Sarah Drew says one piece of advice from her father helped her face fear when anxiety felt overwhelming. The "Grey’s Anatomy" alum said the guidance changed how she thought about motherhood, faith, and the pressures that came with both.
Drew is now starring in the Lifetime film "When I Said I Do," where she plays Ali Corley, a widowed search-and-rescue K-9 handler who rebuilds her life after losing her husband on the job. The role fit well with the kind of stories Drew says she wants to tell: projects built around hope, resilience, and perseverance.
Faith at the center of a difficult season
Drew told Fox News Digital that faith has always grounded her life, especially during stressful periods. One of those moments came when she was pregnant with her first child and dealing with panic attacks.
At the time, she was also starring on "Grey’s Anatomy" and had been married to Peter Lanfer for a decade. Even with a stable career and family life, she said she felt unprepared for the demands of motherhood and worried she would not be selfless enough.
She remembered reaching out to her father, who is a pastor, and asking for Scripture or advice that could help her push back against fear. His answer stayed with her.
The advice that changed her outlook
According to Drew, her father told her that the best way to confront fear was with “aggressive gratitude.” He explained that gratitude could feel unnatural at first, especially when a person is stuck in a spiral of anxious thoughts.
Drew said the idea was to speak out loud about blessings, even in the middle of uncertainty. She described the practice as replacing dark thoughts with simple thankfulness for basic gifts such as breath, shelter, and a meal.
She said that habit shifted her thinking over time. The more she practiced gratitude, the more she noticed things to be grateful for, and that changed how fear affected her.
Motherhood, marriage and pressure
Drew said one of the biggest risks she ever took was choosing to become a mother. During pregnancy, she worried that she would fail her children or resent the responsibilities that came with parenting.
Those fears made the advice from her father even more meaningful, she said. The message gave her a practical way to respond when anxiety felt bigger than her confidence.
Her family also shaped how she viewed her acting career. Drew said her parents never treated Hollywood as something dangerous or off limits, but as a place where her gift could be used well.
A career guided by purpose
Drew said her parents encouraged her to use acting as a way to love people, not chase status. Her mother’s parting words when she left for college were simple: “Go out there and love some people.”
That mindset still drives her work, she said, and it connects to why "When I Said I Do" appealed to her. The film’s message of endurance and second chances matched the kind of storytelling she values.
Drew also pointed to the film "Chariots of Fire" as a long-time inspiration. She said the line about feeling God’s pleasure when running had stayed with her through middle school and high school, and later shaped how she thought about acting.
“When I act, I feel God’s pleasure,” she said, describing performance as a spiritual expression rather than a career strategy. She added that she does not want her work to be driven by followers, attention, or what comes next, but by connection through storytelling.
Drew, who is a devout Christian and a mother of two, has continued acting and writing since leaving "Grey’s Anatomy" in 2018. Her latest role keeps that focus on faith, gratitude and resilience at the center of her work.
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