Ellen Pompeo Needs ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ to Be ‘Much less Preachy’

Calling for change at Gray Sloan Memorial. Gray’s Anatomy has been recognized for its willingness to sort out vital social points, however because the present gears up for season 19, Ellen Pompeo is able to change up the execution.

“I believe if I had any want, actually, it could be to be much less form of preachy in a single episode about sure issues,” Pompeo, 52, revealed throughout the newest episode of her “Inform Me” podcast, which was launched on Tuesday, August 2. “It’s like, we do one episode about, let’s see … Asian hate crimes is one which we did this previous season that was actually transferring. I believe I’d wish to see issues occur a bit of extra subtly and over time.”

The Massachusetts native added that she needs the ABC sequence would “contact on these social points which might be vital and have them be threads all through” every season as a substitute of “constantly [hitting] you over the pinnacle for only one hour” solely to by no means broach the problem once more.

Whereas the Outdated Faculty star has been the face of the medical drama as Dr. Meredith Gray for the previous 18 seasons, TV Line reported earlier this month that her function in season 19 of the sequence can be largely decreased to solely eight episodes. She’s going to, nonetheless, proceed to relate the story and function an govt producer behind the scenes.

ABC introduced again in January that the hit drama was renewed for a nineteenth installment with Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. — the one three authentic solid members remaining — reprising their roles.

Information of their returns got here simply weeks after Pompeo made headlines in December 2021 for saying she’d “been attempting to give attention to convincing everyone that [Grey’s] ought to finish.”

Throughout an interview with Insider on the time, the Pals alum famous, “I really feel like I’m the tremendous naive one who retains saying, ‘However what’s the story going to be, what story are we going to inform?’ Everybody’s like, ‘Who cares, Ellen? It makes a gazillion {dollars}.’”

Whereas the workers of Gray’s Sloan Memorial could also be coming again for one more yr, Pompeo’s decreased time on display will go away extra space to give attention to her new Hulu restricted sequence. Selection reported earlier this month that the present continues to be untitled however will span eight episodes and observe a midwestern couple who adopts somebody they consider is an 8-year-old woman with a uncommon type of dwarfism. Nonetheless, the household will shortly notice not all is what it appears.

Pompeo will star in and govt produce the sequence together with Laura Holstein and the actress’ Calamity Jane manufacturing firm for ABC Signature Studios.

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