Station 19’ Star Danielle Savre on Maya’s Shocking Turn on ‘Grey’s Anatomy
There’s nothing like seeing a familiar face from the Shondaland universe show up on Grey’s Anatomy, except when the reason is that beloved character lands in the hospital. For fans of Station 19, the appearance of Captain Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre) in the aptly named April 30 episode “Through the Fire” was brutally bittersweet, as the firefighter arrived at Grey Sloan sporting third-degree burns from a massive incident.
Thankfully, Maya made it through surgery and will soon be reunited with wife Carina DeLuca and their kids in Italy. But if your heart’s still pounding from the action-packed hour, you’re not alone. When Savre first learned of the plotline the Grey’s Anatomy writers had in mind for Maya, she too was left reeling from the harrowing drama.
“I was shocked, excited, scared — a little bit of everything,” the actor tells Shondaland. “I’ve never done something this intense before.”
Below, Savre opens up about Maya’s close call, a reunion with Station 19 alum Jason George, working with real-life partner Kevin McKidd, and what she misses most about playing a “badass” character for seven seasons.
RACHEL SIMON: It’s been nearly two years since we said goodbye to Maya and Station 19. When the Grey’s Anatomy team told you they wanted her on the show, how did it feel?
DANIELLE SAVRE: I was shocked because I had grieved Maya and let her go. I was like, “There’s no world where Maya will exist again.” But then, my shock changed to excitement. And then, I read the script, and I was shocked again.
RS: It’s such an intense storyline. Maya saves another firefighter’s life, but she falls through the roof and suffers life-threatening burns herself. Tell me more about your reaction to the script.
DS: My sister is a firefighter, and I’ve always been very passionate about telling authentic firefighting stories. So, when I saw that this story was about a firefighter who’d been injured while trying to save and protect another firefighter, I knew it was important. I know a lot of firefighters who have been injured on the job. It felt very authentic.
It also felt very on-brand for Maya. … [On Station 19], the writers and Krista Vernoff [the showrunner for seasons three through six] never didn’t give me something amazing to work with, whether it was the 5150 [involuntary psychiatric hold] or blackmailing my bosses or having a whole mental breakdown. There was never a shortage of tumultuous things that Maya was going through, and this fell in line with that — just another traumatic event.
RS: What was the process of creating Maya’s burns?
DS: I knew it was going to be a pretty extensive prosthetic session, and it was. I loved it, though. Hamer FX did all the prosthetics, and they were absolutely amazing. In a weird way, it was exciting to be able to do the prosthetics because I’d never done it. But I didn’t know it was gonna be three hours in the morning and two hours at the end of the day to take it all off. Thank god I only worked three days because by the end, I was like, “No more prosthetics; I can’t do any more.”
But the prosthetics part was only one factor — there was also the emotional element. We really talked through the specifics of what Maya would be going through in those moments. [Medical technical adviser and director] Linda Klein and [producer] Michael Metzner would be like, “Okay, now you’d be shaking” or “Now you wouldn’t be able to self-regulate your temperature.” It was fantastic as an actor to get to go there. It was intense, but I love challenging myself.
RS: Injuries aside, how did it feel to step back into Maya’s shoes?
DS: I was interested to find out if it was easy to snap back into Maya, and it was. It was very easy. The second I started reading the script and the words, she came back alive for me.
RS: What did you miss most about playing her?
DS: I missed the badassery of Maya, which I think comes through in this episode when she’s trying so hard to hold it together and to be tough and to say, “Don’t tell my wife.” That was very on-brand for Maya. No matter what, she’s gonna try to be as tough as possible. I got to tap into that, and I loved it.
RS: How do you think Maya’s been doing overall since Station 19 ended?
DS: I think she’s been doing great. We left her at such a point of clarity in her life. Her focus was her family versus this drive to constantly try to achieve some sort of greatness that her father had pounded into her. So, I think there’s a sense of peace. She was even about to meet her family in Italy and take a vacation, which is something past Maya never would’ve done! It’s sad that this fire happens at such a good time in her life, but she’s at a place of real clarity and peace.
RS: The last time you guest starred on Grey’s as Maya was 2023. What was it like to return to that set?
