: I haven’t had a chance to, in terms of the co-op, which I think is actually okay for Addison right now. She’s sort of just being dropped into it.
HW: How is the cast of Private Practice gelling out of the gate?
KW: Everybody here is so seasoned and talented and good and sort of sophisticated. I would liken it to great athletes getting to play with each other. I’m so intrigued by everyone and how talented they are that the excitement of being able with them and keep up and spar, is more exciting than anything that could ever happen off screen.
[IMG:L]HW: Is it something of a relief to be leaving Grey’s after a season of behind-the-scenes clashes?
KW: We had a tough year, that’s true…there is no denying it. It’s like any relationship, there are ups and downs. This is a whole different – it’s funny, and this is a different animal. Like I said, everybody here has so much more, it’s just a different experience…I was so focused. First of all, we go there to go to work. It was a tough season, but ultimately everybody is there to work. Then as soon as I found out about the spin-off, that is what I was thinking about. I was literally still busy – we were shooting the spin off concurrently, and finishing the Grey’s episodes. It was just such a busy time. That’s what we all focus on. I could say I feel the pressure, it’s nerve-wracking, a new series and all that, but really at the end of the day I am focused on the work and the next scene in front of me…I love all of those people. I still see a lot of them socially, so what I feel for leaving Grey’s was that it was a great show, a great experience, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be on a show that is that big of a critical hit and cultural phenomenon. That is my parting feelings about it.
