Jason George Teases Ben Warren's Return to 'Grey's Anatomy' as 'A Reflection' of His Own Life After 'Station 19'

Jason George begins to see art imitating life as he returns to a recurring role on Grey’s Anatomy following the cancellation of Station 19.

Seven years ago, George’s character, Ben Warren, left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, where he was training as a fifth-year surgical resident, to pursue his second dream: becoming a firefighter.

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Now, Ben is back for season 21, resuming his residency program at the hospital with a lot more experience and a slightly different perspective on life — that’s essentially how George feels about returning to the ABC medical drama.

“I love being back,” he told Deadline in a recent interview, admitting it felt a little “weird.”

“It’s like there’s the house you grew up in and the house you built as an adult. It’s not like my mother’s house isn’t mine. It’s my journey. It’s where I grew up. But it’s the house I built with my wife,” he explained. “So they’re very different, but I love them both deeply and for different reasons.”

“Now that I’m back at Gray“It’s like you’re 20 and you move back in with your parents, but your parents are nice… you come back whenever you want. You live your adult life, and everything’s great, but you’re in the room you grew up in,” he continued.

In fact, George teases that Ben expresses this sentiment in words during one of the season’s first episodes, describing how “everything you’ve done stays with you, even if it feels like you’re going backwards.”

George has been on Grey’s Anatomy since season 6, and he was a series regular from season 12 to season 14 before leaving to help launch the spin-off Station 19.

Although George is not present full-time, he has made appearances in Grey’s Anatomy in recent seasons, with Ben still married to former chief of surgery Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). Ben’s Season 7 storyline on Station 19 He was also seen increasingly exploiting his medical skills as he questioned his future as a firefighter.

But there’s a different feeling about putting on hospital scrubs and walking into an operating room, which George and his character are experiencing again for the first time in years.

“The current journey is very similar to Ben and Jason’s,” the actor said.

Season 21 of Grey’s Anatomy will air on September 26. At D23 in August, showrunner Meg Marinis remained fairly cryptic about what was coming, but she did indicate that Ben’s return to the fray would be fairly quick.

“It’s not going to be a super easy journey for him, but we’re excited to have him back at Grey Sloan,” she said at the time. She added that, as always, the season will feature “fun relationship moments,” which will start in the premiere, as well as “some really fun, really medical events.” Grey’s Anatomyshocking moments.

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