Actor Jason George, who returns every year to his hometown of Virginia Beach, is back as Ben Warren on Grey’s Anatomy
By Butch Maier/ Photos courtesy of ABC Entertainment
Jason George apologized for postponing the phone interview as production ran long on the Grey’s Anatomy television production set. “It’s the last day,” said the 54-year-old actor, a Virginia Beach native and Kempsville High School graduate. “So, everything is emotional and weird.”
Wait! The last day?! THE LAST DAY OF GREY’S?!
Not so fast. The longest-running prime-time medical drama in U.S. television history—with 466 episodes released in 22 seasons—has more lives than a gray alley cat. “It was my last day for this season,” George said March 20. It wasn’t the last last day. So, the early diagnosis for Grey’s Anatomy is that the ABC show will survive another major staff surgical procedure—the exit wounds of longtime co-stars Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd were announced in March—and return for Season 23, with George’s anesthesiologist-turned-firefighter-turned-surgical resident Dr. Ben Warren intact. “Unless there’s something crazy happening behind the scenes,” George said, “I expect to be back shooting Grey’s Anatomy in July or August.”
Did his last day of work in March take more time because the cast and crew were close to wrapping for the season, there were umpteen pages of complicated medical dialogue, or there was a tragically huge amount of fake blood that had to be cleaned up? George offered no storyline clues. “Complicated stuff is part of it,” George said, laughing. “We have this tradition of clapping out people when they wrap for the season, individually. Everybody does their hugs and kisses, and says, ‘Have a good summer. See you next year. We’re gonna be seniors. Yay!’ So, it’s emotional, usually, in a good way and sometimes in a bittersweet way. It always ends up taking a lot more time. The good part is: We’re family. We actually enjoy being around each other. At this point in the year, everybody wants their moment to share love with everybody else.”
Beach Days
George has fond memories of growing up in Virginia Beach—going crabbing under a bridge, building bonfires. He worked at Wild Water Rapids when it transformed to Ocean Breeze Festival Park (now Ocean Breeze Waterpark). The name changed, but the mascot did not: “That crazy, giant ape has been there literally my entire life,” George said of Hugh Mongous, the park’s familiar gorilla statue. “That thing has got to be held up with spit and gum and glue. But for me, it’s like, when I see it, that’s home. Who else has a crazy, massive monkey? That’s a straight-up Virginia Beach play.”
Virginia Beach, George pointed out, is not just his old stomping ground. “I’m back there every year,” said George, who still has close relatives in the area he visits in the summer with his immediate family. He and his wife—Vandana Khanna, whom he met while studying at the University of Virginia—have three children. “My kids know Virginia Beach very well—probably better than they know Santa Monica,” George said. “I had a great time growing up in Virginia Beach. I tell people in Los Angeles all the time the best part of Virginia is you get all four seasons. You get them for real. Here in Los Angeles, we rent winter. If you can get up to the mountains for a couple days, that’s your winter. It’s weird for me to see the sun set over the ocean. I have great memories of being a kid, running around, and watching the sun rise over the ocean, the way God intended.”
George also worked as a Tidewater Tides baseball vendor at Metropolitan Memorial Park in Norfolk. “I’m a man of a certain age, so I could get away with working from 11 years old until I was 21,” George said. “I was big for my age. My older brother was working legally, and I got in undetected. Including probably half my acting jobs, being a vendor and selling peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jack, and ice-cold Coke at Met Park was one of my favorite jobs, to this day. We cut up and had a blast. I learned a lot of lessons and made some good friendships.”
One older friend he made along the way was Justice Leroy Hassell Sr. of the Supreme Court of Virginia after George won a scholarship named for Hassell’s father. George said Justice Hassell had a path prepared for him. “He was like, ‘You go to college, you get good grades, I write you a recommendation, we get you in the best law school we can, you come back and clerk for me, and you’ll be a made man in the state of Virginia,’” George said. “Because my plan was to be the next Thurgood Marshall. That was my goal. And the only thing that had enough pull to pull me off of that was I took an acting class second semester, first year at UVA. And slowly but surely but pretty distinctly, I knew it as soon as I got in there: This is where I’m gonna be. This is what I’m doing. So, we took a left. We took a hard left. The judge passed away a few years ago, but I remember having the conversation with him that I was going to go to graduate school but not law school—I was going to go to graduate school to study acting. And he was not feeling it. That was such a hard conversation.”
George saw others from his hometown select a wide array of career paths. “I tell people all the time the best part about Virginia Beach is you grow up, and one buddy’s dad is a professional beach bum,” George said. “He surfs all day, and he only works long enough to basically pay his bills. I’m sure he had some other hustles on the side. He rented chairs on the beach. And then my other friend’s dad was the admiral in charge of the Pacific Ocean. Both those were legitimate career paths in Virginia Beach. But acting was not one of those things. Mark Ruffalo [a first Colonial High School graduate and four-time Academy Award-nominated actor] and I were at an event together, and we were having some good conversation about how crazy it is to be here [in Hollywood and] from Virginia Beach. I had the same conversation with Rhea Seehorn [a Kempsville High School classmate and Golden Globe-winning actress]. We have known each other since—we argue, because I say third grade, she says fourth grade—Kempsville Meadows Elementary.”