DS: It felt like going away to college and coming back to see family after you’ve been away. It was such a warm welcome. I was so happy to see everyone, and it felt amazing. And it felt like no time had passed — like, I knew it had been two years since we’d finished Station 19, but at the same time, it felt like we had just finished it the day prior.
RS: You got to reunite with Jason George, since Ben treats Maya when she comes into the hospital. Have you two stayed close?
DS: Jason and I live two minutes away from each other, so we try to see each other every once in a while. We’ve done a couple meetups for happy hour, with him and his wife and me and Kevin [McKidd, Savre’s partner], where we have a blast and get to catch up. I wish we got to do it more.
And it was good to be back on set with Jason. We kept cracking jokes and doing this funny little bit where we’d be like, “Maya’s teaming up with Ben Warren, the person who’s changed jobs how many times now? Maybe Ben will convince Maya to turn in the hose for a stethoscope.” [Laughs.] No way. But it was such a cute thing.
RS: You also got to be on the set with Kevin, although Maya and Owen didn’t share any scenes. How was that?
DS: Kevin directed me as Maya Bishop before Station 19 ended, and I hated it because it’s a very unique dynamic when you’re dating each other — like, I don’t want to be told by Kevin how to do something! He was like, “Danielle, just take my note.” I was like, “Okay, okay.” [Laughs.]
So, it’s quite weird in that dynamic, but as an actor, it’s fun. He was directing the [season] finale nearby, and he kept sneaking over to set to film behind-the-scenes footage. I was like, “Go away!” [Laughs.] He was so excited for me, which was so sweet and endearing because he knew I was so excited to come back and play Maya. I don’t think I want to take notes from him, but him getting to see me act was fun [laughs].
RS: You’ve done some directing too, including a season six episode of Station 19. Do you want to direct Grey’s one day too, like Kevin?
DS: It would be amazing. I’ve shadowed Kevin and Debbie [Allen], and I learned a lot. Now it’s just a waiting game. Fingers crossed that Debbie allows me to get on there and direct one of these days. I beg her constantly! But it’s a sought-after show with a lot of directors that have been doing it a long time.
RS: Other than shadowing, what else have you been up to since Station 19?
DS: I’m really proud of the last two years. It was so sad for Station 19 to come to an end, but it’s been such an amazing journey since then. I jumped right on a show after it was done, Found, which was a 180-degree pivot — the character was the extreme opposite of Maya Bishop but got to challenge me as an actor in ways that Maya hadn’t in seven years. That show ended, but it was such a phenomenal experience.
And then, I did an audiobook because I want to get into voice acting. To bring the book to life was a blast, and I hope I get to do more. Oh, and I wrote a script with [Station 19 writer] Emily Culver! We came up with this really great thriller idea. It just got completed, and so we’re gonna start pitching it.
RS: You also launched a podcast, Sweet and Savre, in March. Tell me about that.
DS: I’d been talking about wanting to do a podcast for about two years, since Station 19 ended. And I finally had this moment of clarity where I was like, “The best conversations I’ve ever had with women are over a meal and a glass of wine.” I realized I wanted the podcast to feel very comfortable like that, a safe place for women to sit down and tell their life stories. It’s about telling the real truths of life: the good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the sweet and the savory. It’s been so fulfilling.
RS: Sounds like you’ve been seriously busy!
DS: At first, I contemplated, like, “Do I just take a break and chill after working my butt off for seven years?” But it’s been really nice to be able to capitalize on the time I have now because when you’re filming 14-hour days for seven years straight, nine months out of the year, you just don’t have this time. And it’s been really great to do storytelling in a lot of different ways: as a different character, as a director, as a voice actor, and now as a host.
RS: Maybe you and Kevin can team up on a project after he leaves Grey’s this season.
DS: It’s funny you say it because he has a production company, and the other day he was like, “There’s this script that I just can’t get out of my head where you could play the female lead.” I read it, and it would be a really cool role to play, but I don’t know if I could do that. Also, he’s so busy. He’s already in Scotland shooting Highlander, and then he hops on another show right after that, so he has no downtime.
RS: Wow, you both have a lot going on.
DS: My goal is that he’ll slow down in 2027 a little bit and focus on some things besides jumping from show to show. He’s like, “Maybe. We’ll see.” I’m like, “Okay [laughs]. But can we please go on a vacation?”
Shondaland.com