20 Surprising Facts About Grey’s Anatomy Star, Ellen Pompeo
While fans know all about Meredith, some don’t know the woman behind the character.
Ellen Pompeo graces television screens around the world once a week. She’s played Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy for over seventeen seasons. Fans have been with Meredith through her mom dying, George dying, Izzy and Christina leaving, and of course, her heartbreaking love story with Derek Shepherd. To be honest, fans have been with Meredith through a lot of heartbreak and funerals. Episodes of Grey’s Anatomy should come with tissues and ice cream!
Being a leading woman on a hit tv show isn’t easy. It’s hard to keep the momentum of the show going. Keeping the number one spot on the list of the most-watched shows each week is very tough. Imagine trying to hold the number one spot for over seventeen years. It’s a nearly impossible feat. Ellen Pompeo has managed this with grace and wisdom; she really leads the cast and crew of Grey’s Anatomy.
While fans know all about Meredith, some don’t know the woman behind the character.
20.She Had A Scene In Daredevil
Sadly, we are not talking about the Netflix’s version of Daredevil (RIP). Ellen was supposed to be in the 2003 Daredevil with Ben Affleck. She was cast as Matt Murdock’s secretary, Karen Page. Her scene was deleted from the film. The footage might be in the deleted scenes. though.
19.She Is Married To Chris Ivery
In 2003, Ellen met Chris Ivery, who is a music producer. Their first meeting was in a Los Angeles grocery store. The two of them quickly bonded over the fact that they were both born and raised in Boston. In fact, they grew up only ten miles away from each other. They got married in 2007.
18.She Was Discovered Working At SoHo Bar & Grill
The mall isn’t the only place to be discovered. Ellen was working at the SoHo Bar & Grill in New York when a casting director asked her to appear in several ads for Citibank and L’ Oréal. She must have made the other workers at the bar jealous. She lived out the equivalent of a New York fairytale.
17.She’s A Producer On Grey’s Anatomy
After being on the show for over a decade, Ellen went into contract negotiations for the upcoming season of Grey’s Anatomy. She asked for what she deserved and became a producer of the show…and all of its spin-offs.
She has been the leading lady of a show for over fourteen years. It’s freaking hard to keep people entertained for that long. She should’ve gotten the producer credit sooner.
16.She Was In A Taylor Swift Music Video
Ellen was featured in Taylor’s star-studded music video for “Bad Blood.” Each actress in the music video got to pick her own code name. Ellen named her character Luna, which happens to be her eldest daughter’s middle name. This music video definitely gave her some ‘cool mom’ points.
15.The Only Witnesses At Her Wedding Were Mayors
Ellen and Chris Ivery married in 2007 during a civil ceremony at the New York City courthouse. The only two witnesses were then-Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and First Deputy Mayor, Patti Harris. It must have been an awkward call to Ellen’s five siblings – she would have had to explain why they weren’t invited.
14.Her On-Screen Debut Was In NBC’s Law & Order
After doing ad campaigns and several small independent films, Ellen got her screen debut in NBC’s Law & Order. Every newbie actor in New York has auditioned for that show and its spin-offs dozens of times. They always need people to play retail workers who are coworkers of the victim.
13.She Won An Achievement Award From The National Italian American Foundation
Ellen is Italian, English, and Irish on her father’s side. She was honored by the National Italian American Foundation in 2007, for her achievements in entertainment, such as her work on Grey’s Anatomy. The event was held in Washington D.C. – it was a black-tie gala. Her father must have been very proud of her.
12.She Has A Production Company
Ellen has a production company called Calamity Jane. This Grey’s Anatomy star isn’t as interested in acting as she once was and directing takes her away from her family. She enjoys the creativity and the freedom that producing gives her. Her production company produces a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off called “Station 19.”
11.She Had Weird Childhood Nicknames
Ellen had a couple of weird nicknames during her childhood. One of them was “the pencil” and the other was “stracciatella”, after the gelato flavor. “The pencil” makes us believe she had an accident with a pencil during her childhood. It’s either that or she was really slim while growing up?
10.She Is An Advocate For Equality
As a mother to three biracial kids, Ellen is a huge advocate for racial equality. She discussed the topic in-depth during an episode of Red Table Talk. Seriously, everyone should go watch it. Of course, she is also an advocate for gender equality and LGBTQ rights.
9.She’s Never Been Nominated For An Emmy
It sounds crazy. Ellen has never been nominated for an Emmy. She has never been nominated for her portrayal of Meredith Grey or for any other roles. Fans have complained numerous times about her lack of nominations. She should’ve been nominated long ago! She’s an incredible actress.
8.She Has Six Siblings
Ellen is the youngest out of six siblings. She is the youngest by far. All of her siblings are at least eight years older than her. The good news is that her parents always had a cheap babysitter waiting at home for their youngest daughter. The bad news? If the Pompeo kids wanted to go to college, they had to earn scholarships.
7.She Grew Up In Boston
The Grey’s Anatomy star was born and raised in Boston, only ten miles away from her eventual husband, as previously mentioned. She moved to New York in 1995, with her then-boyfriend. Everyone should live in at least one different state from their hometown. It puts everything into perspective.
6.She Is A Huge NBA Fan
Ellen and her husband can often be found sitting courtside when they are able to get a night away from their kids. As natives of Los Angeles and Boston, they probably support the LA Clippers and the Boston Celtics. In one courtside shot, Chris held their baby on his lap during the b-ball action.
5.She’ll Decide When Grey’s Anatomy Will End
Shonda has mentioned before how Grey’s Anatomy will end whenever Ellen decides she no longer wants to be on the show. She’s the main protagonist on the show and most of Grey’s Anatomy is centered around her character. It makes sense the show would end when she leaves. Luckily, there probably will be more Grey’s Anatomy spin-offs.
4.She’s Working To Close The Gender Pay Gap
In 2018, she wrote a piece for the Hollywood Reporter about the gender pay gap in Hollywood. She also went into detail about her latest contract with NBC. She is the leading star in one of the biggest shows on television, so she deserves to get paid as much as any man. She let the world know that she struggles to get equal treatment.
3.Taylor Swift Named Her Cat After Her
Taylor Swift is one of the many Grey’s Anatomy fans. She loves the show so much that she named one of her cats after Meredith Grey. Her other two cats are named Olivia Benson, after the character in SVU, and Benjamin Button. All her kitties are named after television and movie characters.
2.She Has Three Kids
Ellen has three beautiful kids with her husband, Chris. They have two daughters and one son. Since Ellen was one of six siblings, she definitely wanted a bigger family. Most people tend to want the same size family they had when growing up. Perhaps three more kids are on the way?
1.She Tries To Avoid The Press
Ellen tries to avoid the press whenever she can. She says it’s easy not being in tabloids if that’s what you want. The only photos paparazzi get of her is when she’s watching an NBA game courtside. Over the years, she’s become really good at keeping her private life out of the spotlight.