Everything Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew have said about a ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ spinoff focusing on Japril

Drew and Williams reprised their roles as April and Jackson in May for the season 18 finale and 400th episode. Vincent Sandoval/Getty Images; Kelsey McNeal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew played Jackson Avery and April Kepner (“Japril”) on “Grey’s Anatomy. ” On the show’s 400th episode in May, Japril returned and it was revealed they’d gotten back together.

Williams and Drew have both spoken multiple times about doing a spinoff with their characters. May 2021: Drew said the couple could “change the world of medicine” on a spinoff. Drew and Williams in the “Grey’s Anatomy” season 17 episode “Look Up Child.

“ABC/Richard CartwrightDrew departed “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2018, but returned in May 2021 to reprise the role of Dr. April Kepner and help facilitate Williams’ exit.  Drew was asked about a potential Japril spinoff at a press conference attended by Insider after her return.

She was clear that the premise for a show featuring the pair (who were ex-spouses at that time in the story) working to make medicine equitable for minorities in Boston was just an idea. But of a show about “racial justice in the medical field,” she said, “How cool would that be?” The “Cruel Summer” star continued: “I just kept thinking like, ‘how cool would this couple be?’ [Jackson] working from the position of having money and power to be actually able to make that change. And then she’s working with folks experiencing homelessness and she’s also [trying to make change] in her own way.

These two could change the world of medicine, right?”June 2021: Williams said he and Drew would “kill” a Japril spinoff. Drew and Williams on “Grey’s Anatomy. “Mitch Haaseth/ABC via Getty ImagesA month after Drew’s remarks, Insider’s Caralynn Lippo asked Williams about a potential spinoff on a red carpet for the closing night of Tribeca Festival.

The actor said the premise of Jackson and April serving underrepresented communities in Boston “makes total sense. “”It’s a really interesting premise. We would kill it,” he continued, adding that Drew is “such a tremendous person and actor.

“He said he understood where fans who want the spinoff are coming from and that their desire for him to continue the role was “all love. ” “I won’t say it’s not a possibility. I sure as hell won’t say that,” he added.

December 2021: Williams said Japril fans “earned” and “deserve” a spinoff. Williams and Drew in the “Grey’s Anatomy” episode “Seal Our Fate. “Richard Cartwright/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ImagesIn a conversation with Insider in December 2021 for an article published in March 2022, Williams reflected on the loyalty of Japril fans and their dedication to campaigning for a spinoff on social media.

 “If it’s a matter of fan love, we would already be in episode eight of it right now,” he said.  He added that “if there’s such a thing as deserving it, they deserve it and we’ve earned it and it would be dope. “December 2021: Drew and Williams reflected on what they imagined Japril’s life together in Boston would be like.

Drew and Williams on the “Grey’s Anatomy” season 17 episode “Look Up Child. “ABC/Richard CartwrightIn the same conversation with Insider in December, Williams and Drew reflected on Jackson and April’s potential romantic status in Boston. “They seem to be so grounded, and calm, and there’s nothing really left to fight about,” Williams said.

The “Cabin in the Woods” star said that the pair knows they “love each other” and are “going to figure something out. “”I think that they probably moved there with separate apartments and she’s always at my place,” Williams mused.  “His is way nicer.

He just has more money,” Drew laughed, to which Williams responded, “Obviously. She’s poor. “February 2022: Drew revealed how much she and Williams fought for Japril’s future.

Drew in July 2022. Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty ImagesIn Feburary, Drew provided a statement to Insider explaining that she and Williams fought to change Japril’s story in the May 2021 episode where Jackson told April he was moving to Boston. Drew said that April’s life was supposed to be moving in a completely different direction when Jackson knocked on her door in the season 17 episode where she returned.

“The pitch that was given to me was April was super pregnant with Matthew’s baby and Matthew wasn’t home when Jackson came to the house to pitch April on the idea of going to Boston with him,” Drew revealed. “There was a storm outside and Jackson had to deliver April’s baby at the house, and through this whole experience, April decided to bring her whole family to Boston with Jackson. “On the episode that actually aired, April was persuaded to move to Boston in part because she was divorcing Mathew (Justin Bruening) — a significant story change.

