Ellen Pompeo

And I should stay on this track. Why are you trying to derail me and put me over here? And my agent said, well, it's just a TV pilot and these things never go. So you can make a bunch of money with the TV pilot and then you'll be unemployed again in exactly 42 days. So I just did it, not knowing. And then the pilot got picked up and then we went back to shoot season one.

And I should stay on this track. Why are you trying to derail me and put me over here? And my agent said, well, it's just a TV pilot and these things never go. So you can make a bunch of money with the TV pilot and then you'll be unemployed again in exactly 42 days. So I just did it, not knowing. And then the pilot got picked up and then we went back to shoot season one.

And I should stay on this track. Why are you trying to derail me and put me over here? And my agent said, well, it's just a TV pilot and these things never go. So you can make a bunch of money with the TV pilot and then you'll be unemployed again in exactly 42 days. So I just did it, not knowing. And then the pilot got picked up and then we went back to shoot season one.

I had lunch with Shonda at RIP Barney's. Remember Barney's? Oh, yeah. I had lunch with her. They said, we want you to go meet this person. And to be honest, it was called the Untitled Shonda Rhimes Project at that point. I hadn't been reading any scripts that I would have been the main character. I was always the girlfriend person.

I had lunch with Shonda at RIP Barney's. Remember Barney's? Oh, yeah. I had lunch with her. They said, we want you to go meet this person. And to be honest, it was called the Untitled Shonda Rhimes Project at that point. I hadn't been reading any scripts that I would have been the main character. I was always the girlfriend person.

I had lunch with Shonda at RIP Barney's. Remember Barney's? Oh, yeah. I had lunch with her. They said, we want you to go meet this person. And to be honest, it was called the Untitled Shonda Rhimes Project at that point. I hadn't been reading any scripts that I would have been the main character. I was always the girlfriend person.

You know, I was some side chick down an alley in one scene in these great movies. You know what I mean? There was nothing for me to really do. But because I had a hard-on for the director or, you know, it's this director and this big movie star is in it and, you know, whatever. And listen, some of those movies are great.

You know, I was some side chick down an alley in one scene in these great movies. You know what I mean? There was nothing for me to really do. But because I had a hard-on for the director or, you know, it's this director and this big movie star is in it and, you know, whatever. And listen, some of those movies are great.

You know, I was some side chick down an alley in one scene in these great movies. You know what I mean? There was nothing for me to really do. But because I had a hard-on for the director or, you know, it's this director and this big movie star is in it and, you know, whatever. And listen, some of those movies are great.

I was in Catch Me If You Can with Leo and like Spielberg directed that and that was amazing. And I love those guys and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. So not to diss all of it, but I didn't have much to do in those movies.

I was in Catch Me If You Can with Leo and like Spielberg directed that and that was amazing. And I love those guys and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. So not to diss all of it, but I didn't have much to do in those movies.

I was in Catch Me If You Can with Leo and like Spielberg directed that and that was amazing. And I love those guys and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. So not to diss all of it, but I didn't have much to do in those movies.

And Shonda's script was really the first thing that was like, oh, you're the center, you're the lead, and you're playing a surgeon, a smart character, a working woman who's trying to figure it out. And I was like, wow. who is this woman? And then I went and met her and had lunch and I loved her. I mean, it's pretty right when you speak to her right away, it's obvious how smart she is.

And Shonda's script was really the first thing that was like, oh, you're the center, you're the lead, and you're playing a surgeon, a smart character, a working woman who's trying to figure it out. And I was like, wow. who is this woman? And then I went and met her and had lunch and I loved her. I mean, it's pretty right when you speak to her right away, it's obvious how smart she is.

And Shonda's script was really the first thing that was like, oh, you're the center, you're the lead, and you're playing a surgeon, a smart character, a working woman who's trying to figure it out. And I was like, wow. who is this woman? And then I went and met her and had lunch and I loved her. I mean, it's pretty right when you speak to her right away, it's obvious how smart she is.

Her best quality as a boss, that's so easy to answer. When you tell her you're pregnant or you're having a baby or She literally like sounds the bell, the confetti comes down. How many days do you need off? What can we do for you? How do we make this easier for you? How do we get you paid and keep your job? Like you were going to write your scenes and you only have to work one day a week.

Her best quality as a boss, that's so easy to answer. When you tell her you're pregnant or you're having a baby or She literally like sounds the bell, the confetti comes down. How many days do you need off? What can we do for you? How do we make this easier for you? How do we get you paid and keep your job? Like you were going to write your scenes and you only have to work one day a week.

Her best quality as a boss, that's so easy to answer. When you tell her you're pregnant or you're having a baby or She literally like sounds the bell, the confetti comes down. How many days do you need off? What can we do for you? How do we make this easier for you? How do we get you paid and keep your job? Like you were going to write your scenes and you only have to work one day a week.

She's extraordinary in that way. Back to my earlier point of being able to have this amazing home life. Shonda is a big family person. She has a big family herself. She's always with her parents and her sisters, and she really celebrates women going on a fertility journey, whether biological, non-biological. I had my second two children via surrogate.

She's extraordinary in that way. Back to my earlier point of being able to have this amazing home life. Shonda is a big family person. She has a big family herself. She's always with her parents and her sisters, and she really celebrates women going on a fertility journey, whether biological, non-biological. I had my second two children via surrogate.