On a day off from Grey's Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo is at home under a backyard umbrella sipping a Pelligrino by the pool and savoring the last days of summer. Nearby, her 3-year-old daughter, Stella, plays. Life is good. Thanks to hefty pay hikes, Pompeo's character Meredith, Patrick Dempsey's Derek and Sandra Oh's Cristina were all spared in the season finale plane crash that left Lexie (Chyler Leigh) dead and Mark (Eric Dane) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) fighting for their lives. As Grey's begins its ninth season on Sept. 27, I found Pompeo to be extremely grateful for all her good fortune and happy to be back at a job she loves.
TV Guide Magazine: I always look forward to our start-of-season chats. When we spoke last time, you were open to the possibility of coming back but wanted to make sure there was a good reason. So...what was the reason?
Pompeo: Because I'm not crazy! ABC appreciates me very much and I'm not stupid [laughs]. The network goes above and beyond and I'd be an ass---- to not acknowledge that. And [showrunner] Shonda [Rhimes] thinks she has more story to tell. You gotta have faith in her. God bless her for coming up with this much show over this many years. And what else am I doin'?
More at TV Guide.
