Intervju / Interview
As an actress, how much does it mean to you that you’ve been doing one job for two decades? - That’s an incredible opportu- nity for any actor; a dream come true. For me, it is one of the best worlds – one in which I can act every day, and I feel at home in that role. People often say: “Yes, but you’ve been playing the same character for 20 years. How come you don’t get bored?” And, yes, that is one wom- an, but she’s changed so much, and I’ve enjoyed the evolution that she’s gone through. I experienced this role as an experiment in which Bailey and I followed each other for 20 years. That’s what actors do. Fur- thermore, it’s a huge relief in an existential sense when you spend two decades going to a job that you know is guaranteed. You wake up every day knowing where you’re go- ing and what it is that you’re doing. Do you even remember Chandra Wilson before Miranda Bailey? - Of course. It is interesting that I was initially slightly hesi- tant about whether I would dive in- to Grey’s Anatomy with all my heart or whether I’d wait a little longer to risk everything. To the extent that I only gave up my day job at the end of season two. It is simply dif- ficult for a young actor to, as they say, place all their eggs in one bas- ket. I was more focused on theatre work at that time, and of course au- ditioning for every possible series that was being shot in New York. Law & Order, obligatory soap operas – that’s where every actor masters their craft... Even one episode of Sex and The City. All those experienc- es helped me a lot when it came to finding my way later. On the oth- er hand, they convinced me that it’s possible to make a living from acting. Yes, that implies lots of au- ditions, and accepting all sorts of roles, but if I’m going to get a cheque that I can cash every week – that’s work. Naturally, in the meantime I kept all the temporary jobs that paid the rent. And then Grey’s Anat- omy happened.
well-known heroes of this marathon procedural drama that has won four Emmys and received almost 40 nom- inations for the same award. Among those returning is the likeable Bai- ley, who reveals here for Elevate that Grey’s Anatomy represents a special form of addiction for her that she doesn’t plan to get over. - I was a little concerned about our viewers at one point. Twenty years have passed since we started broadcasting. Viewers who are to- day watching Grey’s Anatomy wer- en’t even born when the first epi- sodes premiered, yet they are still interested in our stories. According to that logic, we could really do this series forever. I hope that I will re- tire before Bailey – says this actress, beginning our conversation with a laugh and noting that, the longer the series lasts, the more determined she is to finish what she started. What keeps you in the world of Grey’s Anatomy? - Apart from the fact that it’s a wonderful series that gives me a salary, it seems to me that the only other reason is my sheer pig-head- edness. That tenacious and stub- born part of me provides the moti- vation for me to be a “starter” and a “finisher” of everything I do. If I’ve started something, I’ll also finish it.
I’ll stick with Grey’s Anatomy until the very end – until the final sec- ond, the final day, the final episode. That’s what I want to do, and I’ve repeated that with the culmination of every season. I was always cer- tain that I’d be there for the next seasons too. What has kept me in the world of Grey’s Anatomy? Sheer determination. How do you see Miranda Bailey today? How much has she changed since the launch of the show? - I like that we’ve seen her in many different phases. She has en- dured a hell of a lot of challenges, and me with her. From a resident managing five enthusiastic new in- terns at Seattle’s Grace Hospital to the Chief of Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial. From giving birth, to the moment when she held one of her juniors in her last moments as she bled to death following a mass shooting. Bailey lost her mom to the virus, and resigned from the posi- tion of chief of surgery because cov- id had taken so many lives among healthcare personnel. Challenges change people, that’s a fact. And even when you’re just acting, af- ter 20 years it’s impossible not to change with that imaginary world, at least a little.
Veliko je olakšanje u
egzistencijalnom smislu kada dve decenije odlazite na posao za koji znate da vam je zagarantovan It’s a huge relief in an existential sense when you spend two decades going
to a job that you know is guaranteed
24 | Intervju » Interview
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