The Untold Truth Of Danielle Savre

You might not necessarily know the name Danielle Savre, but if you're a fan of network procedurals then you'll have seen her face pop up in everything from "Supernatural" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" to "Blue Bloods" and, of course, the show she's spent multiple seasons as a firefighter on Shonda Rhimes' "Station 19."

But Savre's career extends far beyond "cases of the week" TV. She is a talented musician who's showcased her skills on MTV drama "Kaya," has become a regular of the straight-to-DVD B-Movie market and is something of a style icon having stolen the show at several Fashion Week events. And working in the entertainment industry suits her well. As she once told Millennium magazine, "Truth be told, being on set has been the only place I feel most comfortable and able to be myself."

With Savre fast approaching the 100-episode mark as Type A lieutenant Maya Bishop, what better time than to look at her untold truth?

"Hi Dad, I'm bisexual. Or queer, I guess they say now. And I'm in love with a woman and I am marrying her tonight." Who can forget Maya Bishop's doorstop coming out scene in the fourth season of "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Station 19"? And it turns out that the actor who plays the ex-Olympian lieutenant can relate.

During a 2022 Q&A on TikTok, Danielle Savre was asked whether she'd ever been in love with a woman. And after a brief pause, she replied with a smile, "Yes." The positive response to the revelation appeared to give Savre the confidence to open up more about the subject while appearing at the Milan leg of the A Day With ... convention.

Sevre was in attendance with Stefania Spampinato, aka her on-screen wife Carina DeLuca. And according to BuzzFeed, she told fans, "There's a lot of shame that's associated with the LGBTQ community that's put on us. And it's wrong, and it sucks. I felt shame because I had feelings, romantic relationships with people of both sexes." However, don't expect any specific details. Savre added, "I'm very private about my personal life."

Danielle Savre didn't have to look too far when it came to researching her "Station 19" character Maya Bishop. For her sister Stephanie Savre is a firefighter in real life, albeit with the Los Angeles Fire Department rather than Seattle's. And with the pair being extremely close, the actor got an invaluable insight into the dangerous job.

Speaking to Inlove in 2018, the year she first appeared on the hit "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff, Danielle said, "The whole experience of my sister becoming and now being a firefighter has crafted my performance. I was with her through her ups and downs of fighting to get into the academy, pushing past the struggles of the drill tower and the hurdles she has had to face due to the fact that she is in a male dominated profession."

And Danielle is now hoping to serve as a similar inspiration to aspiring female firefighters. The actor has repeatedly advocated for more women to enter the profession and alongside several other castmates, showed up in person at the LAFD Girls Camp during the first "Station 19" season. Danielle told Inlove, "Currently, there are only 7% female firefighters in the United States. The time is now for that number to change. The Girls Camp allows girls to become educated in the opportunities that they honestly never realized were attainable."

Danielle Savre might not yet have any children of her own. But in a case of going above and beyond, the "Station 19" star has helped her childhood BFF to become a dad. The actor donated her eggs to Chris Ogden-Harkins and his hubby Jacob in the early 2020s and shortly after, the couple announced that their surrogate had fallen pregnant.

Savre revealed the news alongside the expectant fathers on ABC7, "This family is about to get bigger," she proclaimed before adding, "I think we're hoping this makes people less scared about approaching this." And Chris and Jacob were so excited that they even set up an Instagram profile for their baby before she arrived.

During the televised interview, Chris expressed his gratitude for his pal going above and beyond. "She's been so open, so willing to let us share, and be excited about our journey. And letting people know who are wanting to start a journey of their own, you can do it in many different ways," Chris said. Jacob then chimed in, "Everyone's blown away by what you can do now with science. It's amazing. It's beautiful. Not to sound corny, it's magical. It's been amazing. Thanks to Danielle." In November of 2021, the couple announced the arrival of a healthy daughter named Aspen Grey. 

Danielle Savre might generally prefer to keep her love life private. But as well as revealing that she's been in same-sex relationships, the "Station 19" star also once disclosed that she was romantically involved with a man who makes a living analyzing the NHL.

In 2019, the Chicago Tribune reported that Savre had bought a three-bedroom property in the Windy City with boyfriend Andrew Contis, a video analyst for the city's professional hockey team. Not that she'd had much chance to get settled in the place. Thanks to her work commitments with "Station 19" and "Deep Blue Sea 2," filmed in Los Angeles and South Africa, respectively, the actor had only spent a quarter of a year there. "I just want to go back and I want to get on a boat and go on the lake and just kind of enjoy my house again," she remarked.

According to the newspaper, Savre and Contis had spent their childhoods in the same California area but had only got together in the mid 2010s. However, the fact that there hasn't been news, or sign, of the pair together since has led to speculation that they have since gone their separate ways.

Danielle Savre first caught attention playing Callie in mid-'00s teen drama "Summerland." But while the recurring role set her on the path to fame, it also contributed to self-esteem issues.

