Jason George plays Ben Warren on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. The series, which is TV’s longest-running primetime medical drama, has already been renewed for season 22. I spoke with the actor over Zoom to talk about the dramatic season 21 finale cliffhanger, how his time on Station 19 has changed his character, his advice for anyone who wants to make a difference, mentoring future artists, and more.

Grey’s Anatomy follows a team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another and, at times, more than just friendship. Together, they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.

I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me, and congratulations on another incredible season of Grey’s Anatomy. We are glad to have you back.
Jason George: Yeah, it’s good to be home. I mean, I love my Station 19 family, I was just at dinner with a bunch of them [recently]. It’s family, it’s never gonna [change], they’re kind of stuck with me. 

Well, as someone who considers herself a fan of these shows first, I love hearing how close the cast is. When a show goes on for a certain number of years, it’s really nice to know there is that kind of family behind the scenes as well, which I’m not surprised for Station 19 because you all seemed like a close-knit group. 
100%, it was unusually close. I mean, Grey’s is pretty family, too. Look, we’ve been blessed to be working for one of the best showrunners. I’ve been blessed enough to work with, you know, my first couple of jobs were with Aaron Spelling, who was legendary and who was everybody’s granddad. He wanted to make sure everybody stayed working. He wasn’t gonna pay you a dime more than he absolutely had to, but he was gonna make sure everybody stayed working, like, “Has Jason got a job? Okay, we’re just checking to make sure.” Shonda’s a whole other thing. Shonda’s like the prototype of the next generation of producer, where nobody’s throwing shoes anymore, nobody’s throwing fits anymore and they want no assholes on set because they’re not assholes, and that flows down and you end up with this great family that you enjoy hanging out with ‘cause I’ve been on crazy sets and that’s not…

And I feel like you can tell when you’re watching too. 
Oh, it 100% affects the project.

I think that’s also one of the reasons that Grey’s Anatomy has been on for so long. The characters are so beloved, but the actors have all been a huge part of it for years and continue to be — even after they leave, we sometimes see them come back in certain ways.
Yep, it’s family. I mean, you don’t leave home. You’re just going for now. 

Moving on to a more dramatic question, because while I’m hoping we’re not going to lose anyone, that huge season finale cliffhanger has me a little worried. We don’t know who is safe, including your character. While he wasn’t in the building during the actual explosion, he ran back in to help, which wasn’t surprising for Ben. When you get a script like that, what are the first thoughts that are going through your head? Do you have any sort of conversations about your character’s possible fate before you go back to filming? 
Look, from all perspectives, the power of storytelling, there are real stakes because people can really die in this world and the audience knows that, they found that out decades ago that it can go south for your favorite character and that means that every time they’re in trouble, it’s real danger. That makes it creatively more exciting and a better story, so that excites us as creative people. But it also means that your job can come to an end. So I’m hoping, fingers crossed, that the fact that I was outside and running back in means I’m pretty good. The only one I know for certain is safe is Ellen Pompeo; Meredith Grey was not in the explosion. She did not run back inside. Meredith Grey is going to be okay, at least when we start the season. Beyond that, I don’t know anything. I don’t even know me for certain. When you get the script, you take a look and you see the explosion, and you just start looking around the room real quick, you know what I mean? 

But Meg was like, we don’t know yet, we’re going to figure out what creates the best story and go from there. So, because our showrunners are pretty great about if they know you’re going to be leaving the show, that your character is going to take one for the team, they’ll give you a heads up. They’re pretty good about that, they’re pretty respectful. I had friends in other shows where that’s not the case. At the end of the day, just like when you’re born, you’re going to die someday, when you go on air, you’re going to get canceled someday, it may be after 25 seasons, fingers crossed by the way, but you know that when your character shows up someday, your character is going to leave. It may be with the show, it may be before the show is done, whatever. So all you want is that respect. You just want that respect of treat me like I’m a grownup, treat me like I’m an adult, and like I said, we work for pretty good bosses, and they’re pretty good about that. 

I hope you’re not getting a call. I don’t think you are, I think we’re safe, at least for now. You’re just helping people, that’s what I am choosing to believe. 
I’m working off [the idea that] this is a chance for Ben to get his firefighter on one more time as he runs into the building, and so, we’ll see how that works out for him. But I’m like, he knows his way around a chaotic, explosive scene. So I like to think he’s going to be okay. That’s how I’m sleeping at night. 

What do you personally consider to be the ultimate Grey’s Anatomy cliffhanger out of the entire series? 
Shooter episodes, no doubt. I mean, it’s not a season cliffhanger, but some of the best episodes of TV there is, period. I’ll put it up against anything. What I love about that whole storyline was that they played the long game. They came into the hospital, they dealt with Patrick Dempsey’s character, McDreamy, and they were just patients like you see all the time, and sometimes, they’re around for a couple of episodes. Then, for all that to happen down the line, you were just not ready for it because you got used to these people. Brilliant actors all the way around, so nobody came in twirling a mustache saying, “I’m gonna shoot the place up in a little bit.” Also, I do a lot of work in gun safety and anti-gun violence, and it’s one of those things where it becomes clear that anybody can snap, and if you have too easy access to a gun, when you snap, bad things happen. And so, I just think it’s some of the best episodes of TV, period.

We’re going to go back to Grey’s Anatomy, but I do want to ask you about your activism because I really admire what you do in that regard. Do you have any sort of advice for those who want to be active and help a certain cause, make an impact, make a difference, but don’t know where to get started? What advice would you give them, and where should they start?
You go to Google because here’s the deal: whatever it is you’re passionate about, I guarantee you there is a local chapter of somebody who’s advocating for that near you. In every city, there’s a Moms Demand Action, March for Our Lives is across, Brady campaign is everywhere, Everytown, there are organizations, they have wings everywhere. Moms Demand Action is a perfect example. I was at the Brady Gala just a few weeks ago, and I met the moms who did the first Million Mom March in the year 2000, and they had these photos of them, and they’ve all got gray hair now, and a few of them are grandmoms but they were talking about how they got 750,000 people on the mall marching to try and keep our kids safe. And then, when you add in all the ones that marched, that took place across the country in every city near you, it was millions. There’s somebody near you who’s having the same thoughts about, ‘We need to be doing X, Y, Z. Why doesn’t somebody do X, Y, Z?’ I think it was Jesse Jackson who famously said, “Then I realized I am somebody.”

So just get on Google and look up your thing, and it’ll start to tell you the organizations that do that kind of work, whatever your issue is, and where the closest one is to you. I guarantee you there’s something within reach for you to get involved with. And then on top of that, even if there’s not, in the world of Zoom and the internet, we are all connected. So there’s no reason for you, whatever it is you’re passionate about, to not get in the game and let your voice be heard. Now that said, I just wanna make sure everybody does the research and actually speaks intelligently, speaks from a point of knowledge, you’ve actually done the research about what you’re talking about. Beat up your own idea, beat up your own thesis. If you say, “Well, I think you should do this,” challenge your own idea, what somebody would say in response to that, because one of two things is gonna happen, you’re either gonna come up with a good answer to that, so when somebody challenges you, you’ve got a good answer or you’re gonna realize you need better answers because you don’t have your stuff thought out or you need more information yourself. 

Then, the other thing I would say, and this is the key to, I think, where we’re at in the world right now, is talk to people like they’re right in front of you, have a little empathy, and talk to people like they’re people. Don’t talk to people like they’re the enemy. Don’t talk to people like they’re an anonymous thing on the internet, because that’s how we get into so much trouble, is everybody looks for the clapback. Everybody’s looking to score points, get likes, to do that crazy, bombastic, showy thing, and I’m like, or you can try and solve problems. If you’re just trying to beat the other guy, then everybody just gets beaten down. But if we’re working to solve problems, then I gotta acknowledge when you make a good point and you gotta acknowledge when I make a good point, and it’s all just about solving our problems and we’re all better off. 

First of all, so well said. There were so many great points you mentioned. I feel like it’s very easy in the world we are living in right now to feel like we’re a small part of it and don’t have a big enough voice, but collectively, you can make a difference when you unite and when you, like you said, do the research, know what you’re talking about, and make it an educational conversation instead of a me vs. you debate.
Yeah, and everybody has a moment where you feel like it’s just you. What do I count? Well, a raindrop is nothing, but you get a few million of them and you’ve got a monsoon, you’ve got deluge, you’ve got floods, and you can change. You can also water the plants and create new life. It’s the gig.

