Exclusive: Kate Walsh Feels 'Very Lucky' to Have Had an 'Incredible' Career in Hollywood

At 57 years old, Kate Walsh is grateful for her long-lasting career in Hollywood.

"I feel very, very lucky. I've got this incredible life, and I think that you're seeing it in the greater culture — not just in Hollywood, but you can see it in fashion, art and all of these areas of life that women are doing so much," the star, who is on a mission to raise awareness about the benefits of early cancer screening and multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests, which screen for some of the deadliest cancers before they become symptomatic, as part of the Generation Possible educational initiative, exclusively tells Morning Honey.

"I think that's one of the positives of social media as we get to see that and are exposed to that, and I still learn from that," the Grey's Anatomy star adds. "I'm still like, 'Oh my gosh, there are all these female artists that I didn't know about.' We're in a very fortunate time to be aging."

The Hollywood star, who currently resides in Australia, counts her lucky stars that she still has a thriving career in showbiz. "I didn't even start on Grey's until I was 36 years old. I felt very fortunate to be able to sort of start then and keep going — and I feel grateful to continue. I do think that things have changed a lot. It's crazy because I wanted to be an actress from when I was little and watching old movies and seeing these titans on screen like Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Betty Davis — and so many of them kept working until their 40s and 50s. I also grew up watching Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and all these incredible women who are still working," she shares.

Additionally, the Private Practice star has now appealed to different audiences, as she's appeared in a whole slew of shows — from Emily in Paris to Grey's Anatomy and more. "That's an interesting aspect of aging," she says. "There's 13 Reasons Why, The Umbrella Academy and more. It's cool that all these younger generations are now watching it online or on streaming services. Sometimes I am like, 'How do these kids know about me?' They're watching it on streaming services. It's super cool. It makes me feel really good, and like I said, I feel super, super lucky to have been able to tell these different stories and roles and continue to do that."

The California native is also doing everything in her power to live a healthy life, which is why she's on a mission to raise awareness about the benefits of early cancer screening and multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests, which screen for some of the deadliest cancers before they become symptomatic.

"I've always been passionate about advocating for one's health — both through my own personal experience with medical challenges, but also particularly cancer as both my parents had been diagnosed with two different kinds of cancer. My father died of lung cancer, while my mother was diagnosed in her early 60s with b----- cancer, which she was able to treat and live for many, many, many more years, but this is why I was excited to partner with GRAIL, Inc., a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, to launch Generation Possible, an educational initiative to raise awareness of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing. Early detection was not available in my parents' generation and even most of my life. It's so exciting because I don't know anyone who hasn't had that terrible phone call of someone close to them that there is cancer," she explains.

"It's crucial to get early screenings, and there's different kinds of screenings. This is exciting because it's early detection and they can test for multiple different types at once — even some of the deadliest cancers with just a simple blood draw. It's something that you want to talk to your doctors about and see if it's right for you, but for me, this kind of technology has never been available before. With early detection, there are more options for treatment. I'm excited to partner with them," she adds.

Walsh notes the risk of cancer increases after the age of 50, "and I think a lot of people kind of forget that. I didn't know that statistic, and I think that's really powerful."

"It was one of the other reasons why I was passionate about partnering with GRAIL, Inc. and Generation Possible. These tests are recommended for adults with an elevated risk for cancer, such as those over 50 and older — in addition, not to replace, but in conjunction with other cancer screenings. But for me, just that technology of a simple blood draw and being able to detect many different kinds of the most deadliest cancers is incredible," she says. "It's definitely worth it. If someone thinks they're at risk and over 50, talk to your doctor about it and see if it's right for you."

"None of it matters if we don't have our health," she concludes. "I've been through it with relatives and others, and it's critical. You realize very quickly how nothing means anything if you don't have your health, so that was another reason why I was super excited to partner with GRAIL, Inc. and Generation Possible because there's a lot of people who ignore their body because they don't want to deal with it. It could be scary, but with early detection, there's more options for treatment. This is a great system, and I encourage people to find out more and see if it's right for them!"