"I adore and have known him for a really long time": Jessica Capshaw sheds light on her reunion with Chris O'Donnell in 9-1-1: Nashville

Jessica Capshaw is set to return to the ABC Thursday schedule as part of the 9-1-1 spin-off titled '9-1-1: Nashville.' The spin-off falls right before Capshaw's previous slot with Grey's Anatomy, where she played Dr. Arizona Robbins for a decade. Capshaw is set to play Blythe Sharpe, wife to Captain Don Sharpe, played by Chris O'Donnell, another Grey's Anatomy alum (only the early fans remember Finn, the veterinary doctor).

Although Capshaw and O'Donnell were never part of the ABC show together, as O'Donnell appeared in the early seasons, they have worked together on a different project, titled The Practice. Here's what she revealed about the on-set reunion after two decades.

Jessica Capshaw reunites with Chris O'Donnell on 9-1-1: Nashville, two decades after The Practice

Jessica Capshaw stars as Blythe Sharpe on 9-1-1: Nashville, and more than a month into filming for the spin-off drama, she joined her previous co-star Camilla Luddington on their podcast, Call It What It Is. She discussed her experience starring opposite Chris O'Donnell, with whom she had previously worked in The Practice. She said:

"I adore [him] and have known him for a really long time.”

Looking back, she added:

“I remember feeling like a baby actress, and I remember feeling like he was not a baby actor. He was accomplished, and I’d seen so many movies he’d done that I love so much."

Capshaw pointed to his work in the Circle of Friends, where O'Donnell previously worked alongside Minnie Driver, and how she loved him in that role:

"I remember [it] being super romantic. … It has Normal People vibes. He’s so charming. He’s just super charming, and he’s very funny and a real professional."

In another conversation with TV Insider, Capshaw revealed that her character is very different from the last time we saw her on the ABC Thursday lineup as Dr. Arizona Robbins. She also talked about what can be expected from her character on 9-1-1: Nashville:

"She’s sort of this equal, it seems to me — because remember, we have not started yet — but what I know feels like an equal parts, she’s part conductor and making sure that the family is good and well and warm and this matriarch at the same time that she’s sort of still got this incredibly strong relationship with her husband. And my guess is that’s going to get to be fiery and fun. "

She went on to add that apart from her role as the family matriarch in 9-1-1: Nashville, her character has this business-oriented part, which will also play an important role in her character development:

"Then there’s all the dark secrets that people don’t know yet. So we’ll see that side of her. And then there’s this very business-like, ambitious, strategic oriented part of her. I have to say when I was reading it, and I was obviously particularly invested in the things that she was saying or looking at them in a different way, I liked her. I was like, I would like to hang out with this person. She seems great."

9-1-1: Nashville is set to premiere on ABC on October 16, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET, and the way Capshaw describes it, it will be an exciting ride for fans of the franchise.

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