Kate Middleton? ‘General Hospital’? 13 Surprising Roles for the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Cast

Grey’s Anatomy star Kevin McKidd closes out the official trailer for Season 4 of the HBO anthology Room 104, appearing as a long-haired, Viking-like warrior who’s psyched to find out the hotel has cable TV.

The funny spot just goes to show: You never know where the Grey’s docs will pop up next—from big-budget blockbusters to Demi Lovato music videos to 1970s-era Sesame Street episodes! We’ve rounded up clips of some of the cast’s most surprising roles.

Ellen Pompeo: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Grey’s fans probably know the actress behind Meredith Grey had big roles in the films Moonlight Mile and Old School and small roles in Daredevil and Catch Me If You Can. Alas, Pompeo’s stint as Jim Carrey’s on-screen girlfriend in the Oscar fave Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was minuscule: It was left on the cutting-room floor.

Chandra Wilson: General Hospital

Wilson, who watches soaps when she’s not playing Miranda Bailey, has tackled three characters so far on General Hospital: Tina Estrada in 2014, Dr. Linda Massey in 2018, and Sydney Val Jean in 2019.

James Pickens Jr.: Beverly Hills, 90210

Once a boss, always a boss: Pickens, who plays Richard Webber on Grey’s, appeared in 10 episodes of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 as Henry Thomas, who oversees employee Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) at the Beverly Hills Beach Club.

Kevin McKidd: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

McKidd, a.k.a. Owen Hunt, wielded a trident instead of a scalpel in the 2010 fantasy flick Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, playing Poseidon, the god of the seas and the titular demigod’s father.

Jesse Williams: “Tell Me You Love Me”

The actor behind Jackson Avery portrayed the groom to bride Demi Lovato—a former Grey’s guest star— in her music video for 2017’s “Tell Me You Love Me.”

Camilla Luddington: William & Kate: The Movie

Before she took on the role of Jo Karev, Luddington channeled Kate Middleton—now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge—in Lifetime’s 2011 biopic William & Kate: The Movie.

Caterina Scorsone: Goosebumps

Watch the actress you know and love as Amelia Shepherd morph into a pig in this clip from 1998’s “Squeal of Fortune,” one of four Goosebumps episodes on Scorsone’s résumé.

Kelly McCreary: Life

In 2015, not too long after Grey’s introduced her as Maggie Pierce, McCreary appeared as jazz singer Eartha Kitt opposite Robert Pattinson (as real-life photographer Dennis Stock) and Dane DeHaan (as James Dean) in the movie Life. (See a glimpse of McCreary in character at the 36-second mark of the video above.)

Giacomo Gianniotti: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe

The actor who stars as Andrew DeLuca portrayed Jimmy Dougherty, first husband of Marilyn Monroe (then Norma Jeane), in the 2015 Lifetime TV movie The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.

Kim Raver: Sesame Street

Li’l Kim! Three decades before her first appearance as Teddy Altman on Grey’s Anatomy, Raver got her start as a child actor on Sesame Street.

Jake Borelli: Psych

When he was just 18, Borelli—who plays Levi Schmitt on Grey’s—showed up as a teenage version of Psych protagonist Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) in a series of shorts for the USA dramedy.

Greg Germann: Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, Germann—the actor behind Tom Koracick—sported flaming hair as Hades, king of the underworld, in 10 episodes of Once Upon a Time. The role even earned him a Teen Choice Award nomination in the Choice TV Villain category.

Chris Carmack: Model

Before he was Atticus “Link” Lincoln on Grey’s—and even before he was Luke Ward on The O.C.—Carmack modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, Guess…and this random yoga video!