Chandra Wilson, 54, shared a funny memory from her final day of auditioning for Grey’s Anatomy during a panel at Disney fan event D23 on Aug. 11. After successfully auditioning for the role of Dr. Miranda Bailey with the production team, she had a five-hour break before network auditions.
Wilson said during the event, “There was about five hours between (auditions), so I went to Universal Studios and … enjoyed some rides.” To pass the time, she went to Universal Studios and enjoyed some rides, which prompted laughter in the audience when she confessed this during the panel.
Although the character was originally described as a “short, blonde woman”, Wilson received the role and has played Dr. Bailey since the show’s pilot on March 27, 2005.
Wilson also shared the advice her agent gave her between auditions: “Take more control of the room.” She followed that advice and mimicked her mother, a teacher, when performing her audition monologue. In the scene, Dr. Bailey listed “five rules” for her intern class.
Wilson, who was living in New York at the time, returned to the city thinking she would at least have fun at the theme park. However, two days later she learned she had landed a life-changing role.
During her long tenure on the show, Wilson has maintained a balance between acting and directing. She directed her first Grey’s Anatomy episode in 2010 and has also directed episodes of Scandal and The Fosters.
Interestingly, she continued her job at Bankers Trust in New York until the second season of the show. “My job in the document processing department at Bankers Trust was my bread and butter,” the Station 19 actress said. She added, “When we got to Season 2, my supervisor said, ‘Will you stop calling us and telling us you’re not available because we see you on TV.'”
Wilson jokingly explained on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021 how her supervisor told her to stop calling because he could see her on TV. He eventually had to “force” her to quit her job.
Apart from her role in Grey’s Anatomy, Chandra Wilson has starred in several movies and TV shows throughout her career; including Philadelphia (1993), Lone Star (1996), Accidental Friendship (2008), Frankie & Alice (2010), Christmas Harmony (2018), Station 19 (2018-2024), etc.
Also read: White Lotus stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Walton Goggins release exciting season 3 update; watch
