Ellen Pompeo Defends Grey's Anatomy's Latest Attack on Meredith

Hear what the actress has to say about the endless tragedy her character faces on the ABC hit

By Billy Nilles Feb 12, 2016 6:46 PMTags
Grey's Anatomy, Ellen PompeoABC

If after last night's horrifying attack on Grey's Anatomy, you're concerned that the tragedies that continually befall Meredith Grey are beginning to border on the unbelievable, Ellen Pompeo has something she'd like to say to you.

Speaking with the show's executive producer Betsy Beers on her podcast Shondaland Revealed, Pompeo offered up an interesting defense for the odds-defying amount of calamity that's made it's way to her poor character. "You don't think you're going to have to come up with 12 years of devastating things happening to one character," she admitted. "However, I look at the news every day and read newspapers online, and people have had some pretty unfortunate series of events happen to them in life. Things that you never think would happen. People being at two different mass shootings. Random, weird things do happen. Earth is quite an interesting place. So we can always suspend our disbelief enough to be able to tell some story and learn some lessons."

ABC

Her rationalization aside, Pompeo wasn't without reservations about taking on another bout of grievous injury for Meredith. "The first thing when Debbie [Allen, directing producer] told me they were planning this episode, I said, ‘So Meredith is going to be attacked again? Do you think the audience is going to go for that? Are they going to be able to handle that? Hasn't enough happened to Meredith?' And she said, ‘It's gonna be great. It's gonna be great. It's gonna be great,'" she revealed. "And, as always—listen, if Shonda [Rhimes] thinks something's a good idea, it's usually a good idea."

Of course, the person they got to helm the special episode didn't hurt. "Even though  I had my reservations, I was still gung-ho to give it everything I have, not having read it," she said. "Then finding out Denzel [Washington] was coming on to direct it, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, let's go. Yes, let's do it.'"

So, what's next for Meredith on her road to recovery? Pompeo and Beers stayed quiet on that topic, but in a separate interview with Cosmo, the actress revealed that therapy and even dating are in the titular doc's future. "So, after the attack, she goes into therapy, which is an idea that Shonda and I discussed. And then in therapy, she starts exploring what it means to be alone, and [how] she's never alone, and how alone does she want to be?" she said. "We're moving toward Meredith dating again, so everyone has to get ready for it. I can tell you that I've shot a few scenes, although I don't know where they're going to go, but I have shot a few scenes, and I'm very happy and excited with the way this is unfolding. It's exciting for Meredith, and it's some happiness, some light. I hope we get to keep going to down that path."

After seeing how dedicated Alex (Justin Chambers) was to Meredith during the whole ordeal—and with his relationship with Jo (Camilla Luddington) in a very rocky place—could this friendship turn into romance? Pompeo remained suspiciously cagey on the subject. "I don't know how much I can really say—because I don't want to get fired!"

Are you hoping Meredith and Alex get together? Sound off in the comments below!

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Latest News