After spending more than two decades as Dr. Richard Webber on Grey’s Anatomy, James Pickens Jr. has earned the kind of name recognition that precedes him anywhere he goes. But when I sat down with him, he told me I could call him “Jim,” and what stood out wasn’t his résumé; it was his calm, grounded energy. He’s worked with directors like Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, and Barry Levinson, but he’s the kind of guy who makes you forget all that within a few minutes of talking.
His latest project, Albert’s Flower, marks a new chapter both creatively and personally. The 20-minute short is the first film from his own production company, Bay Springs Productions. Directed by James Glossman, the story follows a man drawn back to his childhood home to confront the weight of his past and find long-overdue closure. “Albert’s looking for not so much redemption,” Jim explained, “but resolution, something we all face in our own way.”
The film’s quiet power lies in that universal reckoning. “We deal with the past in ways that either help us heal or help us remember,” he said. “Hopefully, we find within that some way to forgive ourselves and others.”
When Glossman first shared Albert’s Flower, originally written as a ten-page play by John Pietrowski, Pickens immediately saw something more. “About five pages in, I said, this is a film,” he laughed. “It felt like a chamber piece, two people in this very intimate space, confronting something deep and real.”
The result is a beautifully restrained short anchored by Pickens’ performance opposite Eílis Cahill, whose silent empathy gives the film its heartbeat. “She says so much without saying a word,” Jim said, clearly admiring her work. “It’s really a masterful performance.”
Stepping into the role of executive producer was both challenging and rewarding. “As a producer, your job is to get it done, and seeing it come together with such talented people was incredibly satisfying,” he said. Albert’s Flower became not just a story about healing, but a statement of intent for Bay Springs Productions. “I wanted to tell stories that speak to me, stories about who we are socially, politically, culturally,” he added. “This was the perfect project to introduce what we’re about.”
Toward the end of our conversation, we joked about Grey’s Anatomy, my grandmother’s favorite show, and his long run as Dr. Webber. “If ABC had their way, we’d be in wheelchairs by the time it’s done,” he said with a grin. But Albert’s Flower feels like a meaningful next act: smaller in scale, but larger in purpose.
“I’ve been fortunate to be part of some amazing projects,” he said, “but now, I want to find and tell the stories that move me.” And that’s exactly what Albert’s Flower does. It lingers quietly, like the memory of a place you once called home.
Jessie Hobson