Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo has revealed that she was reluctant to say one of the iconic lines from the show.
The actor has appeared as Dr Meredith Grey on the ABC medical-drama since 2005, though she has scaled back her appearances following the 19th season in 2022.
With several iconic lines and storylines, Pompeo shared on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she was against the dialogue in a scene alongside Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, in which Meredith begged him to leave his marriage.
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“There was a lot of stuff that I didn't want to do at the time,” said Pompeo. “I didn't want to say: ‘Pick me, choose me, love me.’ I was like: ‘Why would I do this? Why would I beg? Why would I?’ You know, you have to just suck it up and do it.”
Pompeo subsequently credited creator Shonda Rhimes for sticking to her guns in knowing that the line would “pop”, adding: “It ended up being, you know, the biggest thing ever, the most iconic thing ever. So, I'm not always the best judge of, you know, what's going to [work].”
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Pompeo, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, recently revealed that she hadn’t yet let her 10-year-old daughter watch the series despite her wishes, giving an amusing reason as to why.
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“My 10-year-old wants to see it, [but] she's not ready. But a lot of kids in her class have seen it,” said Pompeo, before she quipped: “I don't want my daughter to see me in my underwear on television just yet. But all her classmates have. So, that makes for great conversation at pick-up.”
Away from Grey's Anatomy, Pompeo can be seen in Good American Family alongside Mark Duplass and Imogen Faith Reid, with the eight-part limited series focusing on a family who grow suspicious of their adopted child.
Grey's Anatomy season 21 airs on Thursdays at 10pm ET on ABC in the US. Previous seasons are streaming on Disney+ in the UK.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
