Star and producer of Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo hints at quitting by the year 2020 and explains why plus a light on her upcoming romance with Giacomo Gianniott’s DeLuca in season 15.
When Ellen Pompeo, titular star of Grey’s Anatomy, who essays Dr. Meredith Grey, became a producer to the series and the highest paid woman on television in late 2017, it was assumed that she would stay with the show for many years to come. Even as Shonda Rhimes moved to Netflix, and some characters departed from the show, Shonda handed Ellen more power, enough that she has directed episodes and is hands-on with the series.
But, as it turns out, Ellen has hinted at the show ending in 2020. In a cover interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress spoke about quitting the series even though her 20 million dollar-deal is only through season 16.
When asked by EW that she had just signed the deal in late 2017 that ends at the end of season 16 in 2020 and whether that means she wants to quit, the actress certainly hinted at an end.
“I’m clearly not prepared right now to make any formal announcement about my future on the show,” she told EW. “That’s something that Shonda Rhimes and I will do together. But I’m feeling like we have told the majority of the stories that we can tell. I was really excited to be back working with [executive producer] Krista Vernoff again because we started the show together, so finishing out the show together feels really appropriate. Shonda trusts Krista. So I always follow Shonda’s instincts and she’s always right. But yes, I’m feeling like we’re coming to the end of the stories that we’ve told and that we can tell. I’m really excited to do some new things, it’s about time that I mix it up and I’m really excited about my producing career, and I’m definitely looking for a change.”
Ellen added that she is also not interested in being an absentee mom as her children grow up.
“My children are getting older so I want to be more available to them now. I can’t be an absentee mom if they’re teenagers; I have to be around to whip their butts. So it’s definitely time for change in my life. I’m really looking forward to it and that’s the beauty of my situation. I have definitely played this out for everything that I possibly could. I’ve given it 200 per cent of my energy and my love and my time and my commitment and my dedication. I still am fighting every day to make everything surrounding this show, the quality of the show, the storytelling, I’m still fighting for everything I can, for the quality to be good, for the actors to be happy, whether that’s well received or not. I still care very much about the show and I think that it takes a lot of energy. So at some point I have to wrap it up.”
That sad news aside, the show is not over just yet. As teasers and trailer from season 15 have emerged, fans are wondering what this season has in store for their favourite characters and one of those arcs is something could be brewing between Dr. Meredith Grey’s Ellen Pompeo and DeLuca.
Talking to EW about it, DeLuca (essayed by Giacomo Gianniotti) stated, “Last season in the finale, they shared this [moment]. We didn’t know what it meant but there was something there. Meredith kind of pushed it off and it’s something we’ve been revisiting in this season,” the actor said. “Definitely in the premiere you’re going to see it right out of the gate, which is basically what you saw in the trailer but it’s going to be a little longer, a little bit more detailed. I think we’re going to see something blossoming between them: A friendship? A friendship that could be more? At the moment, we don’t know. We’re only on the sixth episode. We are definitely building some romance, but to what degree, I don’t know.”
-With information from EW