Welcome to Shondaland
George landed the supposed-to-be-brief role of Ben Warren, an anesthesiologist, in Season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy. “My understanding at the time,” he said, “was this character was coming in, he was probably gonna do, like, four episodes, do Bailey dirty, and go on his way.” Bailey, as in Miranda Bailey, Chandra Wilson’s character, in the series created by Shonda Rhimes. “I had done a pilot for [Rhimes], so we had a very cool relationship at that point,” George said of a 2009 drama that didn’t go to series. “It was this great show about journalism called Inside the Box that, truly, should have [been picked up] because it could have been spectacular. Should have been. The powers that be just didn’t get it at the time. But they had me guest star, and Shonda kinda said, ‘Let’s not end this just yet.’
“And then I did another pilot for Shonda that did go [to series], and that was [the 2011 ABC drama] Off the Map.” That show was shot in Hawaii. “At first, I was not trying to do it because my kids were young and just starting school,” George said. “And I am a Navy brat, but you know Virginia Beach—it’s the one time in the military where, if you get stationed at the Norfolk naval base, the family may never move again. Mom or Dad will disappear for six months, but the family might stay put. And that doesn’t happen in any other military experience. So, I’ve taken pains as an actor to not create that constantly moving scenario for my kids, and I’ve been successful. So, I wasn’t trying to do it that time, but Shonda made it work.” Rhimes ensured that Off the Map episodes were shot in three or four days so actors could get back to their families for long weekends. George developed strong working relationships with Rhimes’ team, even though the series only lasted one season. “I definitely wanted to work in the Shondaland world,” George said of Rhimes’ media company.
Ben There a Long Time
George’s Ben was a recurring character—appearing frequently, but not a regular cast member—on Grey’s Anatomy for Seasons 6 to 11. “Recurring that long, it’s like that person that you had a crush on, and every time you were with somebody, and every time they were single, you were with somebody,” George said. “That’s what it felt like me and Grey’s Anatomy did for six seasons. Then it all lined up properly, and—boom—I was free from a show and was able to come onto Grey’s.” He was named a full-time cast member for Season 12. “I was ecstatic because I was a fan of the show before I was ever on it,” George said. “It was funny. The two times I was probably the most nervous in my career that I could think of were when I first guested on Grey’s Anatomy, because I was like, ‘You really wanna hang out here, so don’t screw this up.’ And then when I actually got the job [as a full-time cast member]. Those six years in between, I was just having fun and goofy, and just doing me because, ‘Y’all didn’t pay my bills.’ This is a fun gig, but I was doing other shows where I was a series regular or other shows where I was a super-heavy recurring [character] and, basically, a series regular. So, I was like, ‘Yo, they pay my bills. This is a job that I do because I like everyone here, and I love this show.’ But then suddenly, it was like, ‘Oh, y’all pay my bills.’”
George, Bailey
Wilson has earned four Emmy nominations for portraying Miranda Bailey. She respects George for his portrayal of Ben Warren, Bailey’s person, and offered kind words to describe working with him on set. “Sincere,” Wilson said. “I have only seen him approach any situation with the utmost sincerity. Professional. He understands the work that we do, therefore [he] can keep a sense of humor and portray complete professionalism. Business. At all times, he is all about the business and always doing some business.” She said she appreciates that George “always comes from a thoughtful place, and at the end of the day, we are actors who play.” The play on set often involves serious subject matter and challenging scenes. George is always there for Wilson, as Ben is for Bailey. “Whenever Bailey goes through one of her moments,” Wilson said, “he not only stands solid in his Ben shoes but holds space for me, the actor, to safely move through those moments….He’s always prepared, always will have a conversation for you, and knows something about a little bit of everything. And if not, he knows a guy.” Yet, just when Grey’s audiences thought they knew Ben, he was reinvented.
Hey, 19
George was visiting his in-laws in Northern Virginia when he got the call for Station 19, a 2018 Shondaland firefighter spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy. “I’m throwing kids around in the pool—literally throwing kids,” George said. “Hurling them as far as I can in the pool. And then my wife goes, ‘Hey, it’s Shonda Rhimes’ office. They wanna have a conversation with you this afternoon at 5:00, is that OK?’ I was like, ‘Uh, yeah.’ And I am thinking. I am in the pool. Kids are splashing water in my face. All I’m thinking is, ‘Well, it was fun. Guess I’m getting fired.’ Ben’s going to get killed in Episode 2 or something like that. But when I talked to them at 5:00 that day, they were like, ‘Hey, um, would you be interested in doing the spinoff?’ ’Cause I knew there was a spinoff, but I assumed that there was a whole bunch of other people that were in line before me that were, you know, more fan favorites than me. The way they broke it down for me was the Ben-and-Bailey glue between the shows just makes sense.”
Wilson agreed. “I thought it was a great idea to spin off Grey’s,” she said, “and we were able to create seven more seasons of story where we were able to get even more personal with Ben and his journey.”
