TV Romances
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Alum Sarah Drew Reveals Details Behind April & Mark’s Almost Hookup
Sarah Drew reunited with her former Grey’s Anatomy costars Jessica Capshaw and Camilla Luddington to discuss the soapy medical drama. Drew played the beloved Dr. April Kepner for nearly a decade and became one-half of the Grey’s Anatomy supercouple Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April.
Drew was asked who would have been the worst love interest for April on the show, and the actress didn’t hesitate to say Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), aka McSteamy. However, she revealed that an April and Sloan storyline almost happened.
“On Season 7, before they made my character love Jesus and [become] a virgin, there’s a scene where Sloan and Reed have sex, a random one-night stand,” Drew explained on iHeartRadio’s Call It What It Is podcast. “That was supposed to be me originally. It was supposed to be April. April was supposed to have some random one-off with Sloan. And it was in the original production draft, and then they changed it. I didn’t have anything to do with it. But they changed her mind.”
Adam Larkey / ABC / Everett Collection
Capshaw and Luddington were stunned by the April and Sloan storyline reveal. Capshaw stated that April and Sloan hooking up would have completely changed April’s trajectory on the show.
As Japril fans are well aware, April and Jackson’s romantic relationship didn’t start until Season 8 when April has sex for the first time with Jackson. Their characters had a whirlwind romance — remember when Jackson interrupted April’s wedding and they ran away together? — and faced a massive tragedy with the death of their baby son.
These two have never been able to quit each other. Despite not being together, Jackson and April welcomed their daughter, Harriet, in the Season 12 finale. April married Matthew (Justin Bruening) but they divorced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to April and Jackson reuniting and moving to Boston.
Grey’s Anatomy could have looked very different if the original plan for Drew had worked out. Drew revealed on the podcast that she was only supposed to be on for a two-episode arc. She was actually originally offered the role of the woman George (T.R. Knight) saved when he got hit by the bus and later died. She couldn’t play the role — which went to Shannon Lucio — due to a scheduling conflict. Thankfully, everything worked out and we got April Kepner!
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 21, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC
