Danielle Savery and Stefania Spampinato never expected their characters, firefighter Maya Bishop and Dr. Karina DeLuca, to end up together on “Station 19.”
In the third season of ABC's second spinoff series Grey's Anatomy, which follows the lives of a tight-knit group of firefighters in the Seattle Fire Department, Maya, then the captain of her fire station, is at a crossroads in her personal life. A serial non-monogamist who fears commitment, she had just broken up with colleague Jack Gibson (Gray Damon) and was reluctant to jump into another relationship. One evening at the bar across from the fictional Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital, Karina offers to buy Maya a drink, wanting to hear the story of how the fire captain ended up carrying a severed nose in a plastic bag to the hospital.
Both Savery and Spampinato said they felt an indescribable electricity during the initial reading and filming of this scene — where it is ultimately implied that the characters spend the night together — and now consider it one of their all-time favorites. The two actors credit former showrunner Krista Vernoff for turning what could have been another routine fling for Maya into one of the most endearing lesbian relationships on television.
“The initial natural chemistry was something that was undeniable and it wasn't something you could dress up or fake, even if you were a great actor,” Spampinato told NBC News in an exclusive joint interview with Savery. “That was a big element that we had naturally, and then I feel like we love our work, we love our characters, and we wanted to portray a believable relationship.”
Later, Saveri and Spampinato said they couldn't pinpoint a specific moment when they realized fans were fixated on Maya and Karina's relationship — which fans called “Marina” — but they noticed a definite shift during the filming of Season 4 in 2020, when their social media accounts began Social engagement is witnessing a significant increase.
“I think because people were home, couldn't go out, and were watching a lot of TV, we entered people's homes in a different way than before the pandemic,” Spampinato said. “Maybe that's why people relate to these characters so much.”
The cast and crew wrapped production on season three just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and returned to work later that summer under strict testing guidelines. In an effort to limit exposure to the virus, the writers decided to pair the actors for more solo scenes and keep them in a bubble, which Savery and Spampinato said accelerated the development of Maya and Carina's relationship. That's why Spampinato, who spent three seasons as a recurring character on “Grey's Anatomy,” joined the “Station 19” cast full-time in season four.
“I actually remember thinking: 'There's no way they're going to make me a regular on the firefighter show because I'm a doctor.' That didn't make sense. And after a few months, they said, 'Well, you're officially on Station 19,'” Spampinato recalls with a laugh. “Because the relationship was so successful that they said, 'Yes, let's make it last.'”
In five seasons, Savery and Spampinato played out the full role of Maya and Karina's turbulent relationship: they decided to get married in season four, began discussing their plans to start a family in season five, and tried to get pregnant using a lab to no avail. Fertilization on the sixth. After briefly separating until Maya got professional help to address her underlying mental health issues, Maya and Carina decided to adopt a baby boy named Liam at the beginning of the seventh and final season. (Episode 100 airs Thursday.)
For Saveri and Spampinato, who felt it was definitely time for Maya and Karina to enter motherhood, this story held special significance. Back in her native Italy, Spampinato said same-sex couples are not allowed to undergo IVF, and she has many gay friends “who have found a lot of joy and fulfillment” in the experience of adopting children.
“I've gone through IVF to donate my eggs before, so I think it's very important to tell this story,” said Savery, who, unlike Spampinato, wants to have children one day. “I think they did a great job of depicting the IVF process with Kareena in the past and the emotional ups and downs she goes through.”
The kind of attention that comes with portraying one of the few gay couples on network television where both characters are part of the main ensemble wasn't without its challenges. Over the years, some fans have confused Maya and Kareena with the actors playing them.
“When someone is talented or does something that you like and like, you tend to think that the artist is the person — and I think it's very important to separate that,” Spampinato said.
Savery — who spoke publicly about her sexuality for the first time at the 2022 fan convention — said that she and Spampinato trust each other and reach out to each other from time to time, especially when rumors started getting out of control about their real relationship. -Relationship life.
“I remember Stefania and I were at our first convention, and we were like, ‘Guys, we're not dating. We care about each other, we support each other and we like doing scenes together, but we're not together,’” Saffer said with a laugh. With fans is that you meet these people that these characters have had a huge impact on, but they actually see you as a person instead of just the character.”
Since ABC announced in December that the seventh season of “Station 19” would be its last, some of those fans have launched a passionate campaign to save the show, with an online petition that has garnered more than 85,000 signatures.
“The fans came out and said, 'We're not going anywhere,' which is amazing,” Saver admitted. “And unfortunately I'm starting to feel like ABC's not going to save it, but I'm trying to hold out hope.”
Although they are “grateful” that the writers were given enough notice to avoid leaving any cliffhangers in the seventh and final season, Savery and Spampinato said the cancellation came as a shock to them and their cast mates, who were already in the middle of filming. The first episode of the season and preparation for the second.
“We felt like we had a bucket of ice in our faces,” Spampinato said.
The writers, who had already plotted out the season's 10 episodes, had to change course within days.
“They basically had eight episodes to finish this story, and I think they do a great job with what they're given,” Saffer said.
In the case of Maya and Kareena, that meant speeding up the timeline a bit to show their early experiences with motherhood, rather than prolonging their struggle to start a family.
“If this had not been our last season, it would have turned out differently. The writers told us it would have gone differently,” Saffer said. “I know we were plotting these stories, but there was a world where the payoff at the end would be amazing — I think that bonus is great too.”
“The writers are trying really hard to fit into these 10 episodes everything we hope for, everything the audience wants, everything they wish for,” Spampinato added.
“They are trying to make everyone happy. I hope that comes across on screen and that people enjoy and appreciate it,” she said.
Savery, who was taking a break from filming the series finale “Into the Wild” to complete this interview, teased that characters don't necessarily have “happy endings, but satisfying endings.”
“In reality, these characters will continue, so we're not saying, 'They got everything they wanted at the end of the season.' It's more like we're laying the groundwork for that,” she said. “These people are in a good place and their future looks bright, and this is where “We'll leave it to the fans, who can then fill in the blanks themselves.”
But are the actors themselves happy with where their characters ultimately end up? “We're sad that the movie is over, but given that, I think we'll be happy,” Spampinato said, adding that she likes the fact that the ending is “not finite.”
However, the end of “Station 19” means the closing of one of the most important chapters in the actors’ lives. For Savery, whose real sister Stephanie works for the Los Angeles Fire Department, being able to represent the less than 5% of career firefighters who are women was one of the greatest honors of her career.
“Playing an eccentric woman on television who has had her ups and downs, found love, and came from a rough childhood with an abusive father — I've been given so many amazing storylines to play out over seven years that I'm sometimes in awe of what they've actually given me,” Saffer said. To portray him.” “Whether it was being a strong woman in a male-dominated industry, talking to your parents, dealing with mental health issues, or deciding if you wanted to have a baby… I was so grateful for every story and so scared Than not to do it.’ I spoil it, because I know how important representation is to all of these things.
Before joining the Grey's Anatomy series, Spampinato said she felt she was relegated to playing one-dimensional characters who were never used as more than comedic relief. But in “Station 19,” she said, “What I loved most was the opportunity to play a character who, besides being Italian, has a job, falls in love, has a family, and argues.” She added that given that Italy's right-wing government plans to roll back gay rights, it was especially important for her to play an openly bisexual Italian woman.
The two actors said they will especially miss the ease with which they were able to build their relationship on screen.
“A lot of times, actors don't get along and clash, especially with love interests, and you say, 'Oh my God, I have to deal with this person.' I have to pretend. I never felt like that with Stefania,” Saffer said. Not at all – not once.” “We care about each other. We support each other. “I think we were each other's champions.”
While “Station 19” will conclude its run in May, ABC recently renewed “Grey's Anatomy” for a 21st season, extending its record as the longest-running prime-time medical drama of all time. Of all the characters in “Station 19,” Maya and Karina seem to be the two most likely to appear in “Grey's,” given that the latter still works at the fictional hospital.
When asked if either of them would be open to reprising their roles in the future, Savre and Spampinato agreed that if Grey's showrunner Meg Marinis, or Shonda Rhimes' production company, Shondaland, came to pitch, they would both jump at the chance to return. In any capacity.
“Of course we're open to that. If we said, 'No, no chance, we'll never work together again, I feel like we'd get death threats,'” Safar joked. “This is an industry that's not 100% under our control. But listen, if ABC or Shondaland came to us and said, “We want a 'Marina' spinoff where you guys live on a boat and… MarinaWe'd be like: Yes!
The final season of “Station 19” airs Thursdays at 10 PM ET on ABC. Episodes can also be streamed on Hulu.
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