Television November 23, 2006
'Grey's Anatomy': Before They Were Stars
It's hard to imagine what life was like before “Grey's Anatomy.”
But “Extra” raided our video archives and found the cast's “vintage” looks.
From a long-haired Patrick Dempsey to a very young-looking Katherine Heigl, the “Grey's Anatomy” docs have sure come along way.
Let's test your “Grey's Anatomy” trivia: can you guess who was the fat girl in “The Drew Carey Show?”
Well, it was none other than Kate Walsh, McDreamy's ex-wife, Dr. Addison Montgomery. Walsh donned a fat suit for her memorable 2002 role on the hit TV show.
Next question: do you remember who had the part of the fresh-faced, skinny high school kid from 1987's “Can't Buy Me Love?
That was Patrick Dempsey, pre-McDreamy, but he didn't always nab the role of the heartthrob.
“Extra” has uncovered a new side of Dempsey. We found video of McDreamy at the age of 15 in his Junior Champion Juggler phase.
“I was a juggling champion,” he admitted.
“Grey's” co-star Ellen Pompeo had been a struggling actor for six years before her big break in 2002 opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in “Moonlight Mile.”
Feisty intern Sandra Oh broke into the biz in 1994's indie flick “Double Happiness,” and we also found her fencing on the set of 2002's “Arli$$,” a show she never thought she'd get.
“This is so embarrassing, I will tell you,” she said as she recalled her nerve-wracking audition. “I spent the entire audition calling, 'Arliss, Airliss.'”
And talk about turning back the clock, we found a picture of the beautiful Katherine Heigl, who at 15 years old, was a Seventeen magazine model.
Just one year later, the precocious beauty appeared in the movie “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory,” and gave “Extra” the teen tour of New York.
See, fame isn't found overnight; just ask the cast of “Grey's Anatomy!”