The first three episodes of
Grey’s Anatomy's new season have been shot, and
James Pickens, Jr. is pleased that an interesting year lies ahead for his character, Dr. Webber.
“He has to do a lot of soul-searching to do and has to make some decisions that might change the direction of hospital and/or his life. It is going to have the interns and residents on pins and needles, because they don’t know where their careers are going to go from here,” the actor told
TVGuideMagazine.com before handing out a scholarship at the 16th Annual Little Miss African American Pageant in Los Angeles on August 16.
“When we left off last season, the hospital was struggling. It had lost its good rating, and [the Chief] spent a good part of the season trying to woo new doctors, getting fancy new machines, and accepting headline-grabbing surgeries," adds Pickens. "This hospital is his baby, and he’ll do whatever to get that rating back up. Some of his methods will be conventional and some not so conventional. We will see that continue to play out this season.”
And like everyone else on staff, Pickens explained that the Chief will be greatly affected by George’s passing. “The atmosphere has been a little heavy, somber, because they lost one of their own," Pickens said. "His death affects each member of the staff differently. Everyone feels responsible in some way. In typical Chief style, he will try to hold the place together and keep a stiff upper lip, but it affects him quite deeply as he respected and mentored George.”