Grey’s Anatomy’s Camilla Luddington is reflecting on her journey

in the medical drama series where she has starred as Dr. Jo Wilson

since season 9. In an interview with People, she touched on her character

initially being defined by her relationship with pediatric surgeon Alex Karev

before her transition to being a mother. Justin Chambers played the role of

Alex and their romance ended when he left Grey’s Anatomy in 2019.

“When I joined the show, very quickly Jo was with Alex, and so she sort of came as this package deal for many seasons.” Luddington shares. “Then we got to see who Jo was by herself and all the growth that she had to do. Then becoming a mother by herself. I feel like it ended up empowering her as a character. That ends up being really exciting as an actor.”

When Luddington’s character is introduced to the show in 2012, she begins as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, later renamed Grey Sloan Memorial in the same season. Her storylines center around her abandonment issues, being a domestic abuse survivor and her mental health challenges. In addition, her real name in Grey’s Anatomy is later revealed to be Brooke Stadler, which she changed to escape her abusive husband Paul Stadler and start a new life in Seattle.

Luddington Has High Hopes For Jo Wilson In ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Luddington feels very connected to her character in Grey’s Anatomy as she has grown over the years with Jo, watching her evolve in the same way that she has evolved. She also has high expectations for Jo’s future at Grey Sloan Memorial, as she said, “I was such a dork the other day. I was on-set like, ‘Wait a second: ‘Chief Jo’ just has a ring to it,’ or I told myself that it does. Wouldn’t it be amazing if one day she ended up chief? I would love that.”

In addition to her hopes, romance brews between Jo and Dr. Atticus “Link” Lincoln, her best friend back in the day who declared his love for her in the season 19 finale. Meanwhile, the medical show was renewed for its 21st season last month, meaning there will be one more season after the current season 20 ends. Every season finale makes Luddington nervous, which she explains: “I get nervous every season finale because if your character is holding a plane ticket; we joke about this, you need to be nervous. You don’t ever want to be boarding a plane on Grey’s Anatomy.”

Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 is currently airing on ABC. Past seasons are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.