Fans were extremely upset when Jesse Williams left "Grey's Anatomy" last year. Now, the 40-year-old actor is opening up about his decision to exit the show.

Williams exited ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." in 2021 after playing Dr. Jackson Avery for 12 years. His departure from the medical drama was met with sadness from fans who fell in love with the brooding, often shirtless doctor.

But it was a necessary change for Williams, who tells The New York Times that he felt "increasingly safe, protected, insulated" on the Shonda Rhimes series.

"I knew that as I designed my exit, the next thing I did had to be terrifying," he explained. "I needed to get out of my comfort zone. I needed to go into a very unknown place."

In his post-"Grey's Anatomy" life, that new challenge took him to the Broadway stage to play a baseball player who comes out of the closet, in a revival of Richard Greenberg's "Take Me Out." Williams will play the same role for a television adaptation of the Tony Award-winning baseball drama, opposite Patrick. J. Adams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Current "Grey's" showrunner Krista Vernoff looked beyond his appearances, crediting the star for his determination to improve his craft.

"He was always watching everybody's artistry, and learning from it."

And Vernoff wasn't the only one to take notice of his efforts. His co-star Sarah Drew, who played his on-screen love interest, shared,

"There's nobody that worked as hard as he did. Nobody."

Williams is set to star in the upcoming superhero film "Secret Headquarters," alongside Owen Wilson and Michael Pena, slated to premiere on August 5, 2022.