Jamie-Lynn Sigler On Return To Acting In ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ & Saying “I Have MS” On Screen For First Time: “It’s A Moment I Never Thought Possible”

SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Episode of 2208 of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy “Heavy on Me.”

In tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and his wife Catherine Cox (Debbie Allen) clash over the course of action following Richard’s prostate cancer diagnosis. Unhappy with his wait-and-see approach, Catherine flies in Dr. Laura Kaplan, played by guest star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, a top urologist who proposes a surgical intervention that comes with risks but could also cure him, at least for the foreseeable future.

Richard initially bristles at the idea because the potential complications could impact his work as a surgeon and his personal life. But after he learns that Laura has multiple sclerosis and after hearing her speak about adapting to the condition and remaining at the top of her profession, he has a change of heart and by the end of the episode, he agrees to the surgery.

In an interview with Deadline, Sigler revealed how the guest role, created for her, came about and why it was important to her that the character is not defined by their affliction and has a full life and a career.

She spoke about her scene with Pickens Jr. in which Laura discloses her condition, revealing that this was her first time playing someone with MS on TV. Sigler shares how it was to be on the Grey’s Anatomy set in her return to television after a three-year break and her hopes to come back to the show and do more acting in general.

The Sopranos alumna Sigler, who also spoke about staying in touch with her co-stars on the groundbreaking HBO series, was diagnosed with MS when she was 20 years old and hid her diagnosis for 15 years, mainly because she feared repercussions for her Hollywood career. She went public in 2016.

Elsewhere in the episode, Jo (Camilla Luddington) is spiraling postpartum, Simone (Alexis Floyd) and Lucas (Niko Terho) are adjusting to being friendly exes as she starts dating Wes (Trevor Jackson), Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Owen (Kevin McKidd) team up to deliver yet another revolutionary surgery at Grey Sloane by removing a complex tumor while Jules (Adelaide Kane) continues to pine for Dr. Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) who started seeing a nurse.

DEADLINE: I know that there had been conversations for months before we announced your casting last month. When were you were first approached with the idea, and how did it evolve until you settled on the storyline?

SIGLER: I was approached by the Grey’s 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’t 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’s made the adjustments in their life to continue to pursue their dreams and what they love, and they delivered that above and beyond.

DEADLINE: So you had no interest in playing a patient? When did the idea to be a doctor come around?

SIGLER: I think that in knowing the story that we were wanting to tell and finding how it would fit in the storyline, that’s 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.

And it was something that really mirrors my own life in many ways, because that’s the road I’m trying to walk down. The first take of saying the words “I have MS” 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’s a moment I never thought would have been possible.

DEADLINE: Is this is the first time you’ve played a character with MS on screen?

SIGLER: 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’t anything that they really talked about, so I would say this time, yes, is really the first time that I’m playing someone with MS.

This 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’s not that we have to talk about it. It’s not that it has to be what the story is about.

Sometimes the hesitancy of representation is why I think some people still feel like there isn’t 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’t 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.

DEADLINE: You say “I have MS” in your scene with James. Did you have input in your lines? Your character says: “I 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’s when I realized it was just my fear talking.” Did you go through the same process of acceptance?

SIGLER: I didn’t 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’s very important to acknowledge the difficulties and the heartbreak that comes with something like this. I actually think that’s the most important step in representation, but then also truth, that’s 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’t do. But it doesn’t take away from my wanting to be an actress, my love of this craft and this business, and it’s 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’re in, that things are still possible. It just has to look a different way sometimes.

DEADLINE: And then there is my favorite line in the entire episode from that scene where your character, says “I just turned MS into a pivot, not an ending.”

SIGLER: It’s a beautiful piece of dialog, and that could pertain to anything that anybody is going through, because it’s true. The thing that my husband says to me all the time — and I had a reminder of — is your story isn’t over yet. And I think it gives the same testament. Just because this happened to you doesn’t mean it’s 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.

DEADLINE: How have you been able to pivot ? You hadn’t acted for a while; was that a personal choice?

SIGLER: I went through some things personally with my family, I’ve 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’ve taken with acting, it’s 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’s work around this, let’s hide this. And everybody that I’ve ever worked with has been super collaborative and super supportive of that.

But now I’m entering into a time where I don’t want to hide it, mainly because it’s 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’s okay within the director’s vision, that’s how I present myself now, this is what I come with, and if you’re okay with that, I’d love to work with you. Because I don’t want to feel shame around my body, and I don’t want to feel shame around the fact that I live with this.

I 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’ve had has allowed me the confidence to be able to be that way.

DEADLINE: How hard was it for you to work for 15 years while struggling to hide your illness?

SIGLER: It was incredibly difficult and painful and heartbreaking because I knew I wasn’t 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.

I marvel at how long I was able to do it. I wrote a memoir that’s coming out in May, and I talk a lot about that journey, which is something I’ve 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’m going to be found out, and not having any joy or presence in my work. It’s 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’ve been through.

DEADLINE: What do you hope people with MS will take away from the episode?

SIGLER: Having MS does not mean you are incapable or weak. Everything is still possible, you just need to find a new way.

DEADLINE: The show left the door open for your character. Would you consider coming back? Is there talk about this becoming a recurring role?

SIGLER: The last line is, literally, “you have my number.” The people at Grey’s 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.

DEADLINE: Now that you got the bug again, are you now considering other acting offers? What is this year looking like for you?

SIGLER: Yes, I think this is the year that I’m stepping into my power a little bit more, my authenticity. I’ve felt it inform my work, I feel like I’m doing my best work. Yes, I’m fully putting myself back out there and looking forward to the things that are on the horizon.

DEADLINE: How is it on the set of Grey’s Anatomy? Are you a fan of the show?

SIGLER: Being such a fan of a show, even though I’ve been on a million sets, walking on a set of a show that you watch all the time, you feel like you’re getting a peek behind the curtain. It was beautiful and wonderful. I was received with such warmth, I couldn’t 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.

DEADLINE: Did you get to spend time with the other actors because most of your scenes were with James and Debbie?

SIGLER: 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’t have asked for more. It was amazing.

DEADLINE: Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience on Grey’s?

SIGLER: I’m incredibly grateful to the team at Grey’s 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’t be more grateful that my first time really playing somebody with MS on the screen was with the team at Grey’s.

DEADLINE: Do you still stay in touch with your Sopranos family?

SIGLER: I do.

DEADLINE: It was such a beloved show. Do you think anything may ever happen in that universe?

SIGLER: You know, never, say never. There’s 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’s one of my best friends. I speak to Aida [Turturro] all the time, I’m in touch with Edie [Falco]. We all have had such a unique and intense and beautiful experience. We’re family forever.