Jessica Capshaw ‘Dodged Bullet’ After First ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Audition Fail

Jessica Capshaw got lucky when she first auditioned for Grey’s Anatomy because she did not get the role.

The actress, who starred on the ABC medical drama for 11 seasons, almost got cast in a role that didn’t last long on the series.

She spoke about getting cast during Sunday’s episode of the Call It What It Is podcast, which she hosts with her Grey’s Anatomy co-star Camilla Luddington.

Their guest on Sunday’s episode was vestibular audiologist and neuroplasticity therapist, Joey Remenyi.

While that episode was mainly talking about Luddington’s diagnosis of tinnitus with Remenyi, the pair later answered fan questions and spoke about how they got their roles on Grey’s Anatomy.

Capshaw eventually became a series regular after auditioning twice and then on the third contact with the casting directors, was asked to be a guest. Her character, pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins, became a series regular after her first season.

But Capshaw’s fate on Grey’s Anatomy could have been entirely different and she’s thankful she “dodged a bullet,” because the character she originally auditioned for did not last beyond two seasons.

Her first audition was for a character called Rose who appeared in 12 episodes across the fourth and fifth seasons of the drama. Rose was a nurse who dated Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), but they didn’t last because of his burgeoning romantic feelings for lead character, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Derek and Meredith’s relationship became the driving force of the show for many years, and remains one of the most loved TV romances of all time.

“I came in as a guest star after having auditioned for the show twice. I came in first as possibly Nurse Rose,” Capshaw explained.

“She was with Derek, but I dodged a bullet there because while she was fantastic in it [actress Lauren Stamile] and the part was lovely, who wants to come in between Meredith and Derek? That’s never a good idea.”

Capshaw’s next audition about a year after the first try-out was for the character of Dr. Sadie Harris, but that role was given to Australian actress Melissa George.

Eventually, the casting team called Capshaw back to give her the role of the quirky pediatrician who was described as a fan favorite by TV Guide’s Matt Mitovich and turned out to be one of Taylor Swift’s most beloved characters on the show.

“I remember I couldn’t believe my luck and it also would come at a time in my life where I really hadn’t worked in a while… and I saw Arizona Robbins [on the script] and I don’t know anyone named Arizona to this day,” Capshaw continued on the podcast.

“I wonder if there are any baby Arizonas out there now?”