Ben Warren (Jason George) is back at Grey Sloan like he never left. After spending years on Station 19, Ben returned to the hospital in Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 after the ABC spinoff’s cancellation.
“For Jason, it’s been fantastic because it’s coming home. A few of the faces are different, but the vibe is still the same family that I left and [I] slipped right back in,” George told TV Insider. “For Ben, it’s rougher.”
He continued, “Look, you have the confidence that comes from running into burning buildings all the time. So you come back in, I know what I’m doing, but some things have changed. That shakes the confidence for a half second, you get over that hump, and then something else comes to shake your confidence like, I don’t know, a heat dome where you’re put in charge and [Teddy] says think like a first responder and then tells you not to think like a first responder.”
The first half of Season 21 included the departures of doctors Mika (Midori Francis) and Schmitt (Jake Borelli). With two doctors out of the Grey Sloan rotation, there will be a ripple effect.
“It changes the dynamic,” George teased. “Ben was just starting to get to know her and then there’s an exit. He’s just starting to get to know this whole class of interns and suddenly their group dynamic is changing. Ben’s just getting his legs back underneath him and then they shifted all up on him again.”
With Ben back at the hospital, he’s now working alongside his beloved wife Bailey (Chandra Wilson) again. However, it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. “She spent the last few years worrying about whether or not he’s going to make it home. Now she knows he’s going to make it home. Now she’s just worried if he’s actually going to make it through the program,” George said.
The actor pointed out that Ben, as we’ve seen plenty of times, will “risk his job to do what he thinks is right” if he thinks “he can help somebody.” George added, “And that’s not always the best for a career advancement.”
Watch the full video above to get more Season 21 scoop.
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 21, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC