‘Grey’s Anatomy’: The Important Lessons Sara Ramirez Learned While Playing Callie Torres

Sara Ramirez played Dr. Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy for ten seasons. While in the medical drama, the character faced many hardships. In between Callie’s orthopedic surgery career, they navigated through two failed marriages, almost dying in a car crash while pregnant and losing the father of her child in a deadly plane crash. 

Ramirez officially left Grey’s in 2016. Before her exit, the actor said Callie taught her several valuable lessons.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Sara Ramirez once said her life is ‘the complete opposite’ of Callie Torres’

Many Grey’s Anatomy fans first saw Ramirez in season 2. Initially, Callie was George O’Malley’s (T.R. Knight) girlfriend and eventual wife. After just a few months of marriage, the pair called it quits when George cheated on Callie with his best friend, Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl). Once she divorced George, Callie started dating Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith). However, the romance didn’t last when Erica disappeared after the couple’s fight in season 4. 

During season 5, Callie met Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). When they first met, the pediatric surgeon kissed Callie in a bar bathroom. The kiss solidified their relationship, but the couple had trouble ahead. In season 7, Callie became pregnant with Sofia by her best friend, Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane). Although she made it through the drama, “Calzona” almost fizzled after Arizona lost her leg in the plane crash that killed Mark and Lexie. The collision resulted in Arizona cheating on Callie with another doctor. 

While reflecting on her character’s journey with Grey’s Anatomy’s blog, Ramirez said that Callie’s life is drastically different than hers. 

“I’m always so grateful when I go home because my life couldn’t be more different than Callie Torres’ life,” they shared. “That’s the saving grace in all of this, that my real life is the complete opposite of what Callie is going through. I couldn’t be happier for that. Thank God for that!” 

What Sara Ramirez learned while playing Callie Torres on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 

Ramirez also stated that, while the Grey’s Anatomy character is nothing like them, they learned several things while playing Callie. During the same blog interview, the actor said the character is a part of the LGBTQ community made Ramirez “brave.” After playing Callie for several years, Ramirez came out as bisexual and non-binary. 

“I’ve learned so much!” they said of playing Callie. “How to persevere. How to be strong and vulnerable. It’s so intense what she is going through in this episode. She has really taught me the value of family and that family isn’t always defined in a cookie-cutter way. Family can mean so many different things for different people. Callie being a character who is also a part of the LGBTQ community has also taught me so much bravery in the face of fear.” 

Ramirez recently signed on for the ‘Sex and the City’ reboot

Since their Grey’s Anatomy exit, Ramirez has made appearances on TV shows such as Madam Secretary and Sofia the First. In May 2021, Deadline announced that Ramirez would join HBO Max’s And Just Like That… The Sex and the City reboot stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon as their iconic characters. According to the report, Ramirez plays a non-binary podcast host that often interviews Carrie Bradshaw (Parker).