‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Lead Ellen Pompeo Hints At Her Return to Television

Ellen Pompeo has played the lead in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy for over a decade. The show follows Pompeo as Meredith Grey, an aspiring doctor that starts as an intern and later becomes the chief of general surgery at Grey Sloan Hospital. Once the show ends, the television starlet says that she wants to take a break from acting. But, is there a possibility that Pompeo might return to the small-screen in the future?

Ellen Pompeo wants to explore different interests after ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

When the medical drama ends, Pompeo plans to move on from Grey Sloan Hospital. However, she has considered stepping away from acting. In an episode of the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast, the 51-year old actor said she would love to pursue other projects. 

“I’m not saying I’ll never act again; I very well may, but I’m not super excited about continuing my acting career,” she said at the time. “I’m more entrepreneurial at this stage. I’m excited about investing in businesses and starting [a] business. That’s an area of growth that I’m excited about, using my brain in a different way.”

The actor admitted to getting tired of the same routine. “Even though I haven’t done a million different roles, I feel like I’ve done it. I am sitting around in trailers, traveling around, shooting this in Atlanta, shooting that in Vancouver,” Pompeo continued. “I have no desire to go sit in trailers at 11 p.m. and wait to shoot scenes and have ADs knock on my door and tell me when I can eat lunch. You know, it’s for the young at heart. It’s for the youth!”

The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star details plans after the medical drama ends

For more than 18 years, Pompeo has played Meredith Grey on the long-running medical drama. After the show ends, the actor might have some exciting projects lined up. During a recent appearance on Audacy’s Check In, Pompeo talked about life after Grey’s Anatomy. When asked about her future in regards to acting, she responded, “Probably not movies. I don’t have a movie career.”

Pompeo told host Dax Holt that television actors are “pigeon-holed” into other TV projects. So, the actor wanted to venture into streaming platforms. “Before being on a network for so long, you’d literally be doomed. That definitely is not the case anymore, so I probably wouldn’t do movies per se, but I probably will do some streaming television,” she explained.

Does Pompeo have any projects in the works?

Besides television, Pompeo has some exciting projects in the works. During the interview, Pompeo teased that she’s currently “developing something right now” and that fans will see it if it’s “meant to see the light of day.” 

Meanwhile, Pompeo has started to branch out into different fields of interest. For starters, she recently launched her podcast called Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo. But, the actor reassured fans that she’d return to acting eventually. “I’m just trying to play in some different areas and do a few new things, but I’m sure I’ll act again,” she said.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.