In a 2018 chat with StyleCaster, the Simi Valley-born star explained how sporting a swimsuit for a majority of her scenes didn't exactly help her confidence. "I'm a 15-year-old girl who was on The WB, a show that people all of my age watched, and I'm in a bathing suit," she recalled. "I'm more of a muscular build. I've got legs, I've got a butt, and I'm curvier. That was always something that was scrutinized growing up." But that was nothing compared to when she was asked to lose a whopping 20 pounds for her lead role in MTV's rock star drama "Kaya." ("There's no way a person can actually, physically be that thin and survive," she told the outlet.) And she was later dropped by her agent after putting the weight back on.

Though body positivity was something she struggled with early on in her career, Savre has learned to love herself. As she told Retreat magazine (via Extra), "I stay true to myself and am accepting of how my body looks at any time."

Danielle Savre soon found out whether life in plastic really is fantastic when she signed a deal with Barbie manufacturers Mattel at the age of just seven. And in a coincidental turn of events, a future co-star was also circling the same orbit. Speaking to StyleCaster in 2018, the "Too Close to Home" actor explained how she discovered on the set of "Station 19" that she and Brenda Song had something in common. "We were in the makeup and hair trailer, and Brenda was like, 'I know you.' I was like, 'You don't know me. You're Brenda Song. Trust me, you're way beyond me. You don't know me,'" Savre recalled. "She was like, 'No! Did you do Barbie commercials?' And I was like, 'Yes!'" Yes, like Savre, Song also appeared in Barbie ads when she was a kid. 

And Savre certainly isn't embarrassed about her toy-shilling past. The star once took to Twitter to share a throwback photo from a Los Angeles shoot advertising the Barbie world's answer to Dorothy Hamill. That's quite appropriate as when asked what Olympic sport she would take up by The Italian Reve, the actor replied,"Figure skating!"

Could Danielle Savre have lifted the FIFA Women's World Cup alongside the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan had she stuck with her only sporting passion? Who knows? In a 2009 chat with the Simi Valley Acorn, the "Station 19" star admitted that her parents were slightly concerned when she hung up her cleats to pursue a different interest. 

Savre actually graduated from high school at the age of 15 having taken summer and after-school classes at a nearby college in order to focus on her acting and musical ambitions. This also meant that she had to give up playing soccer, although as Savre explained to Oxygen in 2020, she essentially only took up the sport in the first place as a way of getting one over her sibling.

"My sister and I were raised in a household that encouraged an athletic lifestyle," Savre said. "Our parents encouraged us to try any sports or activities that interested us. You name it, we did it and gave it our best shot. I stuck with soccer because it was the only thing my sister wasn't good at. Stephanie was great at everything else she tried." In fact, the younger Savre ended up gaining a scholarship to Virginia Tech because of her prowess on the softball field.

Late-'00s MTV viewers may well have seen Danielle Savre showcase her singing talents as the eponymous rock star in the short-lived drama "Kaya." But this wasn't the double threat's first brush with the music scene. Earlier on in the decade she'd been a member of not just one but two all-singing, all-dancing girl groups.

Savre initially tried to make it in the world of teen pop as part of Sweet Obsession and then Trinity. But despite choreography from "So You Think You Can Dance" regular Shane Sparks, neither of the outfits took off and the Californian pivoted into acting. However, she did get the chance to show off her moves playing Brianna in direct-to-DVD sequel "Bring It On: All or Nothing."

In a 2018 interview with Refinery29 about the Los Angeles home she rents while shooting "Station 19," Savre revealed that she's still in touch with at least one of her former bandmates. In fact, they moved in together: "Amanda is only at the house three days a week; we were in a girl group together when I was 15 and she was 12. We stayed close ever since, and we're basically like sisters now."

It's fair to say that Whoopi Goldberg knows a thing or two about longevity. One of less than 20 people to achieve the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) clean sweep, the "Sister Act" star has been a fixture of the stage and screen since the early 1980s. So no doubt that Danielle Savre was paying close attention when, as the Daily News reported, she received some sage career advice from the multi-talent during an encounter at New York Fashion Week.

In a 2018 interview with StyleCaster, Savre revealed how she acted like a giggly schoolgirl when she spotted one of her idols just two chairs away at the Chromat show. "I went up to Whoopi and was like, 'Hi. it's so nice to meet you. I'm on a new Shondaland show. It's called "Station 19."' I kept rambling. It all happened in slow motion," she recalled. Luckily, Goldberg didn't appear to mind all the rambling and although she wasn't familiar with the spinoff from "Grey's Anatomy," she did offer some wise words of wisdom: "She was like, 'Ah. You're in good hands. The show will, of course, be a huge success. Stay level-headed. Don't get a big head.' It was the most out-of-this-world experience. I loved it so much."