“Jesse and I talked about it and thought it would be more satisfying to the audience if they were left with some hope for Japril reuniting,” Drew’s statement continued. “Jesse pitched that to the writers and the writers agreed — and then the story shifted. “May 2022: Drew reflected on her “tremendous partnership” with Williams.

“Grey’s Anatomy” season 12. Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ImagesDrew and Williams returned to “Grey’s Anatomy” for the show’s 400th episode and season 18 finale, which aired in May. While talking to People at that time about her return and the potential for a spinoff, Drew said that she and Williams have talked “at length” about the hypothetical show.

 “I think it would be a really interesting and fun story to tell,” she continued. “Jesse and I obviously love working together, and we have a really tremendous partnership, so I wouldn’t discount that as a possibility. “Drew acknowledged that fans are “begging” for the series.

But she added: “As of yet, it’s only living in the fandom right now. “May 2022: Drew revealed more details about her ideal spinoff. Jackson and April decide to get married in a flashback on the episode titled “Take It Back.

“Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ImagesAfter the 400th episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” aired and confirmed Jackson and April had reunited romantically since their characters left the series, Drew appeared on  Tommy DiDario’s “Let’s Stay Together” Instagram Live show. “I think that’s what’s really fun about these two characters. .

. they’re both right now kind of really living in their purpose,” she said at about the 8:10 mark of the video interview. “And they’re out to change the medical field and to fight for medical justice.

We haven’t seen that out in the world yet,” Drew added.   “So, I think it could lend itself to really interesting, fun stories to tell. “”I want to see that.

I want to show that, I want to play those scenes. I think that would be really fun,” she said later. “Every time I go on set, I have cast and crew telling me: ‘Wouldn’t it be so fun to pop our head into Boston and see what’s going on over there?'”In Drew’s mind, the Japril spinoff would ideally be about 10 episodes on a streaming platform.

The “Cruel Summer” star did note that plans for spinoffs sometimes happen “very fast” and “nobody says anything until everything is decided upon. ” A post shared by Tommy DiDario (@tommydidario)  May and June 2022: Drew and Williams agreed they want a “darker, grittier, and sexier” spinoff. Williams arriving at the 2022 Tony Awards.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesDrew also said on DiDario’s show in May that she hoped a potential Japril spinoff would be on a streaming platform so that it could be “a little darker, and a little grittier, a little sexier. “Insider told Williams about Drew’s chosen adjectives for the hypothetical show and asked him to describe his ideal spinoff while attending the Tony Awards red carpet in June, where Williams was nominated for best performance by a featured actor in a play for his role in the “Take Me Out” revival.  He echoed his costar, saying he’d want a Japril spinoff to be “darker, grittier, and sexier.

“June 2022: Drew compared Japril to another iconic TV couple. Drew and Williams on “Grey’s Anatomy. “Eric McCandless/Walt Disney Television via Getty ImagesWhile talking to Nerds Of Color in June, Drew shared that since it was revealed Jackson and April were romantic partners once again in the 400th episode, she was now worried about the status of a spinoff.

She said she and Williams hadn’t talked to each other about the spinoff in a while, but Drew was concerned because their reunion had happened off-screen already, which might dampen the interest in a spinoff where viewers could watch the characters get back together over time. But then she said she remembered that stable couples on TV can still be iconic, citing the most beloved couple on NBC’s hit “Friday Night Lights,” Coach Taylor (Eric Chandler) and Tami Taylor (Connie Britton). July 2022: Drew brought up revisiting Japril’s story.

Williams and Drew filming “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2022. Liliane Lathan via Getty ImagesWhile promoting her new show “Amber Brown” on “GMA” in July, Drew brought up the possibility of a Japril spinoff or Japril-focused episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy. “Asked at the end of the interview about the possibility that she’d return to the show again in the future, she said in part, “I’d love to check in on Jackson and April in Boston, and see what’s going on with them.

” She appeared to be smiling and playing coy. Read the original article on Insider.