With the unexpected death of Derek Shepherd, it is quite difficult to imagine what "Grey's Anatomy" season 12 will feel like. But for Ellen Pompeo, the lead actress who plays the role of the neurosurgeon's wife Meredith, the series will simply go through another skin-shedding. 

"It feels a lot different. Every time we lose someone big – when we lost Sandra Oh – when we lose anybody – it's a big shift. But a show that runs this long, you welcome those big changes," the actress told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that this big shift is just what the show actually needs. 

She said that the show feels the way it should be — different. This change, she explained, is what they want to see in season 12 of the series all along. 

"We're looking for things to not stay the same. They have to stay the same to some extent but you welcome change because that's what inspires the writers, that's what inspires the actors. Change is necessary for growth," she went on to say. 

"Grey's Anatomy" season 12, although still reeling from the loss of a big character to a devastating accident, will take on a lighter tone, as promised by show creator Shonda Rhimes. In the same interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said that the fun is back in the show. 

"Meredith being a widow, surprisingly, should be funny in some ways. She's been a woman who has been off the market forever and that humor of 'I'm dead inside, I'm not interested in men,' should be funny in a way. She should have some darker humor in that feeling," Rhimes explained. 

She has also promised in the past that such emotional story will be told in a charming way without losing the actual emotional part. 

Just recently, a photo from "Grey's Anatomy" season 12 showing Meredith wearing pajamas and a confused look made the rounds. While it is impossible to tell what her expression means, it looked like as though she is still trying to move on from Derek's passing.

"Grey's Anatomy" season 12 premieres Sept. 24.