Entertainment TV Chandra Wilson Had a Second Job During First Season of 'Grey's Anatomy' : 'My Bread and Butter' "They had to kind of force me out," Chandra Wilson joked of the temp job she held during the first season of Grey's Anatomy By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Glenn Garner is a form writer-reporter who worked heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. He left PEOPLE in 2023. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 14, 2021 03:53PM EDT Photo: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. Chandra Wilson has starred in Grey's Anatomy since it premiered in 2005, but she wasn't always sure about her character's longevity on the show. The five-time Emmy Award nominee, 52, opened up about juggling a second job during the first season of the hit medical drama during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Thursday. "As a working actor out there in New York, you're used to having your bread and butter," Wilson told guest host Mario Lopez. "My bread and butter was my job in the document processing department at Bankers Trust at the time, before it became Deutsche Bank. It was long-term temp, and it was perfect because it was overnight, and I could still audition and work during the day and make the high-end money." Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. Urge People to Get Vaccinated in COVID PSA Wilson has played Dr. Miranda Bailey for all of the show's 18 seasons, making her one of only three actors to stick around since the first season (including James Pickens Jr.'s Dr. Richard Webber and Ellen Pompeo's Dr. Meredith Grey). "I had an actor friend who said, 'Don't ever put all your eggs in one basket, especially when they call you out here to L.A., because jobs don't last,' " Wilson explained. "And I had gone through a series before, that we only got six or seven episodes before we were canceled. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. abc "So, it was in season 2 when I came back to do it — as a long-term temp, you just check-in for your availability. And so, all season 1, I just kept checking in, saying, 'Oh, I'm not available this weekend.' So, when we got to season 2, my supervisor said, 'Will you stop calling and telling us that you're not available? Because we see you on TV. So, why are you telling us that you're not available?' So basically, they had to kind of force me out," she recounted with a laugh. Wilson has earned four Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Dr. Bailey. She also marks her 22nd time in the director's chair for Grey's Anatomy with Thursday's episode. RELATED VIDEO: Sandra Oh Saw a Therapist to 'Stay Grounded' During 'Traumatic' Rise to Fame on Grey's Anatomy The NYU alum previously expressed that she has no intention to leave the show. "I always say until the wheels come off, I'll be there," she told Variety last December when asked the "million-dollar question." "I think there have been so many versions of when the show would end and how the show will end that there isn't a version at this point," Wilson continued. "I keep showing up when they call me and tell me that we're doing another one." Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.