Grey's Anatomy spoilers follow.
Grey's Anatomy saw the departure of one of its team this week as Richard Flood exited the long-running medical drama as Dr Cormac Hayes after three years.
Following the far-reaching repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic on the TV industry, Flood has revealed that the entire story arc for his character changed over the last season leading up to his exit. One thing fans didn't get to see come to fruition was a blossoming romance between Cormac and his boss Dr Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).
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Though the team behind the show chose not to develop this plot further, Flood acknowledges that fans wanted to see more, even though he hasn't let himself wonder too much about the unknown.
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"I tend not to [think about it]," he told Deadline. "I just follow the character, where they're going and where the writers and the show wants it to go. I play my part and do my job and, hopefully, it's what they want. But yes, I think there'll always be those questions open.
"Last season was difficult with COVID, I was just glad to be on a set, that we were able to even make the show, I thought that was a real accomplishment by all the team.
"I suppose you'd wonder would they have gotten together, would they not? If they had got together properly, would it have worked? I think the fans may have liked to have seen more of what that dynamic might have been – it's certainly the response I'm getting – but it's not really for me to say. The team there, they know best, and they push the show in whatever direction they feel is right, and my job is to play my role as best I can, so I don't question those things too much."
Related: Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams shares whether he'd return for the show's ending
Sadly for fans, Flood's departure from the show means this relationship seems unlikely to ever be a possibility in the future, especially as he seems content with how his character's story ended.
"Having three years on the show felt right for me, and I think that the arc of the character with all the developments in the story was probably coming to its natural end, which was great. I was very happy that everybody felt the same, and they just got to it."
Grey's Anatomy season 18 airs on ABC in the US. In the UK, seasons 1-16 are streaming on Disney+, while season 18 is available via Sky Witness and NOW.
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