James Pickens Jr.
ABC/Liliane LathaRichard Webber will watch the woman he loves become a duke Grey’s Anatomy season 21 as Catherine Fox’s wife butts head with Meredith Grey’s protégé.
“Well, obviously, he’s emotionally invested in both of them,” the actor said James Pickens Jr. exclusively against Us Weekly about how Richard handles conflict when discussing Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and his partnership with Movember. “He’s not going to be the referee every time, but I think he’s there to navigate this little rock patch. And I’m sure the audience will be very interested in how this goes forward – but you know where my loyalties lie.”
When the ABC medical drama went on hiatus last spring, Catherine (Debbie Allen) becomes angry after discovering that Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) stepped forward with Alzheimer’s research behind him and enlisted the help of doctors at Gray Sloan Memorial. After Meredith refuses the order and publishes the abstract online, Catherine begins to fire documents, including Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd).
In the Grey’s Anatomy season 21 premiere trailer – which airs on ABC Thursday, September 26 at 10 pm ET – Catherine is seen threatening Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), the philanthropist slap. In the midst of all the drama, Richard is once again considering retirement.
Grey’s Anatomy fans should season 21, stat – especially after that spring cliffhanger where some doctors were fired. “I’m really excited for the fans to see how we can get out of the end of the last season,” said Grey’s player Meg Marinis to Entertainment Weekly in September 2024. In the finale of season 20, Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) was fired (…)
“He’s still hanging in there. He’s working on his anxiety and some of the demons around him, which he touched on at the end of last season,” Pickens, 69, teased. “We pick up where he is now trying to wrestle with them, with the help of Winston (Ndugu, played by Anthony Hill) and several others. We’re very excited about that, and there’s some dynamics with some of the surgeons being released and what that’s going to look like moving forward.
He added, “I think the premiere episode is going to be great. September 26. That’s great. I think the audience is going to be quite, quite surprised by what’s going down.
Pickens is one of three original cast members who appear regularly on the show, along with Wilson and Pompeo, the latter of whom narrates weekly but only appears on screen in a few episodes. She said the veterans try to welcome all the new cast members with open arms, but Wilson is the one who really makes her feel good.
“Chandra Wilson, who plays Bailey, is incredible, and she’s warm and giving,” Pickens said. us. “I don’t want to call her the mother of the actors, but she has a persona and a gift about her that makes everyone feel comfortable. She makes it a point to make sure that new actors who come in feel that they are now part of the family, and then they don’t have to go out of their way to do something special or whatever.
Family on screen is not the only priority. Pickens has partnered with Movember, the leading global men’s health charity, for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month throughout September because of his family’s on-screen history.
While many stars appeared on Grey’s Anatomy for long periods of time, others had one-episode stints. Demi Lovato, for example, landed a one-off part during an episode of season 6. Millie Bobby Brown, for her part, was relatively unknown when she appeared in the season 11 episode titled, “I Feel the Earth Move.” Jeffrey Dean Morgan, (…)
“My father has prostate cancer. It didn’t kill him, but it did. He also has two brothers, I also have, “Pickens shared with Us. “So, I think I have to be diligent (about) when looking at my own health. I started being pretty proactive when I turned right, about 50, and started yearly prostate exams.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the US, according to Movember, and one in eight Americans will receive a positive diagnosis in their lifetime. Pickens added that men of a particular color have a higher risk of prostate cancer.
“I think it’s very important that as black people, we need to understand how this disease is in our community,” he said. “There is more prevalence in the African American community.”
Sign up at Movember.com to get resources and help save men.
