Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy saw the return of several fan favorite characters, such as Patrick Dempsey‘s Derek Shepherd. With ABC green-lighting season 18, fans beg to wonder if other familiar faces will make an appearance next year.
Kate Walsh, who played Addison Montgomery — Derek’s ex-wife — for several seasons before starring in her own spinoff Private Practice, weighed in on the possibility of her return to the medical drama.
While she “honestly would” come back to the franchise if asked, Kate reveals to ABC Audio, “There was talk a long time ago of me going back… But it was conflicted with the shooting of Umbrella Academy, so I couldn’t do it.”
The 53-year-old actress adds she “doesn’t know” if the character she nearly spent a decade bringing to life could make a grand return, confessing, “No one’s reached out.”
Still, she was overjoyed to see her old co-stars reprise their roles in the latest season, gushing, “I was super thrilled with how they brought back Patrick and T.R. [Knight] and I just thought it was so cool!”
“It was very moving too,” adds Kate, who is currently living in Australia after partnering with Sheba brand to work on the world’s largest coral restoration project.
And while the actress is holding the door open should showrunner Krista Vernoff give her a call, Kate confirmed the fate of another beloved character that she plays — Umbrella Academy villain The Handler.
“I can tell you unequivocally she’s not [returning,]” says Kate of the character known to escape death, noting The Handler survived being shot between the eyes because “I had that tricky metal plate in my head.“
But, the coral reef activist asserts the villain’s good fortune has run out, confirming, “She’s not coming back for season three.”
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