Kevin McKidd Reveals Why He Left ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ After 18 Years!

A few weeks ago, Kevin McKidd, who portrayed Owen Hunt, officially left Grey’s Anatomy after 18 years of dedicated service. In the finale of season 22, his character, along with his wife Teddy (Kim Raver) and their two children, decided to move to Paris to embark on new adventures.

At the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, AlloCiné spoke with Kevin McKidd to talk about his departure.

AlloCiné: You’ve just said goodbye to Grey’s Anatomy. How did it feel to leave a show you’ve been part of for 18 years?

Kevin McKidd: Leaving the show brought up a mix of emotions. The Grey’s Anatomy team had really become like a family to me. I moved to the United States to continue my acting career, leaving behind my own family.

But I felt it was the right time for me to leave creatively. Eighteen years is a long time. Initially, I was brought on to be Sandra Oh’s co-star. Ultimately, she left, and I stayed.

I thought it was time for me to take on new challenges. When you work on a show like Grey’s Anatomy for so many years, you can get too comfortable.

You feel safe, you have stability, and you know the character well. But after 18 seasons, it felt like the right time. I’m still young enough and energetic to do good work if given the chance. So I wanted to open myself up to new opportunities.

Did you feel any apprehension about leaving the Grey’s Anatomy family?

Yes, of course. There’s always some apprehension because you’re facing the outside world again. A lot has changed in 18 years. When Grey’s Anatomy started, social media barely existed.

The world has changed, and it’s a very different environment from what I remember. So yes, I was a bit apprehensive, but at the same time, it’s exciting to face the real world again. I felt like I had been living in a bubble for a very long time. It’s both exciting and scary.

Right after the final clap of Grey’s Anatomy, you started shooting the movie Highlander. Was the transition from Grey’s Anatomy to this film challenging?

No, it was fun because it wasn’t that hard. I went to London, to Steve Dent’s farm, which is very famous because he handles all the horses for major period films. I hadn’t been there in 15 or 20 years.

Before Grey’s Anatomy, I was involved in a lot of period dramas where I wielded a sword and rode horses. That was really the bulk of my roles before Grey’s Anatomy.

It was funny to go back to rehearse stunts and horseback riding scenes. It was something familiar to me. It wasn’t intimidating at all. However, I was exhausted. I realized I’m not as young as I used to be. But I loved every second of it.

You will also be the main character in a new series, The Only Suspect. Can you tell us more about it? What made you want to accept this role?

It’s the adaptation of a miniseries from a novel of the same name. It’s a very dark psychological thriller. I was drawn to this series because I’m always attracted to ambiguous characters and anti-heroes.

I don’t know why, but I think I enjoy the challenge it presents. I want viewers to have empathy for him, even though he’s done something wrong.

And I think that’s what drew me in. The series is based on a very nuanced concept. It’s a murder mystery, but there’s no mystery about the identity of the killer. We know from the start that my character is the killer. We follow him as he tries to cover things up.

As the series progresses, viewers begin to understand that things didn’t go as planned. There are great twists, but the story doesn’t revolve around who did it.

Instead, we try to understand how, why, and in what way these events occurred in this man’s life and led him to kill someone. It’s really a complex work, and that’s what appealed to me about the role.

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