Actress Kelly McCreary has revealed why she decided to leave Grey’s Anatomy. In a recent interview with Deadline, the actress who plays Maggie Pierce hinted all was not over for her character whilst divulging she'd love to move on to suspense and thriller-based roles.
McCreary has revealed she’s known for many years now that it was time for her character to move on from Grey’s Anatomy.
“Well, it was a lot of years but specifically at the end of Season 18, Maggie and Winston were at this challenging crisis, and I just kept thinking about how the show really is about people showing up at the hospital and growing up and learning a lot of hard lessons and becoming the best version of themselves and then at some point, for whatever reason, the actors and characters move on, usually after a pretty long period of time.”
McCreary emphasised that she believed her character, Maggie, had met her original goals and asked showrunner Krista Vernoff to allow her to “move on.”
“Maggie came here on a very specific mission; she came to Seattle, to Grey Sloan, to know more about her family — and by extension herself — and every season I asked that question, has Maggie figured out what she wants, does she have a new question? I wondered if the struggles she was facing, the compatibility questions she was having with her husband were really questions about herself and who she really was and what she really wanted, and I thought, maybe that’s a sign that it’s time for her to move on."
McCreary also revealed that she was happy for her character to have a “death arc” if it suited the storyline. “I knew I might be throwing a wrench into their plans with the request so I was open to anything. I was like, “Look, if you’ve got to kill me I get it, tragic things happen to Meredith’s friends and family all the time, so if that’s where we have to go out, I understand,” McCreary admitted, adding that she did not know Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) had been planning to leave the series at the time she made her own decision to depart. Fortunately, death wasn’t a necessary plot point, with producers already having an exit strategy for Maggie in mind. “I think it really is in keeping with the journey that Maggie has been on, which is growing into more and more of herself as she discovers who that is,” McCreary hinted of what is to come for her character, despite it not being what she thought would happen. “So, it wasn’t my idea for her to go out the way that she did but I was consulted on the pitch, and I thought it was a great idea. I was really happy with that.”
All is not over for Maggie, however, with McCreary making it clear that her character will return to the series eventually. “Maggie will appear again. And she and Winston will talk some more, I’ll put it that way,” McCreary revealed about a potential comeback. “She’s not dead, and she’s still got family and friends in Seattle so if they want me to come, I would humbly and gratefully run over because, like I said, this story arc has closed but she’s still deeply connected to Seattle and to the Grey Sloan family so the door is certainly open on my end.” The actress also expanded on what it means for Maggie and Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill), hinting that there is the possibility they will continue their relationship long-distance. “I honestly don’t know. But what I think is really great is that these two characters shared this enormous success. And Winston has the opportunity to build from that too,” McCreary revealed. “I think they both might have an awakening of their ambition. So I can’t say because I don’t know, but I think that they’re both set on a positive course because of the work they did together.”
What's Next for McCreary?
After leaving the ABC series, McCreary plans to find a diverse range of characters to play in other television series and movies. “Next for me is a little bit of rest and then seeking out opportunities to play some different characters using all of the tools and experiences I’ve had and collaboration and world-building, building Maggie’s world out on Grey’s,” the actress said. She revealed she most hoped to star in suspense and thriller roles, having already received the “opportunity to dip [her] toe in a lot of waters that [she] would love to dive in later.”
Season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy currently airs Thursday nights on ABC, with the finale set for April 13, 2023. Check out the following clip of Maggie and Winston saying farewell: