Ellen Pompeo about ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ sex scene, fighting equal wages
While Ellen Pompeo sees her former “Gray’s Anatomy” Costar T Knight as one of her best friends, their love scene was one of her least favorite memories on the set during season 2.
“TR and I are such good friends and we had to do a love scene and we both cried,” Pompeo said on the podcast “Call Her Daddy”, the love scene between Meredeth and Gerge O’Malley back in season 2. “
She continued: “In your worst nightmare to have to do it once, we had to resume that shit … I have never looked at that scene. I have never seen it. I don’t know how it was shot or covered or how it was edited, but I am full the whole scene full of tears and that was many things that I didn’t want to do.”
TR Knight and Ellen Pompeo
© ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
During the episode, Pompeo also spoke about her decision to step away from the show; Although she is still a supporting character and a producer of the ABC drama, she has drawn her attention to her new drama, “Good American Family”, who debuts on Hulu on Wednesday.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I just knew that I really couldn’t do ‘Gray’s’ anymore,” Pompeo said. “It was up to the point where I really just felt like an animal in the zoo. I am a strong supporter of fate. I thought, if there is something else that I have to do, it will find me. But I know I have to leave this.”
The interview had many topics, including the marriage of Pompeo, children and travel to ask for more money from the drama. In 2018 she became the best-paid actress in a TV drama, which reached $ 20 million per season. Before that, her Costar, Patrick Dempsey, made more than she and she made the argument that they had to be paid the same.
“To be completely honest, the television game was so different then. He had done 13 pilots for me,” she said, explained that his quote was much higher than hers. “Nothing personal, only a man can have 13 failed TV and their quote will go up, right?
She added: “I was not salt that he got what he got. I was salt that they didn’t appreciate me as much as they appreciated, and they will never do that.”
Pompeo explained that she went to Shonda Rhimes to let her know that she would ask for more money, not because she had to, but because she trusted her.
“Because I am raised in a Mafia culture, I always want to express respect to the people who deserve respect,” she said. Her team was then able to show her the statistics of the impact of the show, who prepared her to fight for her salary. “I see exactly how much ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ provides ABC/Disney. I get to see the song. It is my face, it is my voice. I have done so much work to promote the show around the world for the past 20 years. I am the Disney princess of that franchise.”
The full episode of the Podcast “Call Her Daddy” is below:
