It was hard for Sarah Drew when she left Grey’s Anatomy — but luckily she was able to rely on her son for support.
The actress, who starred as April Kepner on the hit TV show from season 6 to season 14, appeared on the Between Us Moms podcast and shared that there was a lot of “pain” for her when she left the series in 2018. Although it was a tough transition, Drew had a moment of realization when talking with her 13-year-old son Micah.
Asked about how she talks to her kids about things that don’t go her way, Drew says she often uses that frustration to demonstrate that there is a lesson to be learned or something better on the way.
“So I talk to them very much using that kind of language — ‘Oh gosh, that sucked. That felt really awful and it made me feel rejected and I feel like…I don’t think I deserved that and what could that be?’ ” she shares.
“And then I like to remind them once I see what that piece of gold is. So it might be weeks down the road, or months down the road or whatever, but even Grey’s being done,” she says. “There was a lot of pain with that.”
Drew goes on to say that since leaving Grey’s, she’s been writing and producing her own projects, as well as starring in a new show called Mistletoe Murders.
“It’s such a joyous experience in every way,” she says. “I’m so proud of the show and people love the show and I’ve had Micah say to me, ‘What’s so great is that if you were still on Grey’s, you would not be able to be on Mistletoe Murders.'”
“And I was like, ‘You’re right. You’re right.’ And this is the joy that came out of that closed door. What I’m living in and experiencing right now. So there you go.”
Drew shares her daughter Hannah Mali Rose, 10, and son Micah with husband Peter Lafer.
In March, Drew shared she was “bursting with pride” when she shared photos and video footage on Instagram of her kids performing in a California children’s theater production of Disney’s Frozen.
Drew’s daughter Hannah played Anna, a natural casting choice as she looks like a mini version of the Disney princess with her red hair. Hannah’s older brother Micah played Kristoff.
“This was Hannah’s first big leading role and she was magic. 🥹🥹 Micah created such a hilariously unique character in his interpretation of Kristoff,” Drew captioned a video of the performance onInstagram.
“Watching these kids grow in their confidence is probably my favorite part of parenting,” she added. “I’m bursting with pride over here 😭😭😭.”
“Mostly I just love how much joy these kiddos feel and emanate when they are up on that stage! The theater kid in me is absolutely DYING over here!!” she added in her caption.