Kevin McKidd exits 'Grey's Anatomy,' talks Owen Hunt haters, Eric Dane

Kevin McKidd is aware of how "Grey's Anatomy" fans feel about Dr. Owen Hunt.

Love him or hate him, the redhead trauma surgeon has been integral to "Grey's Anatomy" for over a decade and a half. Following the Season 22 finale, which aired May 7, Dr. Hunt and Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) will leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as they embark on a new life in Paris.

The Scottish actor, 52, joined Season 5 in 2008 and has remained a regular series star ever since, portraying the complex and good-hearted doctor while also directing 49 episodes, more than anyone else. And while it's likely McKidd will return soon to direct his 50th episode, it'll seemingly be a while before Owen returns to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Owen's exit has prompted mixed reactions, as some fans have long found the character polarizing, criticizing the decisions he made in his marriages to Teddy, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), from scolding Yang for getting an abortion in Season 8 to committing adultery twice.

McKidd is grateful for the role and the family he got to be a part of for more than 18 seasons but feels optimistic about what's next for him. He's set to star in an ITV thriller titled "The Only Suspect," helm his new production company, Ferryman Films, and hopes to pursue theater roles.

He tells USA TODAY about his legacy on "Grey's Anatomy," his favorite of Owen's three marriages and working with the late Eric Dane, who died earlier this year after battling ALS.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

"Grey's" is not your typical acting project. It's a show you can be on for so long but you also never know when it's going to end. You said you've been thinking about leaving for a couple of years. What has kept you on the show for all this time, and when did you start thinking about saying goodbye?

It's hard to put into words how much of a family it's become. In many ways, my family in America is the cast and crew of "Grey's Anatomy."

So, it was hard to think about the idea of leaving, but it feels right with so much other stuff that I want to do, and we've got my production company in the U.K., and there are theater roles I want to do that I've never had a chance to do in 18 years. I keep joking that I want to do a Christopher Nolan film before I get too old. So I think it just felt right for many reasons.

But the truth is, there's a good chance I'll be back sooner than you think to direct some episodes as well.

What have you learned from playing Owen, whether it's as an actor or just as a person? What's it like bringing this person to life and having him become part of yours for so long?

What I've learned from playing that character is that, however broken you are, you still deserve a chance to live a decent, whole life. You are allowed to have relationships and be in the world and not be ostracized. And we all have struggles and Owen has struggled a lot with certain things in his mental health and his PTSD.

I think he's always kind of managed to move past things and sort of transform and adapt to heal. So I think that's what I've learned from Owen: We all have the right to heal.

Fans haven't always been receptive to Owen Hunt. He's kind of a divisive character, not because of you as an actor, but because of decisions he's made throughout the seasons. And I'm curious if you're aware of some of the hate that Owen gets. Do you feel protective of him as an actor, or do you see where people are coming from?

I see some of it, and I'm like, "Good, this is good." The worst thing you could want for TV characters is "they're alright. Oh, yeah, I kind of like them." I think being a liked character only gets you so far as an actor.

The secret source of good drama is that you have to push people's buttons sometimes and make people mad. I mean, sometimes I'd go, "Why am I trying to do that?"
And then I'd speak to the writers and go, "OK I see where we're headed with it."
Really, if people have this hate for the character, that's fine. That means I did my job well.

Your character has been in three different marriages throughout the show. Which of yours is your personal favorite?

I always thought it would be Cristina, that they would be the endgame. Cristina and Owen definitely had that really fiery stuff that was really fun to play. But I do think this last chapter for Teddy and Owen has shown me that they really are the endgame. Their relationship predated Cristina and Owen. So I think ultimately it's probably right that they ended up together.

I've got to be scene partners with Sandra [Oh], one of the best actors in the world. Kim Raver is one of the most accomplished, brilliant, passionate TV actresses that we have, and Caterina Scorsone is such a blessing. They all bring such different nuances and complications and passion to their work, but I feel like a lucky guy that I got to work with all these amazing, powerful actresses.

You talked about the "Grey's Anatomy" family earlier, and we lost Eric Dane, which is very devastating for the crew and cast, as well as for fans who watched him and loved his work.
It's been a long time since you two were on screen together, but what can you tell us about working with him?

His comedic timing, we'd look at him and go, "How is he doing that? How does he make the scene that seems pretty easy and simple so funny?" He had this dry, deadpan way about him, but it was just really infectious and really fantastic.

And there's nobody like him, and we miss him. We just send a love to him and his family. He was an incredible talent and he was gone too soon.