Jason George on Hampton Roads’ Influence, Hollywood’s Secret Sauce, and His Return to ‘Grey's Anatomy’

Jason George is the definition of longevity in Hollywood. With a career spanning decades, he’s been a part of comedy classics, bingeable dramas, film-lover favorites, and so many more. Ask a friend to name their favorite Jason George project and the answer could vary to so many cultural staples.

Known for his charisma both on and off screen, George has built a reputation not just as a talented actor but also as a professional who brings authenticity and heart to every role he takes on. BLEU sat down with the Virginia Beach native to talk about his career journey, love for storytelling, how real-life experiences find their way into his work, and of course, his return to the beloved Shondaland series, Grey’s Anatomy. Check it out below!

BLEU: First, I have to let you know when I was doing my research, I was super excited to learn you grew up in Virginia Beach. So as a fellow Virginian I have to ask, what was it like pursuing a career in the arts, coming from our area? Because let’s be honest, it’s no LA or New York.

Jason George: Oh yeah, 757 in the house! My whole family is there. My father and all my best friends were Navy. They were from the Naval Academy, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech ROTC, and then there was me—the actor boy going to UVA. They didn’t know what to do with me. Plus, I went to grad school in Philly—so I’m all over the East Coast.

But the thing about VA Beach is it’s a beach town with the biggest naval base in the world. So it brings people from all over the country, all over the world. That brings a lot of different kinds of cultures, vibes, and styles. Mark Ruffalo and Pharell are from out there. There’s no one way to do anything. I mean, it's still the South, so it’s possible to only stay in your lane if you choose to, but if you’re willing to look outside of it, you can find a lot of things that may inspire you.

BLEU: Yes, 757 is like a hidden gem. It holds a special place in my heart. Now, let’s talk about your career journey. You’ve had such a consistent career and the unique opportunity to be a part of such different projects over the years. I’m sure I speak for a lot of creatives when I say that’s very coveted. What’s your secret sauce?

Jason George: Consistency is the most beautiful thing in the world when it comes to this industry. First off, I discovered acting when I was at UVA. Then I went to grad school so I could really understand the craft of it, beginning to end. Secondly, my mom raised me to not be a jerk. You would be surprised how much that is an added bonus. There are a lot of people who can play characters and anticipate what the director wants. But can you do all that and make the set a better place? Can you do all that and make it actually an enjoyable place for people to come to work? I grew up with the attitude of wherever you are, make it better when you leave.

Throwing it back to Virginia Beach, I think of Pharrell’s music; he can get gully, but then he's also a skater boy. That, to me, is very Virginia Beach. I can flip it a few different ways. I can do comedy and drama. It’s just my hustle mentality; I'm always gonna have a couple things going at once. Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey, Grey’s Anatomy) always cracks me up because she's like, you stay employed, and you keep two jobs at once. And she’s right. I've had at least two jobs at a time since I was 11 years old. I was a paperboy, and I was working at the Tidewater Tides, the farm League for the Mets. I had that job from 11 to 21. I always want to have as many different things going on as possible because it feeds me as a person—feeds me creatively. And I've been broke; I don't like that.

BLEU: You mentioned Chandra Wilson, and of course, we gotta get into Grey's Anatomy. Dr. Ben is such a complex character. You never know what he’s going to do. Is he going to be a firefighter or in medicine? It sounds like you connect with that. Is that true, and can you expound on that?

Jason George: 100% I connect with that. They started pulling parts of me into Ben a while ago—some that were already in Ben but also happened to be in me. They didn’t really know it at the time. But some of Ben’s daredevil aspects—that’s me.

You know, when you’ve got an itch, you gotta scratch it. For me, it was always about hustling. I can find a way to be interested in almost any job. That baseball park job? Still, to this day, one of my favorite jobs—probably over half my acting jobs. There were dudes in medical school, law school, and guys who made most of their living there, working hand to mouth. Having that balance, all in one place, was eye-opening for a teenager. I was like, I’m gonna pull your work ethic. I’m gonna use this to get to the next thing.

It was always about finding joy in whatever I was doing. For Ben, he knew what he needed out of each job. At first, medicine was just about money. Then Bailey inspired him to go back to school—to be the person reaching in and saving lives. Then he discovered he wanted to be at Ground Zero, where people got hurt, helping them before they reached the hospital.

But then he kept running into a line he couldn’t cross. We talked about it—I grew up on the other side of that line. That’s what I do. So now, he’s done what he can at the front lines, and he’s realizing, I need to go back, finish the job, and get them to the other side. His journey is part of what impaired me to want to direct again.

BLEU: That’s exciting! What are you thinking about directing?

Jason George: I have this short film idea that’s been itching in my brain, and I just can’t let it go. I directed a few episodes of Station 19, and I’ve been whispering in Debbie Allen’s ear, shadowing her, trying to see if I can get a shot at Grey’s—that kind of thing.

But I’m passionate because I love good stories, right? It’s not even about being the one in charge. I have no problem laying back in the cut. But if I am the person in charge? Yeah, we’re gonna run. We’re gonna do it a certain way. We’re gonna get it done.

BLEU: So I understand all of that personally. But is it ever difficult acting-wise? A lot of actors get to know their characters inside and out and predict their next moves. But we never really know what Ben is going to do. Is that ever challenging? Talk to me about that experience professionally.

Jason George: I dig it. I mean, look, the thing about doing a TV series versus a movie or a limited series is that with a movie or limited series, you know the beginning, middle, and end. You can really block out the story, create an arc for the character, and set everything up nicely. You can plan.

But with a TV series, you get surprised. You’ve been playing a character for three years, and then suddenly, you find out that when he was a teenager, he put a kid in the hospital messing around in cars. And that kid’s been brain-dead for decades. That’s life-changing. Now you have to figure out how to incorporate that. You start running back tape in your mind, thinking, Does that work with everything I’ve done so far? Does it play?

The writers are usually good at making sure it all scans on paper. But as an actor, you have to go back and ask, Does this conflict with anything I’ve done before? Most of the time, it doesn’t, so you just layer it in. But that’s the fun part—you’re years into the role, and then you get hit with a surprise. That’s a great challenge.

BLEU: So you enjoy the longevity of the show? You’ve been on it for a while, plus Station 19 as a spin-off. Do you like that your role has had such a long run? Is that something you enjoy?

Jason George: Yeah, I do. I mean look, the question is always, can they find a new story? Can they find something that's worth telling? And when we talked about me coming from Station 19 back to Grey's Anatomy, that was the conversation I had with Meg Marin, our showrunner right now. And she had some great ideas. So I was like, I’m in.

BLEU: I want to shift gears a little because I always love talking about love and relationships. We love hearing about your marriage and family. I’m curious—have you ever drawn personal inspiration for the show? Or vice versa, has anything from Miranda’s character given you a nugget to take home? Anything like that you can share?

Jason George: One of the most fun things to play with Chandra Wilson is when Ben and Bailey bicker or straight-up fight. I tell friends when they get married, everybody gives you all this flowery advice about romance and love. And I’m like, That’s all real. Take all of that advice. But imma give you brass tacks. Fight fair. If you never have an argument or a fight with the person you’re in love with, somebody’s not being honest.

Remember, we’re trying to solve a problem. I’m not trying to beat you, right? Remember, we’re trying to solve a problem. Her problem might be how I said it, and my problem might be what’s going on. And remember that those are two different problems around the same issue, so you can solve them in different ways.