At first glance, you might recognize Kate Walsh as none other than Dr. Addison Montgomery from Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. After all, she did make a knockout entrance into the series, revealing she was the estranged wife to Dr. Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). But you might also remember the actress from her time on Emily in Paris (2020-2022) or The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024).
Now, Walsh is stepping back into medicine, but this time it’s not for the screen. Kate Walsh is partnering with Grail, a healthcare company on a mission to detect cancer early. With the help of Generation Possible, an initiative to spread awareness of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing, she is on a mission to encourage everyone to learn about their available screening options.
First for Women had a chance to speak with the actress about the initiative, her personal connection to cancer and a few of her favorite career memories. Dive in and learn more about what the Grey’s star is doing to spread awareness!
First For Women: You’re partnering with Grail to spread awareness for multi-cancer early detection (MCED) through Generation Possible. Tell me a little bit about this initiative and why you decided to partner with the healthcare company.
Kate Walsh: I was super excited to partner with them because I had never heard about early detection testing before, and the fact that it tests for so many different types of cancers, even the deadliest, with just a blood draw. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had cancer touch their lives, either personally or with family members and friends. But early detection is where it’s at.
Early detection means that there are more options for treatments and solutions. So, it was a no-brainer for me to partner with Grail and get everyone excited about Generation Possible. You can go to genpossible.com and take the quiz. There’s so much information there about how to even have conversations with your doctor to see if MCED testing is right for you. It’s by no means to be in replacement of traditional cancer screenings, but in conjunction or in addition to.
I had lost my father to lung cancer when I was 23, and my mother was diagnosed relatively later in life at 62 with breast cancer. They didn’t have this technology, they didn’t have this science and had to wait until they had symptoms. This is just a breakthrough and it’s exciting, and we really just wanted to spread the word and make people aware.
FFW: How do you think that Generation Possible can inform those who may have no idea about the available screening options?
Walsh: If you go on genpossible.com, there’s a quiz to take. Certainly, if you’ve had a history of cancer in your family, this is a great place to go as a resource as well to see if it might be right for you to take the quiz. There are also resources on how to have conversations with your doctors. I just think that if you’re at all curious, there is so much information, and then you can consult with your doctor and see if it’s right.
FFW: Have you made any changes to your lifestyle since feeling the impact of cancer?
Walsh: Definitely. Especially after my experience having a brain tumor, which was luckily benign. But since 2015 I’m almost 10 years out of that, I did all the cliché things. I really spent more time with my family and friends, chose to work a little less because when I do go to work, they are intense schedules and I just really worked on that work-life balance, as cliche as that may sound, it really is true.
But even simple changes like sleep hygiene and the importance of trying to get to bed at a regular time every night, or trying to get eight hours sleep. I incorporate weight training into my exercise routine now. It helps with muscle mass and bone strength. I’ve always done Pilates, yoga. I like to walk; I like to eat. I just like to enjoy life. I enjoy my potato chips and then I’m also going to go exercise and then rest because rest is important, too.
I try to have fun. I try to do five things a day. I had a friend of mine tell me, write down 20 things that give you joy. It can be as innocuous as taking a nap, hanging out with your cats, watching a movie, but it could be as big as travel, but try to do five a day. And then once I did that, I changed all these habits. I was, like, “Oh, actually I can.”
I think joy is underrated. When all the craziness is happening in life, try to do things that give you joy again, as simple as walking a dog or planning a trip or whatever.
FFW: You portrayed a doctor on both Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice for many years — did being around the medical field, even if only to film a TV show, push you to want to learn more about cancer screening options?
Walsh: All of my TV doctoring was written by Shonda [Rhimes] and many other great writers. But I think [it was] my own experience in advocating for health and really understanding how scary that can be… It’s everywhere. And the thing that got me so excited is the positive aspect of this campaign, that it is actual testing that was not available in previous generations. So, the name Generation Possible isn’t just positive vibes. It actually is something that wasn’t possible.
FFW: Do you have any exciting projects on the horizon that you’d like to share?
Walsh: I’m developing a streaming series to shoot, hopefully in Australia, that I would be producing and co-starring in. I’m also producing and starring in an independent film called Put Down, about a mother-daughter relationship in a “home for the holidays” kind of dramedy. So yeah, I’m excited about that.
FFW: What are some of your favorite memories from your career that really stick out to you?
Walsh: There’s so many great memories. I mean, certainly getting Grey’s was a very magical time, but there are all these little hallmarks of getting my first play and auditioning for Summer Stock. My first play in Chicago, where it was the only play Kurt Vonnegut wrote, and he came to see it because he lived in Indiana, so that was cool because he was one of my favorite writers.
Getting my equity card [for the Actors’ Equity Association], then moving to New York City and doing my first play there. The Drew Carey Show was a big win for me back in the day, because it was my first sitcom. There’s so many great memories along the way.