For anyone who grew up in the '80s, Anthony Edwards will always be remembered for his role as the down-to-earth fighter pilot, Goose, who was Tom Cruise's best buddy in Top Gun. In the years following Top Gun, Edwards went on to land another role that he's equally remembered for when he was cast as Dr. Greene on NBC's ER. After spending eight seasons in the white robe of Dr. Greene, Edwards left ER on his own accord in what was a "must see" event when his character died of brain cancer.

With ER about to close its doors forever, Edwards is returning to the popular medical drama on November 13 in the episode "Heal Thyself" for one final appearance, as a salute to fans before the series fades into television history. With Dr. Greene's return to ER only days away, our own Troy Rogers put on his hospital greens and scrubbed up for a conference call with Anthony Edwards to find out why he came back to the show and how he feels about Dr. Greene and the series six years later.

THE DEADBOLT: Is there one thing from the show that's always stayed with you?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Yeah, you know, there really is, and that was probably in the former thing. It happened here in New York in that we had done this pilot that we all had no idea where we were, in what corridor, in what hallway, and we were using all these tools that we didn't know what they were, and debating and doing all this stuff in this pilot. It was crazy and exciting, but we didn't know really what it was. And then we were at the - I guess they call them the [up fronts] here in New York and we were all together as a cast because they were announcing the show.

And they showed a 20-minute clip of the show - 15 minute, 20 minute clip. And to see it cut together and to see it with the music and to see, it was really chilling. We really went like, 'Oh, my god. We are part of something that is so much better than we are individually.' And it was very, very exciting. You really felt like, 'Oh, wow. This is something special.

THE DEADBOLT: Why do you think people are so fascinated by medical dramas, because they're still doing well today?

EDWARDS: You know, fear sells a lot and everybody is afraid of stuff. And so like I said, you know, nice to see other people go through it on TV.

THE DEADBOLT: I thought you were great in Zodiac last year. Are there any similarities between playing a doctor and a cop?

EDWARDS: You know, only in that the good ones are really smart and - no, I didn't really find much similarity at all.

THE DEADBOLT: If they would've called you back - I know your character died - but if they would've called you back earlier, would you have come back, like say three years ago?

EDWARDS: Probably not. No, I mean I probably would've been - I think the event of this being the last season and the event of it - of them all - the spirit in which they're attacking the season, I really related to, like I said, because it's really kind of a thank you to the show as well and to the audience.

Other Conference Call Highlights:

Anthony Edwards on whether he has a favorite episode:

"You know, I really didn't. I mean there were ones that people really responded to, that they loved that were like, 'Oh, my god.' They were - it was horrible hard and to do but you're proud of them. So there were things like that, like when the kid died in the first season - or the mother died and the kid lived and the kind of big Greene tragedy there. But, you know, we did so much that it's hard to think of favorite episodes. Yeah, it really is. I mean it sounds silly but I was so kind of proud of our seasons - we would have 22 good episodes and it wasn't just one standout episode. But, you know, there was a consistency to it. That's what I loved. So that made it fun."

Edwards on the role he's recognized for the most:

"Well, you know, in film it's all about Top Gun and they love Goose. And certainly, it's Greene. You know, it's the two G's. It's Greene and Goose. So it can be either one."

On whether Dr. Greene had to die when he left the show:

"It was kind of a good experience because, you know, what happens in television is people say they're going to leave and then they don't leave or they leave and then - or they all of a sudden leave abruptly out of something. And I think what happened here was something that happened out of a contract, which was basically when I had my renegotiation and I said I would do eight years, then I said yes I really am going to leave after eight years. So just they knew that that really was my stop date. They were able to tell that story over two years not thinking 'Oh, shoot! He's going to renegotiate and then we're going to have to keep him alive for another,' you know?

"So because of the reality that, yeah, I was going to leave after eight years, it made for the storytelling of Dr. Greene leaving. And that - and John Wells says to me, 'Well, if you're going to leave, you know, it's such a central character we really probably should kill you.' And I was like, 'I understand,' and let's just do it like anything on the show - just do it the best way you can.

"So it was kind of - it was very intentional. So that that second to last year before I left, it was to be able to explore the medicine of brain cancer and all the different protocols and what he went through. And kind of the hospital part of what happens in that world. So then the second to the actual year that I left, they'd done the medical part of it. So then they could do more of the emotional and the family, and the other storytelling, so that it didn't just have to end with Dr. Greene in a hospital bed dying of cancer because that's where the medicine ended."

Edwards on Dr. Greene's look so many years later:

"Well, luckily, I aged less in the last six years than I did from the pilot to when I left. When I look at those pictures I go, 'Oh, my god!' I was a baby when I was 32. So I've aged less from 40 to 46. And luckily because I do run, I haven't put on any extra poundage so - and the fact is he's going through chemo so we had a little flexibility of what Dr. Greene could look like. But from what I saw it seems to look - it works really well. I don't think you'd think, 'Oh, my god! There's an old guy playing Dr. Greene again."

Edwards on how Dr. Greene was brought back for this episode:

"Well, you know what? Basically what happened was I was at home and I got an email from John Wells saying, 'Listen, we're all sitting here in Hawaii and we're trying to figure out the last season of ER. And we've come up with a way of getting Greene back and we'd love to bring everybody back into the show for the audience's sake.' And, you know, it makes such perfect sense how they did do it but I certainly could not have pictured it before."

Anthony Edwards on George Clooney not wanting to come back and what finally convinced him to play Dr. Greene one last time:

"I can understand people's hesitancy of wanting - of coming back because, you know, when you're a part of something you feel like you did so well. You kind of also don't want to screw it up, you know? I think there's a natural respect for this show that you want to be respectful of. And for me what really kicked in also is perfect timing and the fact that I was about to launch a big fundraising campaign to build the largest children's hospital in Africa. And that's with the charity I work with -- Shoe 4 Africa.

"So when John Wells asked me, I said I'm happy to but don't pay me. Let's get Warner Brothers to donate to the hospital. So in lieu of payment they gave me $125,000 - gave the hospital $125,000 which Steven Spielberg found out about and he matched. And John Wells kicked in $50,000. So for me it was really great because they are two things that are really dear to me, which is the experience that I had for eight years - which certainly changed my life being on the show - and then this whole new part of my life which has to do with running and it has to do with children's health, and it has to do with Africa. So, you know, it was really a win/win for me on all of that way."