Yeah, and Ben coming back to Grey’s Anatomy from Station 19 has changed your character. Now, we don’t know if he’s going to have a future at this hospital, but when it comes to how he spent his “last day,” what makes you most proud of how he’s grown throughout both shows, and do you think he will try to make a case to stay? 
Wow, yeah, I think he has. When he was trying to get his spot back from the class, and he gave that woman the speech sitting outside at the table, and he was like, “You want sticktoitiveness,” and he just ran down a litany of all the things that he’s grown and accomplished while being a firefighter and being a dad. He’s like, “These things aren’t distractions. They are the things that build me. They make me more me. They’ve given me whole new skill sets,” and believe [that] parenthood gives skill sets that you did not have before you were a parent. And for firefighting, I mean, the one thing is, Ben’s superpower was also a little bit of his own kryptonite in that the bravery that you get, the confidence you get from running into the fire when everybody else runs away means that he used to leap before he thought, but now he thinks, he still goes strong and he’s perhaps a little overconfident. Like we saw in the heat dome that Ben was a little overconfident in his abilities, he’s like, “We can’t turn them away because I know what it’s like as a firefighter and an EMT, what it’s like when you don’t have a hospital to go to. So we can’t do that,” and she was like, “Yes, but logistically, that’s not the case. You’re thinking about it from that side.” From this side, you’ve not been in the administrative seat like Teddy has, and Teddy was like, “I know you were a firefighter. I was in the military. We don’t know how to build that new wheel.” So Ben had to learn a little bit of humility, and it may have cost him his gig. He’s walking out of the hospital, and now he’s just running back in to try and make sure his lady’s alive and see if his friends are okay.

We’ve seen how it has changed his perspective professionally, but do you think there was a big change in his personal life and how he views things? 
Ben’s always been a true North kind of guy. If it’s right, it’s right, and if it means I got to take a bullet to do what’s right, then hey, I mean, I guess I’m catching one and he just works his tail off to make sure it’s not for good or too much damage. I mean, look, his world has changed just because they’ve adopted these kids. Personally, he’s changed just because, we all remember adrenaline junkie Ben and now, even if he’s prepared to lose his own life, there’s more than just him it costs. Miranda is an adult, you know what I mean, and she’ll be sad, but she’ll survive, but Pru is a whole other thing, Tuck, they’re all at the beginning of their young adulthood, and Pru is a little kid, and he’s like, it’s not just me.

First of all, she’s adorable. 
She is honestly designed in a lab to be the definition of cute. Janai may be one of the, with the exception of my own kids, cutest child living. She’s just wicked smart, and we would always joke on Station 19 that she was the most professional actor on set, which sadly is kind of true. We screwed around a lot and she was pretty much always on her mark and always ready to go. The rest of us, not so much. Then you’ve got Ben’s testicular cancer diagnosis and his mortality, [which] he’s become aware of. He’s not afraid of death, but he just understands that a lot more comes with him dying than it used to be, and so, he’s factoring that in. 

One thing I really love is that outside of acting, you’re very passionate about mentoring future artists, which I appreciate. I think it’s incredible. Can you tell me why making a difference in that way is so important to you and what you hope to give those future generations by telling them about your own experience? 
It’s funny you say it because I was actually out to dinner with a bunch of folks from an acting workshop that I used to run, and it’s just fun seeing them, like one of them became a regular on a series, one of them just did G20 with Viola Davis and is doing a project now with Kerry Washington. I would always tell them this is not a class. I don’t call it a class because I don’t think I’m teaching you, I think we’re all adults and professionals, and I just maybe have a little bit more experience. So it’s like the gym, we get in here and we all work out together. Your trainer isn’t teaching you. Your trainer is helping you refine some techniques here and there, and you just need some outside eyes to say, “Let me get my form straight.” Same thing with the workshop. My mother was a teacher; she was an educator. She taught learning disabled kids all while growing up back in Virginia Beach, and she taught middle school in Norfolk, the neighboring city. And so, that educator piece is kind of ingrained in me, that like, that’s the only thing that we have. You’re going to leave this world someday, and the question is, who did you touch as you went along? 

There’s this great, great quote that some friends of mine, I actually just said this in a speech I gave at UVA, but it’s from Joaquin Miller and it’s this quote that I love to death, which is, “All you can hold in your cold dead hand is what you have given away.” It’s just a reminder that, yes, money is meant to be spent, but what are you spending it on? What have you done for others? Because when you leave, the only reason we’re going to talk about you is to say, “Hey, they did this for me, they touched my heart this way, they helped me, they helped my family,” whatever, whatever. So that’s, I think, what legacy comes from, but I mean, it’s selfish because there’s no better feeling in the world than to have put some energy into somebody, to invest time and energy into somebody else, and to see that grow, you get hype. It’s like a win for you, and it’s exponential because you can’t win all the time, but when you’re having a bad day and you see somebody else you worked with have a win, you had a win. So it’s all good, and the best part is you can do that for dozens of people, for hundreds of people, and even if you’re still looking for another thing for yourself, you can get these great shots in the arm from other people, from watching them get over and get ahead.