we announced your casting last month<\/a>. When were you were first approached with the idea, and how did it evolve until you settled on the storyline?<\/p>\n\n\tSIGLER: I was approached by the Grey\u2019s team almost a year ago about coming on the show and playing a role with MS, and my only input was that I wanted to show someone in their power. I didn\u2019t want to show somebody that was needing help per se, or in any medical need. I wanted to show somebody that was living with this diagnosis for some time, accepting of their circumstances, acknowledging the hardships and the reality of what it is to live with a chronic illness but somebody that\u2019s made the adjustments in their life to continue to pursue their dreams and what they love, and they delivered that above and beyond.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: So you had no interest in playing a patient? When did the idea to be a doctor come around?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: I think that in knowing the story that we were wanting to tell and finding how it would fit in the storyline, that\u2019s when they had come to me. Then a couple of months ago, saying we found the story and the way that this fits, and they explained to me that the Dr Richard Webber character would be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and that I would be playing a renowned urologist brought in to give my opinion on his diagnosis and treatment, and that in that moment, I would be able to connect with him about our diagnoses and approach to life and the adjustments that one sometimes has to make with that. <\/p>\n
\n\tAnd it was something that really mirrors my own life in many ways, because that\u2019s the road I\u2019m trying to walk down. The first take of saying the words \u201cI have MS\u201d on screen brought me back to a 20-year-old Jamie who was working on The Sopranos, scared for her life that if anybody knew she had this she would never work again. And then here I am on a beautiful set on a beautiful show, having an inspired storyline. It\u2019s a moment I never thought would have been possible.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tJamie-Lynn Sigler in Grey\u2019s Anatomy \u2013 \u201cHeavy on Me\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/Anne Marie Fox<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: Is this is the first time you\u2019ve played a character with MS on screen?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: A very, very, very long time ago, I was on Magnum PI, and they mentioned, like one-hand thing, she has MS. But there wasn\u2019t anything that they really talked about, so I would say this time, yes, is really the first time that I\u2019m playing someone with MS. <\/p>\n
\n\tThis actually made me realize that just me being on screen is representation. Me being in the body of somebody that has MS and acting and performing, that is representation. It\u2019s not that we have to talk about it. It\u2019s not that it has to be what the story is about. <\/p>\n
\n\tSometimes the hesitancy of representation is why I think some people still feel like there isn\u2019t enough inclusion, especially when it comes to the the disabled community. It was a realization I had, and it made me feel really empowered. And I hope that others feel represented by just seeing me, and I hope that other productions can acknowledge that, that this doesn\u2019t have to be something that takes away from a story, or something you have to focus on. People with disabilities and chronic illness live very full lives. I have a lot of roles that I have to fulfill in my life all the time, and none of them are defined by MS.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: You say \u201cI have MS\u201d in your scene with James. Did you have input in your lines? Your character says: \u201cI was devastated after I got the diagnosis. I put in so much work my whole career, and the thought of no longer being in the OR was soul crushing, to say the least. But that\u2019s when I realized it was just my fear talking.\u201d Did you go through the same process of acceptance?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: I didn\u2019t give them any input for that line of dialog, but it felt like it came straight from my mind and my heart. It is exactly the story that I have been trying to tell and the story I very much lived. I think it\u2019s very important to acknowledge the difficulties and the heartbreak that comes with something like this. I actually think that\u2019s the most important step in representation, but then also truth, that\u2019s what I did. I took this body, and I took this circumstance and said, Okay, this is what I can and this is what I can\u2019t do. But it doesn\u2019t take away from my wanting to be an actress, my love of this craft and this business, and it\u2019s not going to stop me from wanting to pursue this. And finding opportunities like this just give me more hope, and I hope give others the same in whatever field that they\u2019re in, that things are still possible. It just has to look a different way sometimes.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: And then there is my favorite line in the entire episode from that scene where your character, says \u201cI just turned MS into a pivot, not an ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: It\u2019s a beautiful piece of dialog, and that could pertain to anything that anybody is going through, because it\u2019s true. The thing that my husband says to me all the time \u2014 and I had a reminder of \u2014 is your story isn\u2019t over yet. And I think it gives the same testament. Just because this happened to you doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s over. You just make your adjustments, you go around that bend, you take your pivot. I think that is one of the most powerful and beautiful messages, and it was an honor to be able to say those words.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: How have you been able to pivot ? You hadn\u2019t acted for a while; was that a personal choice?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: I went through some things personally with my family, I\u2019ve been writing my memoir, a little bit here and there, just me needing the time and needing to be where I needed to be for a moment. As far as the pivots I\u2019ve taken with acting, it\u2019s been a slow process for me, also, of accepting my limitations when it comes to work. A lot of it, for a long time was like, let\u2019s work around this, let\u2019s hide this. And everybody that I\u2019ve ever worked with has been super collaborative and super supportive of that.<\/p>\n
