If there’s one thing Grey’s Anatomy loves to do, it’s bring back our fan favorites. Whether dead or alive, no character is necessarily gone for good after they make their exit from the ABC medical drama, which has been proven over the past couple of seasons with the returns of everyone from Derek Shepherd to Addison Montgomery to Nick Marsh. Now another actor has expressed their interest in returning to the Seattle medical scene, as Sara Ramirez said they'd love to revisit their role as Callie Torres.
Sara Ramirez recently spoke to Glamour to promote Sex and the City’s HBO Max reboot series And Just Like That, on which Ramirez plays Che Diaz, a comedian and podcast host who is also the franchise’s first nonbinary character. Ramirez came out as nonbinary during the pandemic, but had already begun to pave the way for queer representation on television through their role as Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy, a role that Ramirez said they would “absolutely” return to under the right circumstances.
If the stars align in a way that makes it make sense, absolutely. I love my Grey’s Anatomy family. I’m so proud of them for introducing trans characters and nonbinary characters. It’s a beautiful universe that they’ve created over there, and I’m so grateful that I got to be a part of it.
Sara Ramirez starred on the medical drama for 11 seasons on ABC, making Callie Torres one of television’s longest-running LGBTQ+ characters. Representation is a big part of creator Shonda Rhimes’ legacy on Grey's Anatomy, as seeing people of color in positions of power — such as Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey and James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber — was lacking on network television in 2005. Sixteen years later, Grey’s Anatomy is still striving to grow in that way, and in Season 18 the series introduced its own first nonbinary doctor in E.R. Fightmaster’s Kai Bartley.
Sara Ramirez left Grey’s Anatomy after Season 12, when Callie Torres decided to follow her new girlfriend Penny (played by Midnight Mass’ Samantha Sloyan) to New York. In Season 14 it was revealed that Callie and Penny had broken up, and a reunion seemed possible between Callie and Arizona Robbins, when actress Jessica Capshaw left the series at the end of Season 14. Ramirez said Callie is likely still in New York, and they’d definitely be interested to know what she’s been up to.
I imagine that Callie is in New York. I’m not really sure what else is going on for Dr. Callie Torres, but I’m just as curious as the fans are. I think it would be really exciting to see what Dr. Callie Torres is doing these days. So yeah, I’m definitely open to it. I would love to see it.
Okay, Krista Vernoff, that’s your cue! The past two seasons of Grey’s Anatomy have surprised fans with the returns of a number of former characters. As Meredith Grey fought for her life against COVID in Season 17, she reunited with loved ones from beyond the grave, including McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey), George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane). Season 18 has seen the return of Scott Speedman as Nick Marsh, Meredith’s new love interest, Kate Walsh as Addison Montgomery and Abigail Spencer as Owen’s sister Megan Hunt.
So will a Sara Ramirez comeback happen? Is there the possibility of a “Calzona” reunion with Jessica Capshaw? We’ll just have to wait and see. Grey’s Anatomy airs at 9 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC, and you can catch Ramirez on And Just Like That, streaming now on HBO Max.
