Courtesy of ABC
The actress talks with THR about the big April-Jackson decision and what's to come.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Grey's Anatomy's "Unbreak My Heart" episode.]
April and Jackson's decision has been made — and it's both sad and surprising.
Thursday's flashback-heavy episode flashed back 12 years and covered the span of April (Sarah Drew) and Jackson's (Jesse Williams) relationship and filled in the blanks to reveal how they individually coped with the loss of their son, Samuel.
Perhaps most surprising was the fact that Jackson missed the flight April was on to go to Jordan. Additionally, that April, during her time in Jordan with the Army, tried to call Jackson on the anniversary of Samuel's death but couldn't get through.
The end result, however, was that April officially went through and signed the divorce papers. At the very end of the episode, however, April reveals to Arizona that she's pregnant — and knew about it before she signed the divorce papers.
That brings up the question of how that may or may not impact the fan-favorite couple's marital status. Here, THR talks with Drew about April's surprise and what to expect going forward.
You had a hand in creating the faith-based story for April and Jackson's first baby. What was your reaction to learning of April's second pregnancy?
I was completely shocked and had no idea it was coming. It was the best possible ending, especially for "Japril" fans. The end is so painful with the signing of the papers but there is this beautiful spark of hope that is in this new life that's coming out of this. I keep thinking about when people ask if there's if there's hope for them, I think of April's last line of voiceover in the episode — "Just because something feels like it cannot be fixed doesn't mean that it's broken." I think it ends in a very hopeful light but it's not going to be pretty in the near future.
Shondaland typically looks to tell larger stories with some of these arcs. I know it's early, but is there an overall story the show is looking to tell with April's journey?
I don't know what the bird's-eye view for it is. I'm so in April's perspective that it's hard to step outside of it and look at what the big picture is. Shonda Rhimes always loves to tell stories about women being their own damn selves come hell or high water and being incredibly strong and brave in the midst of pain and agony. The thing that I love the most about the direction of this story with April and Jackson is that there is a sense of hope and joy in the midst of the pain of this divorce. I love getting to see that and getting to play that.
April definitively signed the divorce papers. It seemed as if she knew she was pregnant when she signed. Did she?
The timeline isn't completely clear about that. It's pretty clear that it was on the same day but I don't know if she took the test before or after she signed them. At this point, the audience doesn't know whether she took the test before or after signing the papers. But it will be revealed in the next episode. It will be solidified in the next episode.
Might April's pregnancy change how she feels about the divorce now?
Her pregnancy is shifting her gears in a pretty profound way. It's forcing her to focus on the much bigger thing at hand, which is the baby. She's choosing to focus on this baby as the tremendous gift and joy in the midst of the pain and agony.
Will she tell Jackson? It's his baby, right?
(Laughing) I should hope so! I don't know who she would have been hanging out with during the whole, "I'm fighting for our marriage" time! I would hope it's Jackson's but it's Shondaland, so you never know!
How will this pregnancy be different for April without Jackson and after losing their first child?
It's going to be totally different. She's approaching this pregnancy with a completely different perspective. And, in some ways, it'll all be revealed in the next few episodes. In some ways, the way April approaches it is incredibly brave and strong — and then in other ways, it's a little sketchy. (Laughs.) Maybe I would not make the same choices that she's making but I also understand where she's coming from. I think people will have different opinions about the way she approaches this pregnancy. Some people will be in one camp and some will be in another.
What's "sketchy" about it? She's desperately wanted children and was shattered after her newborn son Samuel died.
I can't say much more than that. The choices she makes this pregnancy aren't ones a lot of people would make. But I do think that at the end of the day, she wants this baby for sure.
Is she hiding this pregnancy from Jackson? How might he respond?
You'll have to wait and see.
She does want him involved, right?
You'll have to wait and see. There's a whole lot of story that explodes as a result of this. This is just the beginning. This is not the end of anything.
Moving forward, could we see Jackson — or even April — dating again?
I don't think I can answer that! I can't imagine April dating anyone while being pregnant because pregnancy is not the best feeling! (Laughing.) I can't imagine her growing in her belly size while hitting the town; that doesn't make sense to me. But who knows! Anything can happen and that would be really an interesting twist!
Arizona does need another wingman!
This is true! She could get her pregnant wingman to come.
What did you think of April's reveal? Hit the comments with your thoughts. Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Grey's Anatomy
