Khandi Alexander Plays Doctor On And Off TV

Khandi Alexander (Dr. Alexx Woods) submerges herself so deeply into her role, she’s constantly mistaken for a real-life doctor.

“I live in an area near Cedars-Sinai and I have always shopped over there. But now, especially nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors, have conversations with me as if I know what they are talking about,” the actress told the Malaysian Star Online. “It is very interesting. I just smile and pretend I know what they are talking about.”

Alexander’s dedication to her character's expertise is so fierce the actress keeps a Gray’s Anatomy textbook at home. After three years on the show, however, she's learned to relax. “There was a time when I would literally spend maybe two days just learning not only how to pronounce the words, but what they meant before I went to work."

“I miss that part of her. But as the series evolves, that has become less important than finding the heart and soul of the show,” she added.

The 48-year-old actress was a dancer before she became an actor, and revealed the writers once thought about incorporating her other talent into the show. “At one point they did have that in the script, and then I had to go to them and say she’s not a dancer. It would be nice. But I thought let’s keep her in reality,” Alexander said.

Visit Star Online to read the rest of the interview.

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