'Grey's Anatomy' exclusive: Melissa George checks out
Jan 12, 2009, 04:12 PM
by Michael Ausiello
As I taught you long ago, the Golden Globes aren't so much a showcase for award-worthy talent and polarizing fashion as they are a hotbed for exclusive prattle. To wit, shortly after Sunday's kudosfest ended, Melissa George presented me with a doozy of a scoop: She's leaving Grey's Anatomy, STAT.
"It was my choice," the actress-slash-Golden Globe nominee (for In Treatment) confirmed to me at HBO's red-hot after-party, held poolside at the Beverly Hilton. "My last day of work is Tuesday."
But lest you think this is yet another in a long line of rocky Grey's exits (see also: Isaiah Washington, Brooke Smith, possibly T.R. Knight), George, who joined the ABC soap last November as Mer's maybe-gay BFF, is leaving on the best of terms.
"I love the show so much," she gushes. "I've made some beautiful friends. I love T.R. Knight. I love Patrick Dempsey, Justin Chambers... I adore Ellen Pompeo. I think she's a strong, incredible woman. And Katherine Heigl is the most beautiful creature on Earth."
Then, um, why leave? George says she simply wants to "do something else." Already? Well, a Grey's insider does suggest that the parting of the ways was more mutual than simply the actress' choice. "Melissa's arc came to a natural end. Everyone at the show adores her. We're genuinely sad to see her go."
George's initial deal called for her to appear in roughly 8-11 episodes with an option to become a series regular, like Kevin McKidd. But her Sadie had a much more rocky introduction than the Iraq doc, what with the self-mutilation and ambiguous sexuality. The latter characteristic was especially ill-timed coming off of Hahn's controversial exit. "The character was cursed from Day One," sniffs an ABC source. "She was very difficult to root for."
George concedes that Sadie was unconventional, even by Grey's standards. But recent episodes had revealed a calmer, gentler side to her. "When you take out your insides and you're hitting on every guy and girl in the hospital... you have to pull back," her portrayer suggests. "She's a doctor. You have to be professional. For her, she had to stop doing that or else she would've been kicked out."
Is that a tease for Sadie's exit? George won't say, but she reveals that "it won't be a big send-off, but it's really cool what they do."
In other words, Sadie won't be banished to the parking lot with Hahn.
So what do you think, Grey's fans? Happy to see Sadie go? I am. As much as I love George, her character wasn't working for me. Do you agree? Disagree? Sound off below, and be sure to check back often, as this was just the first of the Globes scoops I dug up! (Wednesday's AA is going to be massive. Seriously.)
