Other cast members of the medical drama aslo shared when they may leave the show.
Kelly McCreary is saying goodbye to Grey's Anatomy. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with the 41-year-old actress at PaleyFest, and she revealed the reason behind her departure from the long-running medical drama.
McCreary said leaving the show was a "largely creative" decision, noting, "I have lived with and loved Maggie Pierce for nine years. It's a long time."
"At the beginning of every season, I think about Maggie's origins and I think about how she's grown and how she's transformed," McCreary explained. "I always think about the fact that she is of Ellis Grey stock and she's got that hunger, that ambition. I always reflect on how that has transformed her and how that compares with the family she's created, the community that she's built... It's about people coming there to grow up and move on."
McCreary has yet to shoot her final episode of the series, but has some predictions for how that day will go.
"I think it's gonna be super fun for one thing. It's going to be joyful and really, really fun," she said. "Of course [there will be] some tears. There are gonna be tears. I'll be sad, but I can't help but just be really full of gratitude for the whole experience and the family and the community that I built along the way. It's life-changing and there is more ahead and I'm grateful for that too."
Though McCreary is exiting Grey's, she's not opposed to making a return to the series.
"It will be nice to come back and revisit," she said. "She's still part of the Grey's family, so hopefully the door will be open."
As for who else may soon say goodbye to the show, many of the other cast members told ET that they're in it for the long haul.
"There's always going to be broken bones," Chris Carmack, who plays orthopedic surgeon Link, joked, before Kevin McKidd predicted that "as long as it works and as long as we're all still enjoying it, I don't think anybody’s going anywhere."
"We're all so blessed to be in this environment, to tell these [stories]... To have regular work as an actor is incredible. Also, the quality of the writing is so fantastic, the skill of all our camera crews, it's still a very, very high-end show," McKidd, who plays Dr. Owen Hunt, said. "I feel very proud of it. As long as I continue to be proud of it, I'll be there... I'm really enjoying being on the show, so I don't see that coming anytime soon."
James Pickens Jr., Grey's Anatomy's Dr. Richard Webber, agreed, joking, "They could probably wheel me out in a wheelchair."
Chandra Wilson concurred, revealing that she's "challenging" herself to play Dr. Miranda Bailey until "the last scene [on] the last day."
Meanwhile, Camilla Luddington said she'll star as Dr. Jo Wilson until it "feels like the story is complete for my character personally," while Caterina Scorsone said she believes "life kind of lets you know" when it's time to walk away from her role as Dr. Amelia Shepherd.
And then there's Kim Raver, who stars as Dr. Teddy Altman and said she's "not even thinking about" when she may stop doing so.
"I'm just really so grateful to have an incredible job to go to every day," she said. "This cast is incredible, we have a really wonderful family, and I love telling Teddy's story. As long as they'll have me, I'm there. I am not going anywhere."
Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC.
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