\n\tBut now I\u2019m entering into a time where I don\u2019t want to hide it, mainly because it\u2019s extra effort on my part, and I feel like it takes away from my presence as an actress, but also why? I move the way I move and, if it\u2019s okay within the director\u2019s vision, that\u2019s how I present myself now, this is what I come with, and if you\u2019re okay with that, I\u2019d love to work with you. Because I don\u2019t want to feel shame around my body, and I don\u2019t want to feel shame around the fact that I live with this. <\/p>\n
\n\tI think we all carry things with us that are difficult. Mine just happens to be on the outside, and I found ways for it to enrich and give me depth when it comes to my work. And having opportunities like this, and a lot of the opportunities that I\u2019ve had has allowed me the confidence to be able to be that way.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: How hard was it for you to work for 15 years while struggling to hide your illness?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: It was incredibly difficult and painful and heartbreaking because I knew I wasn\u2019t giving the best work that I could give, even when it came to auditions, like, freaking out about how I would move and how I would walk in and out of the room, and would they be able to tell, would somebody be able to see? The constant covering up and mental gymnastics of what to do to keep it hidden was just overwhelming and distracting and unlivable. <\/p>\n
\n\tI marvel at how long I was able to do it. I wrote a memoir that\u2019s coming out in May, and I talk a lot about that journey, which is something I\u2019ve never talked about before, being on a full season of a sitcom and struggling, being in a full flare of my MS and coming up with constant excuse after excuse, and going home every day in tears that I\u2019m going to be found out, and not having any joy or presence in my work. It\u2019s been a very long, bumpy road, and so to have a moment like this feels incredibly sweet and rewarding, especially when they acknowledge all that I\u2019ve been through.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: What do you hope people with MS will take away from the episode?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: Having MS does not mean you are incapable or weak. Everything is still possible, you just need to find a new way.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: The show left the door open for your character. Would you consider coming back? Is there talk about this becoming a recurring role?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: The last line is, literally, \u201cyou have my number.\u201d The people at Grey\u2019s have my number. I think they know how much I enjoyed my time there, and it would, of course, be my honor to come back and play with them anytime.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: Now that you got the bug again, are you now considering other acting offers? What is this year looking like for you?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: Yes, I think this is the year that I\u2019m stepping into my power a little bit more, my authenticity. I\u2019ve felt it inform my work, I feel like I\u2019m doing my best work. Yes, I\u2019m fully putting myself back out there and looking forward to the things that are on the horizon.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: How is it on the set of Grey\u2019s Anatomy? Are you a fan of the show? <\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: Being such a fan of a show, even though I\u2019ve been on a million sets, walking on a set of a show that you watch all the time, you feel like you\u2019re getting a peek behind the curtain. It was beautiful and wonderful. I was received with such warmth, I couldn\u2019t have asked for more. My dear friend Lisa Leone happened to be hired, coincidentally, to direct that episode, so it all felt very divinely orchestrated.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: Did you get to spend time with the other actors because most of your scenes were with James and Debbie?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: Just at the read-through, I got to sit next to Kim Raver and catch up with her and Chris Carmack is an old friend of mine. So yes, I got to meet everyone at the read-through and in passing in the hair and makeup trailer. But most of my stuff was with James and Debbie, which was, I mean, I couldn\u2019t have asked for more. It was amazing.<\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience on Grey\u2019s?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: I\u2019m incredibly grateful to the team at Grey\u2019s Anatomy for hearing me and seeing me and others like me. They always do such an incredible job of authentic representation and being sensitive and kind and mindful about it all, and I couldn\u2019t be more grateful that my first time really playing somebody with MS on the screen was with the team at Grey\u2019s. <\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: Do you still stay in touch with your Sopranos family?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: I do. <\/p>\n
\n\tDEADLINE: It was such a beloved show. Do you think anything may ever happen in that universe?<\/p>\n
\n\tSIGLER: You know, never, say never. There\u2019s such a divine alchemy when it comes to that cast and that experience and that crew. But yes, I speak to Robert Iler on the daily, he\u2019s one of my best friends. I speak to Aida [Turturro] all the time, I\u2019m in touch with Edie [Falco]. We all have had such a unique and intense and beautiful experience. We\u2019re family forever. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Episode of 2208 of ABC\u2019s Grey\u2019s Anatomy \u201cHeavy on Me.\u201d In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[236,149892,88,33106,153846,45608,13353],"class_list":{"0":"post-410349","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-debbie-allen","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-greys-anatomy","12":"tag-james-pickens-jr","13":"tag-jamie-lynn-sigler","14":"tag-qa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}