Ellen Pompeo Strips Down & Talks McDreamy In Candid New Interview

Ellen Pompeo has nothing to hide.


Ellen Pompeo (Entertainment Weekly)

The actress bares (almost) all on one of four collector’s edition covers for Entertainment Weekly’s Sept. 11 issue, donning little more than a lab coat and a smile for the sexy shot.

Her interview was equally revealing, as the “Grey’s Anatomy” star sat down with showrunner Shonda Rhimes, “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington and “How To Get Away With Murder’s” Viola Davis for a candid chat about the difficulties facing women in Hollywood.

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After starring as the title heroine of ABC’s smash medical drama for more than a decade, Ellen opened up about her character’s new chapter as she recovers from the shocking death of her onscreen husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). The actress said she was caught off guard with some viewers’ assumption that the show, or even Meredith herself, would go off the rails without a male lead.

“All of a sudden, Patrick leaves, and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, Meredith’s gonna get killed with Alzheimer’s!'” Ellen said of the sexist response. “The show couldn’t possibly go on without the man!'”

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Kerry talked about how her experience working with Shonda on “Scandal” differed from other projects where a woman wasn’t at the helm. The Emmy nominee gave birth to daughter Isabelle in 2014, and told EW that the news of her pregnancy was met with enthusiastic support she might not have expected in a different work environment.

“I was talking to an actress who’s pregnant and really worried about telling her bosses, and I said, ‘Yeah, when I told my boss I was pregnant, she literally jumped up and down in my trailer,'” Kerry said. “I don’t know if there’s a male showrunner who would do that.”

Sexism wasn’t the women’s only hot topic. Shonda, whose hit dramas make up the bulk of ABC’s primetime block on Thursday nights, said she learned from an early age to stand up for herself regardless of any short-sighted perspective she comes across.

“When I encountered something that felt like racism, like my high school guidance counselor saying to me, ‘Honey, I don’t think you were made for Ivy League schools,’ I called my mom at work and said, ‘Mom, this lady says I’m not made for Ivy League schools,'” the magnate said. “And my mother said, ‘Hold on, I’ll be there in five minutes.’ My mom drove up to the school, walked into the guidance counselor’s office, came out, and said, ‘Everything’s fine now.'”

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Shonda has used that lesson to defend her creative choices as well. She told reporters at the Television Critics Association Summer Tour in August that, despite fans’ uproar, the decision to kill off “Grey’s” beloved McDreamy was the best possible compromise.

“What were the options? Either Der was going to walk out on Mer and leave her high and dry, and what was that going to mean?” she said, explaining that she was left with little choice once Patrick decided to exit the series. “That would suggest the love wasn’t true, the thing we had said for 11 years was a lie.”

She continued, “As painful as it was for me as a storyteller, the only way to preserve what felt true to me was Derek was going to have to die for that love to remain honest.”

Now, she said, both Meredith and “Grey’s Anatomy” are ready for a “rebirth” in the wake of the profound loss.

“Grey’s Anatomy” premieres its 12th season on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC.

All four covers of Entertainment Weekly’s Shondaland-themed issue hit newsstands on Sept. 4. 

— Erin Biglow

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