She might’ve just signed on for season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy, but Ellen Pompeo says she’s been ready to hang up her stethoscope on numerous occasions.
In an interview with Variety, the affable actress— who, in front of the camera, plays titular character Doctor Meredith Grey in the long-running medical drama— has opened up about her first decade on the show, admitting there were “many moments” in which she wanted to quit.
“It’s funny: I never wanted off the bus in the year that I could get off. The first 10 years we had serious culture issues, very bad behaviour, really toxic work environment,” the 49-year-old said, admitting some of the cast had bad behavioural issues. “But once I started having kids, it became no longer about me. I need to provide for my family.”
“It became my goal to have an experience there that I could be happy and proud about, because we had so much turmoil for 10 years,” she said. “My mission became, this can’t be fantastic to the public and a disaster behind the scenes.”
Following Patrick ‘McDreamy’ Dempsey’s abrupt exit from the series, Pompeo said the network unfairly argued that the show wouldn’t thrive without a male lead. In an attempt to prove them wrong all while proving her worth, she teamed up with creator Shonda Rhimes to completely transform the narrative and create big shifts.
“Shonda Rhimes and I decided to rewrite the ending of this story. That’s what’s kept me. Patrick Dempsey left the show in season 11, and the studio and ABC network believed the show could not go on without the male lead. So I had a mission to prove that it could. I was on a double mission.”
Last year the mum-of-three— who has always been vocal about Hollywood’s pay disparity and the fact Depsey made twice as much as she did despite being the lead character — revealed that after years of fighting, she’d negotiated a US$20 million-per-year deal with the network. Since announcing the victory, Pompeo has urged other women to back themselves and know their worth in the workplace.
WATCH: Ellen Pompeo Was ‘Completely Shocked’ by Backlash from Women Over Grey’s Anatomy Paycheck
“My husband says, ‘Closed mouths don’t get fed’. But if you have to walk, don’t be a victim. If you don’t get what you want, put your big-girl panties on …You can know your worth, but if they don’t know it, you can’t cry.”
Pompeo is now the highest paid actress on television.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
