Kevin McKidd Speaks on Grey's Anatomy Role

Coming off the disappointing cancellation of NBC's Journeyman after one season and HBO's Rome after only two, Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) has been added as a series regular to one of TV's top dramas in this, the current Season Five of Grey's Anatomy.

"I am excited to have Kevin McKidd joining us for the season," the creator and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes, said Wednesday.

"Kevin is a delight to collaborate with and brings incredible passion, talent and creativity. Plus, he's already got the 'Mc' built in to his name so we had to keep him."

McKidd, who started off the season as a guest star, is now on board full-time as the Army surgeon who recently returned from Iraq, the lone survivor of his unit.

As the new head of trauma at Seattle Grace, Dr. Hunt's on-the-fly method of medicine often clashes with the teaching hospital's typical, by-the-book style.

"He's pretty uncompromising but also willing to learn," said McKidd. "There are a lot of contradictions in his character, but that's what makes him interesting."

McKidd said that he was disappointed when Journeyman wasn't renewed after the writers' strike of last winter/srping, but that becoming part of the ensemble Grey's Anatomy cast has been a welcome respite from the breakneck pace of being the star of a show.

To prepare for the role of Hunt, McKidd met with an Iraq veteran who works with others who suffer from post-traumatic stress, and has picked up books on the subject.

"This is an ongoing war and it's only right that I don't do some generalized approximation of the character," McKidd said. "Whether the reading comes into the scenes or not, its important that I read these testaments about what's out there."

As for Owen's relationship with Sandra Oh's Dr. Cristina Yang, McKidd promises there's much more in store for the pair, though things will get "complicated."

McKidd's addition comes on the heels of Brooke Smith's sudden departure after last week's episode and while McKidd is "honored" and "flattered" with his new position, he wishes his character would have had the chance to clash with Dr. Erica Hahn.

"I just started the show when she [was let go] so I was very much out of the loop but I felt sad because she's obviously a great actress and I felt Owen and her character could have really clashed in an interesting way," said Kevin McKidd.

"I'm sad that that opportunity couldn't come."