'Grey's Anatomy' cast reminisces at D23 about last 20 years, teases shocking moments in new season

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It's been two decades since Seattle Grace Hospital opened its doors.

Since that time, a lot has happened. Doctors died in a plane crash, LVAD wires were cut, and a bomb was removed from a body.

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Through it all, the show has remained fresh, introducing new characters and plot lines along the way, while still retaining its heart and a few original members.

On Saturday, at D23's "Grey's Anatomy: 20th Celebration" panel, the cast gathered to share memories of their years on the show.

The panel included new showrunner Meg Marinis and actors Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey), James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber), Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amelia Shepherd), Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman), Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt, Camilla Luddington (Dr. Jo Wilson) and Jason Winston George (Ben Warren).

As an ice breaker, the cast was first asked if they could remember which surgery was their first on the show. Wilson, instead, shared a story from season 1 about how she sat in on a 5-month-old baby girl's heart surgery to repair a hole.

While she initially thought she'd be up in the gallery, like doctors do in the show, she was actually on the floor in the room where it took place.

"I got to just stand there and watch this beautiful sort of bloodless procedure done in order to repair this baby girl so she could go on and live a good life," she said. "And so I was good. I was like yeah that's right, surgeon, that's me."

As one might imagine, there are many quotable lines from the show that's spanned several generations.

Pickens jokingly shared that he wished he'd been the one to say, "It's a good day to save lives," which is a fan favorite quote by Patrick Dempsey, who played Dr. Derek Shepherd for 11 seasons.

When asked about storylines that resonated with them, Luddington shared that "Silent All These Years," Episode 19 in Season 15, was one that will always remain with her.

The episode shined a strong light on sexual assault, documenting everything from the process of reporting to the trauma and emotions attached to the process.

Luddington and Marinis shared that their work has real-life results, with RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, seeing a more than 40% increase in calls after the episode about sexual assault aired.

Through the wild plot lines, the show has remained steadfast with fans. Raver credits the honest, authentic portrayals of the doctors and their relationships with those around them.

"We have our messy moments of really, really bad mistakes and then there's the community and the family that we pick, as well as our other family, to help us find that pathway to a better day," she said. " The characters don't get it right all the time. All the moments of difficulty and who's with us during the hard times, that they're there with us in the good times, it's relatable.

Speaking of relationships, George shared his thoughts on his character's relationship with Dr. Bailey. He shared his appreciation that the characters are "gonna keep hammering this out until we get it right, because I know what you love about me and I know what I love about you." He went on to say that it's meaningful to see a longstanding couple of color on television.

Marinis teased fun relationships and shocking moments for the new season, telling fans, "I think you're gonna be happy."

"We have doctors who do not have jobs, and we pick up pretty close to where we ended after the finale," she said. "And we will see how and if those doctors get their jobs back. As well as we'll see how Ben gets back into the fold. It's not gonna be a super easy journey for him, but we're excited to have him back around Grey-Sloan.

Watch the premiere of Season 21 on Sept. 26 on ABC.

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