Shonda Rhimes, in a recent interview, candidly reflected on Grey’s Anatomy. Her remarks reignited interest in the show’s most emotional moments, particularly the shocking death of T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley. Rhimes discussed several parts of the series, but her remark about the death that “broke” her stood out most.
Shonda Rhimes says death of T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley on Grey’s Anatomy devastated her
Shonda Rhimes identified George O’Malley’s death as the hardest loss in Grey’s Anatomy history. Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast with Alex Cooper, the series creator said, “Probably George’s,” when asked which character death hurt her most. She explained, “The character is so beloved, and T.R. is such a lovely guy. That was such a hard thing to do.”
In the Season 6 premiere, T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley sacrifices himself to save a stranger and dies after being hit by a bus, stunning fans. Rhimes recalled, “T.R. was so amazing because he didn’t need to lay on that table, but he was like, ‘I’m gonna do the role, even though you’re never gonna see my face’… It broke me, so I knew that the audience would respond to it.”
Rhimes shared that the reveal of George’s identity was kept secret even from most members of the cast. “Nobody knew who George was. Nobody,” she told Entertainment Weekly in a March interview. “I’m not even sure all the cast knew…Certain members of the crew knew, and T.R. was determined that he would be the body lying on the operating table,” she added.
Knight’s character had left to enlist in the Army in Season 5, but his return in disguise as the injured “John Doe” created one of the show’s most emotional episodes. Rhimes said his blue eyes in the hospital scene were deliberate, adding, “He would be the body that you saw every single time, which is why you got to see his beautiful blue eyes.”
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on ComingSoon.
