4 days Ago
American actor Ellen Pompeo, renowned for portraying the iconic Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy , recently shared that she has no plans to completely exit the beloved series, as she feels deeply connected to its success. In an interview with El País, Ellen explained that her exit "would make no sense, emotionally or financially", adding that the show was streamed "more than a billion times in 2024 alone". The 55-year-old actor expressed her desire to remain involved with the show, as long as it continues to generate profits.
"The companies that own the show and stream the show make a lot of money from our images and our voices and our faces. If I were to walk away completely, everybody gets to make money from my hard work for 20 years and I wouldn't make any money. To me, it doesn't make any sense that everybody [else] gets to profit off of my hard work.
And emotionally, the show means a lot to people. I want to have an attitude of gratitude toward the show," Ellen remarked. Three years ago, Ellen took on a lesser role on Grey’s Anatomy during season 19.
Although she remained the show’s primary narrator, her on-screen appearances were limited to just eight of the 20 episodes. In the 20th season, she appeared in only four out of the 10 episodes. For season 21, Ellen will be seen in seven more episodes.
Reflecting on her decision to scale back, she shared, "I've been doing it for 20 years, so it was time to step away. I have three children and I love spending time with them and I love being involved in their lives. I'm very lucky to be able to get to work sometimes and take time off.
I have a nice balance in my life." Aside from lending her voice to Doc McStuffins and appearing in Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video, Meredith Grey remained Ellen’s only major on-screen role from 2005 to 2025. However, she recently accepted her first new acting project in two decades, taking on a role in the limited series Good American Family .
She chose this project because she was "looking for something that was very different from Meredith Grey," a decision she found both thrilling and intimidating. "It was at the same time thrilling and terrifying," she admitted. "People have been watching me in the same role for 20 years.
I've been playing the same role for 20 years. I had no reason to believe that I could do anything else. I hadn't tested myself in 20 years and I can't expect my audience to believe me as anything else.
If I'm going to ask them to watch me as a new character, then I'd better deliver on all fronts," she added..