"Station 19" star Danielle Savre may have featured in two girlbands and lived with a couple of female friends. But up until her twenties, her close circle was largely dominated by men.

Speaking to Parade in 2019, the actor revealed that she'd always found gal pals hard to come by. "I didn't have a ton in high school, and as a kid I had like one or two. Most of my friends were guys," she recalled. "As I got older and I started finding women that I felt like I really connected with, that valued the same things in life that I valued and wanted the same things, I just respect every single one of my girlfriends and so I cherish them, and I value them, and I hold onto them."

Of course, being a regular in a long-running Shonda Rhimes hit, as well as a jet-setting movie star, Savre still finds quality time with her squad easier said than done. "It's hard in this industry," she admitted. "One of my friends is in Texas, the other one's in New York, one's here, one's out in Bakersfield. So, I keep them close, but it's also a lot of work to make sure those friendships stay where they're at."

Danielle Savre only appeared in one episode of the seemingly never-ending CW series "Supernatural" — the ninth season episode "Bloodlines" — but it completely altered the course of her career. In fact, when chatting about the show with Digital Spy, the actor said, "It was a great experience and absolutely a life-changing experience."

Savre explained, "It was weird because that was at a time in my career when I was like, 'No, I don't know if I want to act anymore'. I was questioning all of my decisions in my life. I was at an age when I was trying to figure things out." But Savre, who also forged a lifelong friendship with co-star Melissa Roxburgh on The CW drama, soon realized that she was in it for the long haul: "After that I was like, 'No, I can't not act, I love this more than anything.' You kind of always question it as an actor because there's so many ups and downs in this industry, and you really have no control. You just go and do the best job and hope that someone thinks you're right for the role."

But the star's "Supernatural" spell wasn't supposed to end there. The episode in question was intended to be a backdoor pilot for a spinoff subtitled "Bloodlines." Sadly, network execs decided against ordering a full series further exploring Chicago's monster and hunter cultures.

Danielle Savre made her film debut playing cheerleader Brianna in "Bring It On: All or Nothing," the third installment of the pom-pom shaking franchise which, like its predecessor, completely bypassed cinemas. And that's pretty much been the case for the Californian's entire movie career.

Apart from a couple of minor roles in the likes of "In the Land of Women" and "The Final Season," Savre's cinematic body of work has been restricted to the small screen. And the majority of her roles have been in sequels that no-one really asked for, too. Take "Boogeyman 2," for example, a follow-up to the moderately successful horror about a monster in the closet. Or "Jarhead 2: Field of Fire," another macho war movie featuring none of the original cast.

And then in 2018, Savre took top billing as a shark conservationist in the belated sequel to 1999's creature feature "Deep Blue Sea." In a chat with CBS Los Angeles, the actor revealed that although she enjoyed the experience she did have to suffer for her art. Referring to the South Africa shoot, Savre remarked, "No one told me though, and I guess I should have known this, but it was winter when I went there. ... So it was a little cold, a little chilly. But we toughed through it, had a lot of jokes and had a lot of fun."

Anja Taylor-Joy may have already taken the titular role in the eagerly-awaited "Furiosa." But if there's to be another installment of the "Mad Max" franchise, then Danielle Savre will be hoping casting agents look her way.

When asked by Inlove what her dream role is, Savre replied, "Any woman of history. A woman that sacrificed the ease of traditions to stand up for what she felt was right. Or simply a woman of the present that embodies what the women of the future will be. Honestly anywhere from a film about Marie Curie to a role like Furiosa in "Mad Max."

Savre also has some lofty ambitions when it comes to her ideal on-screen partner. Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman, Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, Michelle Williams, and Meryl Streep were just a few of the acclaimed names that the actor mentioned to Inlove. And in a separate interview with Regard, she named some more stars she'd like to act opposite, offering a long list that includes Rihanna, Ryan Gosling, Jennifer Lawrence, Beyoncé, and Tom Hardy. 

Not content with turning heads at New York Fashion Week in 2017, "Station 19" star Danielle Savre also did so when she showed up at the same event the following year. "From Badgley Mischka to Chromat, she kept her vibe sophisticated but fun, experimenting with bold colors and adding the occasional touch of whimsy for good measure," gushed Us Weekly.

Savre was only attending as an observer but is open to the idea of appearing on the runway herself at some point, with Zac Posen, Victoria Beckham and Alexander McQueen some of her favorite designers: "[They] remain a constantly structured, classic yet sexy and bold style that speaks volumes to me," she told Regard Magazine.

And the Californian likes to stay on trend even when she's not gracing one of the most important parts of the fashion world calendar: "For everyday wear, I love H&M, ZARA, and BCBG. But shoes are my weakness. Three inches or higher boots, pumps, anything that will elongate my legs. The right shoe with perfect comfort, can transform my entire energy and confidence." She shoe-re knows a thing or two about putting a look together.