Why Arizona Robbins From Grey's Anatomy Looks So Familiar

Dr. Arizona Robbins wheeled her way into the pediatrics unit of "Grey's Anatomy" back in Season 5, Episode 11, "Wish You Were Here." She set out to prove to her colleagues at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital that pediatrics is hardcore and that a positive attitude can make a world of difference.

Player by Jessica Capshaw, Arizona went on to steal scenes and hearts, including the heart of Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez). The two would later divorce, but Arizona makes the decision to be closer to Callie when she trades in Seattle for New York City in Season 14, Episode 24, "All of Me." At the time of her departure, Jessica Capshaw tweeted, "She [Arizona] was one of the first members of the LGBTQ community to be represented in a series regular role on network television. Her impact on the world is permanent and forever."

Arizona would go through relationships, survive a plane crash, and survive a car crash during her 10 seasons on the hit medical drama. But before she was punching into Grey Sloan Memorial, Capshaw was stealing scenes on several other TV shows and a few movies. Here is why Dr. Arizona Robbins' actress looks so familiar.

"Grey's Anatomy" is not the first time that Jessica Capshaw has been in a hospital on the small screen. Before she was Dr. Arizona Robbins, she was appearing on a variety of TV shows, including "ER," where she played Sally McKenna, a wife worried about her husband after he attacks a car during Season 5, Episode 19, "Rites of Spring." "ER" was on the air for 15 seasons and held the title of longest-running primetime medical drama until 2019, which is when "Grey's Anatomy" beat its record of 332 episodes. "ER" star Noah Wyle told The Hollywood Reporter, "Good for you kids! Well done! Didn't think they'd ever break the record! Good on them." 

And while playing a patient on "ER" required her to wear everyday clothes, Capshaw told Yahoo! Life that she'll take scrubs any day. "I count myself among the lucky that I get to go to work in my pajamas. It takes me like 14 seconds to get into my outfit," she said in 2017. 

Capshaw has been busy racking up the small screen credits, and she has a lot of movie experience as well.

Jessica Capshaw has spent plenty of time on movie sets. Some of that time has been spent watching the work of her mom, actress Kate Capshaw, known for her role as Willie Scott in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," directed by Steven Spielberg, who would become her stepdad. During an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, Capshaw recalled what she and Barrymore learned about acting while on the set of the second "Indiana Jones" film. "I feel like you and I had parallel experiences in that we learned so young that, a) the hair and makeup trailer was where all the fun stuff happened and that you could transform and then all of a sudden you would be in this different world ...," she said.

Capshaw would work alongside her mom In the 1997 drama "The Locusts" and the 1999 romance "The Love Letter." She told Town & Country, "My mom is a fountain of wisdom ... I think she's really proud. And I think she loves that I get to do something that I love." In 2002, Capshaw would take direction from Spielberg in "Minority Report," playing Evanna in the film, which follows a police unit tasked with arresting murderers before the crimes happen.

In 2002, Jessica Capshaw would start playing Attorney Jamie Stringer on "The Practice," a series that follows defense attorneys as they take on cases at a law firm in Boston. She appeared in 44 episodes, beginning with Season 7, Episode 1, "Privilege," and ending with Season 8, Episode 22, "Adjourned (a.k.a. Cheers)," which marked the series finale. She is introduced as a new lawyer with a stellar academic record, and she only wants to work on criminal cases. 

The show's costume supervisor knows that first impressions are critical, noting that they chose a lot of pantsuits for Jamie in order to make her look like the more experienced lawyers. "She's fresh out of Harvard Law, so we wanted to capture that professional yet youthful feel. She has to make the impression that she's a serious lawyer, even though she's very young and inexperienced ...," Loree Parrel told InStyle (via CNN). Capshaw noted, "I wear my Earl Jeans for so long that they stand by themselves. She is all high heels and slim lines. The clothes are perfectly tailored."