Chandra Wilson Says She Went on Rides at Universal Studios Between Her “Grey’s Anatomy” Auditions

Wilson reminisced about auditioning for the character Miranda Bailey at D23 on Sunday, Aug. 11

Chandra Wilson is reminiscing about the fun she had on her final day of auditions for Grey's Anatomy.

The actress, 54, shared during a panel at the Disney fan event D23 on Sunday, Aug. 11, that she went on rides at Universal Studios during a five-hour break between her audition for the production studio and her audition for the network.

After a successful audition for the role of Dr. Miranda Bailey with the production studio (including directors and producers of the then-untitled medical show), Wilson had some time to kill.

"There was like five hours between [auditions], so I went to Universal Studios and... rode some rides," she confessed, prompting the audience to roar with laughter.

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It must have been a good choice because although Wilson said that the original description for the character of Dr. Bailey was a "short, white blonde female," she got the part and has played the surgeon since the pilot episode of the show aired on March 27, 2005.

Wilson also recalled that her agent gave her one note between both auditions — to "take command of the room more" from the moment she entered it.

She said she listened to that advice and also channeled her mother, who was a teacher, when performing the audition monologue, which was a scene in the pilot where then-chief resident Dr. Bailey listed her "five rules" for her intern class.

The General Hospital alum lived in New York at the time and said she went back to the city thinking that if nothing else she got to enjoy a theme park.

About two days later, she landed the part that changed her life.

Related: Grey’s Anatomy: Bailey's 5 Rules Explained as She Takes Over Charge of the Interns

Throughout her decades-long run on the show, Wilson has split her focus between acting and directing. Per IMDb, her first directing credit on Grey Anatomy's came in 2010 for a season 6 episode.

She also has directing credits on the fellow Shondaland show Scandal and Freeform's The Fosters and Good Trouble.

However, on a 2021 episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show, Wilson told guest host Mario Lopez that she kept a day job until the second season of the now wildly successful medical drama.

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"My bread and butter was my job in the document-processing department at Banker's Trust," she said, referring to the day job she had in New York, which was a long-term temp position that she continually called out of while filming season 1 of the show.

She continued, "When we got to season 2, my supervisor said, 'Will you stop calling and telling us that you're not available 'cause we see you on TV.' "

Wilson laughed, adding that they had to "force" her out.

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