Ellen Pompeo Says Grey's Anatomy Is Thriving Without Patrick Dempsey: ''It's Amazing How Much You Get Done Without a Penis''

"Change is part of the reason why the show goes on so long," the actress tells Ellen DeGeneres

By Zach Johnson Apr 25, 2016 2:09 PMTags
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In its twelfth season, Grey's Anatomy is "doing very, very well."

So said Ellen DeGeneres, who invited Ellen Pompeo to be a guest on Monday's episode of her eponymous talk show. "Everybody thought because Patrick [Dempsey] was leaving that it wouldn't do well, but it's doing very well," she noted. Pompeo, who plays series lead Dr. Meredith Grey, offered a fiery response. "It's amazing how much you get done without a penis!" After the audience's laughter died down, Pompeo said, "We miss him dearly, but yeah, the show is doing very well."

"I'm just gonna let that one go," DeGeneres said.

Pompeo understands why viewers were "really upset" about Dempsey's exit, but said Dr. Derek Shepherd's death was necessary. "I think the change is part of the reason why the show goes on so long. I think people tune in to see, 'What is the show look like now? What is Meredith going to do without Derek?' I think they get so upset about the change, but change is precisely what everyone always needs to sort of get to the next place. For me, too, it's, 'How do I act without him?' It's more challenging for me. I'm more invested. I have to work harder to find my groove without my missing part. It keeps me more engaged. I'm more engaged this season than I have been in a long time, because for the fans, I want to make sure the quality stays good."

"They're there for us," Pompeo added. "I want to be there for them."

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When the show returned without Dempsey last fall, Pompeo was bothered by the focus on Dempsey's role within the show. "Let's keep it really real for a second and say this is really difficult for my ego," she told Entertainment Weekly. "It's OK! We all have one!" She compared Meredith to Viola Davis' How to Get Away with Murder character, Annalise Keating, and to Kerry Washington's Scandal character, Olivia Pope. "It's like, Annalise Keating carries the show, Olivia Pope carries the show, but somehow, Meredith Grey needs someone. Why can't I just be the lead of the show the way Annalise and Olivia can? Why can't I be on that poster by myself?"

Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes shared Pompeo's perspective. "It was so interesting for me to discover that audiences, especially women, are so conditioned to believe that there's a singular fairy tale that nobody stops to think that that might not be the definition of happiness," she told the magazine. "Meredith knew that already. We got to the point in the season when Meredith said, 'I can live without you, but I don't want to,' which for any woman is a very powerful statement. It means: You compliment me, but you don't complete me."

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