A key character trait made everything click for the character’s career change. “The fact that Ben was this adrenaline junkie—it had been well established on Grey’s already—this makes the most sense,” George said. “If we’re doing a firefighter show, he’s the one who could become a firefighter. And the funny part was, there was actually even an episode they had done in the previous season. And I asked the people who created it, ‘Did you know?’ Because in the episode, they establish that there’s a fire in the hospital, somebody’s in danger, they establish Ben is deathly afraid of fire, but they are trapped upstairs, he grabs the firefighter’s turnout coat and goes running in, looking for them. It was classic. They said they didn’t know at the time, but it very much started to click after that. Because they were like, ‘That adrenaline thing. That adrenaline junkie thing. That makes sense. That scans. If we’re doing a firefighter show, let’s make that happen.’ So, they asked me like it was an opportunity: ‘Would you be interested in that?’ I was like, ‘What kind of idiot would I be if I didn’t leap at this?’ And they also are good bosses and took care of me. Took the leap, and we did seven seasons of Station 19, and then once again [in 2024], I was back out in the world and thinking that I was going to sing for my supper.” Wilson was not worried. “Once you’re in the Grey’s family,” she said, “you’re in the Grey’s family.”
Back to the Hospital
Approximately 90 percent of actors are unemployed at any time, according to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the Hollywood labor union. So, despite enjoying his time as a faux firefighter, there was no time for George to sulk that the show was over. “We gotta go figure out what the next job is,” he said. “We gotta go back out and audition. Let me call up my other friends who have created shows and who are writers and go, ‘What are y’all doing? Whatcha workin’ on? Do you need a brother? Do you need a brother on your show?’
“But then, I had conversations with some of the powers that be at Shondaland—[Rhimes’ producing partner] Betsy Beers and Shonda,” he said. “And then [new Grey’s showrunner] Meg Marinis and I had a conversation. She was like, ‘I think there’s tons of stories for you.’ She started rattling off [ideas] for Ben, and she was like, ‘We’d love to have you back over here.’ And I was like, ‘Um, yeah. Let’s do that.’ ’Cause that was the other part—I didn’t want to just do it. Every actor wants a job, but you don’t want to have just a job. You want to have a role that’s worth playing. My mantra when I was starting out in the career, and it’s always been there: If I wanted a sense of security, I would have gone to law school. That would have been the plan. You’ve gotta make the move that’s right for you—not necessarily the ‘smartest.’ Conventional wisdom doesn’t work in an unconventional business. You’re gonna shine at the thing you actually feel passionate about.
“Meg’s a fantastic writer. She has encyclopedic knowledge of the show. Literally, everybody asks Meg, you know, ‘What happened in this episode in that season?’ She knows every character, inside and out. I was like, ‘This is going to be fun. Fresh blood for Ben.’ And she stuck to it. It’s been a great time.”
New Direction?
George directed a couple episodes of Station 19 but has yet to step into the chair for Grey’s Anatomy. “It just hasn’t lined up yet for the opportunity to be there,” he said. “There’s a line of people that want to direct this show, and there’s things that are contractually established for people who have to be here directing. It’s all gotta line up just properly, but I think that’s coming.” Will George get his shot to direct in Season 23? “I think I will,” he said, “and I definitely hope so.” That hope extends to wanting to direct movies. “I do. I’m kind of at this point in my career where I am acting…I’ll always be an actor, first and foremost, always, in terms of career. I am a father, foremost—first and forever. But, in terms of the business, I am an actor first, and that’s how I see everything. But there’s a lot of stuff I want to do behind the camera. I’m developing projects—stuff for me to produce. A lot of it’s for me to not even act in. Some of them for me to act in. Some of them for me to direct. It’s about finding stuff that excites me and that people will respond to.”
Same Heart
George is amazed by Grey’s longevity. “That’s not a thing in television,” he said. “You can count on one hand the number of prime-time shows that have hit numbers [of seasons] even coming close to that. We’re all thankful and blessed. The other part that’s fun is that everybody’s been here so long, there’s family. There are people whose kids were born and are graduating college now. People whose kids were young but have families now. So, it’s really this big family at work. And so, there’s no drama. It’s so chill. It’s really so beautiful in that way. Everybody shows up and takes care of each other.” Is Season 23 the last season of Grey’s? “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say ‘no,’” George said. “I was doing some math. Do you know what a real nice, round number is? Five hundred. Or 25. Those are nice, round numbers.” As in 500 episodes and 25 seasons. “I know nothing,” he said. “I have no knowledge of anything. I am just saying that as a fan of the show. And I’ll say this is well: The other part is, some articles have been written in the last year or two about how the show is every bit as good as it ever was—that Meg’s got it bangin’ on all cylinders. And part of that’s a testament to the fact that they brought in all these blue interns—Ben being one of them again. There’s new blood, so there’s new stories, and new lenses and perspectives to see things through. So, it shakes it up, but it’s still that same Grey’s Anatomy heart at its core. Any show that goes on for this long, the people who watched at the beginning and stopped watching, if you check back in, you’ll realize, ‘Oh, it still has all the DNA of the thing I love, but this is a new show. It’s the same show, but it’s a new show.’”
Butch Maier
