Jesse Williams says he's 'open' to returning to 'Grey's Anatomy' in season 18: 'I love my people there'

• Jesse Williams told HollywoodLife he would be "open" to returning to "Grey's Anatomy" season 18.
• He mentioned the possibility of checking in with Jackson and April in Boston.
• Williams will make his Broadway debut in "Take Me Out" this spring.

As "Grey's Anatomy" gears up for its historic 18th season on ABC, there is no word on the possibility for a spinoff featuring fan-favorite characters Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) just yet. But Williams is keeping hope alive for seeing those two characters again.

The actor told HollywoodLife that he "sincerely" doesn't know whether Jackson will return for a guest appearance on the upcoming season, but added that he would "be open to it."

"I love my people there, my character, and it could be really cool to have a check-in and see what he and April are up to," Williams said. "I'd be interested in that for sure."

Williams, who starred on "Grey's Anatomy" for 12 seasons before announcing his exit in May, is set to make his Broadway debut this spring in Richard Greenberg's play "Take Me Out" alongside Patrick J. Adams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Per Deadline, he's also been cast in the pilot for his first TV series since departing "Grey's Anatomy" - Hulu's upcoming adaptation of the Xochitl Gonzalez novel "Olga Dies Dreaming."

This isn't the first time Williams has addressed the idea of returning to play Jackson. At a Tribeca Festival red-carpet event in June, he told Insider he liked the idea of a whole series centered around Jackson and April's lives in Boston running the Catherine Fox Foundation and helping marginalized communities get access to better medical care.

"It's a really interesting premise. We would kill it," he said, referring to himself and Drew.

Drew also expressed interest in a spinoff focused on Jackson and April solving problems related to "racial justice in the medical field" at a press conference attended by Insider in May. "How cool would that show be?" she said. "These two could change the world of medicine, right?"

Jackson and April (also known as "Japril") have a passionate fan base that Drew and Williams have always expressed appreciation for. "It's all love. It feels good," Williams told Insider about the fan campaigns for the spinoff.

Williams is next set to appear in the upcoming film "Secret Headquarters" alongside Owen Wilson and Michael Peña.