IN CONVERSATION WITH CAMILLA LUDDINGTON

interview by JANA LETONJA

Camilla Luddington stars as fan favorite Dr. Jo Wilson on ABC’s hit medical drama series ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, which will be returning to our screens with its 21st season on 26th September. With Jo finding out she is pregnant at the end of Season 20, we are all eagerly awaiting to find out what is in store next for her.

Camilla, last season ended leaving fans eagerly awaiting ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to return. What is in store for Jo in this upcoming season?

In last season’s finale, she found out that she was pregnant and then she had not told Link, so in the premiere I can definitely tease that there is going to be a reveal that includes Link and sort of navigation of that news. And then for the rest of the season, I will tease that Jo is on a couple really great medical cases. I'm excited because I get to work with Caterina Scorsone who plays Amelia. I feel like we never get scenes together. You're gonna see a lot more of Jo and Levi and their friendship. They make me laugh so much. They're totally in cahoots together this season, so you're going to see more of that friendship too.

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How did you personally react when you read in the script that Joe is going to end up pregnant?

I laughed initially because the scene was so funny with Levi telling her. Of course it's going to be Schmitt that tells her. But I also have to say that there was a scene a few episodes before that with Link where she realizes that she does want to have her own, she does want to have another baby. I was excited for her because I think it's something that she wants, but let's see if it's something also that Link is feeling like is the right time too.

What can the fans expect from the upcoming season in general?

There's a lot of drama still that involves Catherine and the power struggle that's kind of happening in the hospital around the trial. We're entering the season with many doctors who don't have jobs, and so it's going to unveil the outcome of that. And then of course, we have our interns and I would tease that there's sort of a couple new relationships blossoming this season among what Chandra Wilson calls our babies. There's some romantic shifts there that I think the audience will find really fun.

You’ve been portraying Jo Wilson for 12 seasons now. What do you love most about her character and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?

It's so crazy. What I really love about portraying her is I've gotten to have this experience that not a lot of actors get. It's very special where you get to sit with a character for a really long time. And so one thing that I really love about playing her is it almost feels like we've grown up together. I don't know if that sounds strange, but it feels like we've grown as people together. She's been married, she has a child. It was funny because the season that she got Luna was a season my son was born, so when she was turning up to work and she hadn't slept, I really hadn't slept too. It felt like this parallel that was happening between us.

I just love her resilience. I think she's so strong. I think she's had so many things happen to her in her past, and she's done a lot of work on her mental health, which is very relatable, really inspiring to me. I really love that about her, but I also love seeing her as a mom. I really admire how much she just adores her daughter. And I love her relationship with Link.

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How does it feel working on one project, and an immensely successful one at that, for so many years?

I think one thing that's really great about the show and the opportunity to sit for so many episodes with a character is that we are constantly challenged in our characters. Our characters are constantly going through really different things, different life experiences. And so creatively, I don't feel dissatisfied. I feel like every season I'm re-challenged by something that Jo is challenged by. And then when I want to do other things, there's other artistic outlets that I'm able to do that feel really great. I just started a podcast with Jessica Capshaw, and also I'm a mom. On the downtime that I get off of the show, which is only a couple months, I just enjoy it with my family. I think it gives me balance.

How do you balance it with being a mom to two young kids?

The truth is, sometimes I think that there isn't a balance and that it’s really hard. I'm not sure that you ever quite find the right recipe that makes everything perfect and work. I think more as a working parent, what you realize is that there are going to be times when you feel like you're missing out on things. And that's really difficult with your family. Then there are times when you feel like you get to spend all the time with them and they're sick of you. I think that you just kind of take each day as it comes and that's something you sort of learn.

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The role that kind of launched your career in the US, was portraying Kate Middleton in Lifetime’s ‘William and Kate’. How do you look back on the beginnings of your career, and how it’s developed since then?

First off, I really loved it took three weeks to film that Lifetime movie, and it was just so much fun. We had a blast and we all knew that it was going to be very cheesy and romantic, and we just all leaned into it. And then of course right after that, I hopped onto a show called ‘Californication’, which was completely different. I look at the early stages of my career and I think I was just so excited by everything. I took all the opportunities that were given to me because I feel like you never stop learning as an actress.

For example, shooting of ‘William and Kate’ was a little bit different to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. We had to get through a lot of material very quickly, so the shooting style and that momentum is different to what I've experienced since then. It was great to sit back and learn about how they navigate those kind of shoots. Early in my career, I was just so excited and appreciative to be given a role. It's hard to break into the industry. I was waitressing and then it propelled from there. And luckily from there, I just never stopped working, which is really incredible.

Which role and project, of course besides ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, has had the biggest impact on you personally and creatively?

I played Lara Croft in the ‘Tomb Raider’ video games. I did three games and each game takes two or three years to develop, so that was another character that I got to sit with for a really long time. And because I was doing motion capture and I was acting a lot of times with not a lot sets built, I feel like that really challenged me creatively.

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Would you consider reprising your role in it one more time?

Oh man, I'd have to really think about it. It's a lot of work, but I think you can never say no to something. I'd always want to be open.

Tell us more about yourself and your passions in life, outside of being an actress.

I've taken up painting again, which is something that I used to love to do. I was always doing art when I was younger and in my early twenties. I think there's those things that you love to do that you just suddenly stop doing because life gets so busy. So, recently, I've bought canvases and so much paint I don't even know where to put it. Sometimes it's been like a complete mess and I don't know what I'm doing, but I've really enjoyed that creativeness again. And it's so funny because as soon as I start painting, of course my kids want to do it too, so we're all sort of in the backyard and they're making a mess. It's been like this cute little family thing we've been doing on a lot of weekends.

How do you feel about fashion? What role does it play in your life, and what do you enjoy the most about it?

I definitely think fashion is a really fun way to express yourself. We don't really get to do that much on the show, and the truth is that in my real life, I like comfort over looking overly chic. But when I get to go to events or do press, that's when I really get to explore and work with stylists. And I think it's important to work with a stylist because oftentimes they can really open your eyes to trying new styles that maybe you wouldn't have thought of wearing. I think especially as an actress, it's an extension of a job, it's an extension of a character.

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You mentioned you started a podcast with Jessica Capshaw. What is it all about and how did the two of you decided to do this together?

Jessica called me last fall and she literally said “I want to do a podcast and I want to do it with you”. And there was no part of me that was like “Let me think about it”. Then we talked about how we could make it about us talking about our lives and having guests on, but we are so lucky to have the ‘Grey's Anatomy’ fandom. We've wanted a way to make it feel like they were part of it too, not just listening to us, and so we wanted to have that element of it feeling interactive. And one thing that we felt was organic for us is that we listen. Each friendship does this, we all solve each other's problems, we all try to help each other navigate this insane, crazy world. And we may not have all the right answers, but just having that person to share sometimes with feels better.

We took that idea and people can DM us on Instagram or call into the podcast and leave a message or email us, they explain to us something that's happening in their lives or a problem, and we read it on the podcast and we sort of discuss it and try to solve it. What I love about it so much is how vulnerable our listeners, we call them the crew, are. They are coming with really intimate problems and being very vulnerable in sharing, and it's just been so touching. The podcast is called ‘Call It What It Is’, and It's become a huge passion project of ours that we hope to continue to grow.

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TEAM CREDITS:
talent CAMILLA LUDDINGTON
photographer ASHLEY CHAPPELL
stylist ORETTA CORBELLI
makeup SHELBY SMITH at HIGHLIGHT ARTISTS
hair CLAYTON HAWKINS at A-FRAME AGENCY
styling assistant RAIA DOSHI
hair assistant TRAVIS TAKARA
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director & interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN