Katherine Heigl and her former co-star Ellen Pompeo, recently reunited for Variety’s Actors On Actors series, reflecting on their days together in the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.  The highly anticipated discussion was released June 6 on Variety’s website and YouTube channel, and subsequently broadcast on PBS.

Actors On Actors is known for its candid discussions and unique perspective, as the guests interview each other about their craft, their roles, and their experiences in the industry. The conversations often delve into the actors’ processes, the challenges they’ve faced, their inspirations, and their views on current trends in the industry. This format allows for a deep exploration of the art of acting from those who are immersed in it, offering viewers an insider’s perspective on the world of film and television.

Grey’s Anatomy premiered as a midseason replacement in 2005 — after ABC executives considered not airing the show at all — and went on to redefine pop culture. When the show became an overnight sensation, Heigl and Pompeo were launched into the stratosphere of fame together, and while the Shonda Rhimes-created series revolutionized television, with women and actors of color leading the show, the sudden, sometimes toxic attention — as well as spending those long days and nights on the infamously grueling set during the early years — taught both of them hard-won lessons. “If you cannot stand up for yourself in this industry, very few people will stand up for you,” Heigl says to Pompeo. “So you’d better learn how to, and you’d better be OK with them not liking you for it. ”

Their time together on Grey’s Anatomy also created a bond that’s lasted to this day. Pompeo has been the still-popular drama’s mainstay, through her character, Meredith Grey, while Katherine left Grey’s Anatomy in its sixth season in 2010, taking her fan-favorite character Izzie Stevens with her. Her hit Netflix drama Firefly Lane, in which she played talk show host Tully Hart, recently wrapped, concluding the adaptation of the best-selling Kristin Hannah novel.