After appearing as Meredith Grey for 13 seasons on Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo will finally get behind the camera and direct an episode in February.
We all know and love her as Meredith Grey — the sullen, quiet and emotional anchor of Grey’s Anatomy. Whether she’s with Derek or existing as the sun on her own, Meredith Grey is one of the most relatable characters on television. Further, the actress who plays her has achieved something that’s pretty rare nowadays. For thirteen seasons and more than 280 episodes, Ellen Pompeo has danced it out and been everyone’s person on ABC’s hit “dramedical” show. (Yeah, I just made that up.)
And now, she can add one more achievement to her resume: directing an episode.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo plans to “step behind the camera for the first time in February”. Of course, that’s not that far away. Additionally, she’ll be following the footsteps of some of her co-stars Kevin McKidd, Chandra Wilson, and Debbie Allen.
More importantly, this is the Shondaland way.
"“Our goal at Shondaland is to hire the best people and then keep them here, but in order to do that, we need to create opportunities for them to grow. They have to continue learning and doing what they’re passionate about — whether they are an actor that wants to learn how to direct or a PA that wants to take the next step. We love watching them grow and succeed, and this web series was the perfect way to do just that.” – Shonda Rhimes elaborated during promotion for ‘Gladiators Wanted’"
Before Scandal returned for Season 6, star Darby Stanchfield made her directorial debut for the online series, Gladiators Wanted.
As The StarTM of Grey’s Anatomy, this seems like the natural next step for Pompeo.
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Grey’s Anatomy airs new episodes every Thursday on ABC.