She gets to be part of a successful series and enjoy a good pay just by doing what she wants. But there was a time when the 46-year-old star’s age played into one of the biggest decisions of her professional career: the choice to stay on Shonda Rimes’ ABC hit, she tells PeopleStyle.
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In an interview with People, Ellen Pompeo revealed her decision to stay on Grey’s Anatomy instead of seeking other roles “was based exclusively on age”.
Pompeo, who inked a McDreamy new contract with the network this year, has chosen to remain on the medical soap even after stars like Katherine Heigl and Patrick Dempsey have exited (some less gracefully than others) to pursue film careers.
“I always thought it was irresponsible of the media to portray me as someone with an eating disorder because if some girls look up to me and think that’s what you have to do to look like me, it’s a horrifying concept”, she said.
She adds that all the speculation about her body sent a terrible message to young girls who admire her career.
Fans can watch Meredith continue evolving in Season 13 of “Grey’s Anatomy”, which will air to ABC this fall. “At 33, I was wise enough to know my clock was already ticking in Hollywood”, she said of originally accepting the part. I listened to the criticism a little too much – and this was pre-social media.
Pompeo explains that it is true that roles for women in their twenties are far more varied and plentiful than for those in their forties and fifties, and she is very aware of that, and it makes her appreciate her role of a lifetime of Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy even more.
Real talk though: She looks stunning in every season of the show.
As for watching older episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo tries to avoid them because she says it’s “miserable” to see herself aging on screen. But as uncomfortable as watching myself age is, I don’t think focusing on physical beauty is necessarily the best thing for your mind. “It’s a natural thing that we all do, but I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing”, she says. “The older you get, the more you realize life isn’t about your looks”.
Pompeo admits that if she had gotten an earlier start in acting, she “probably would have done my time, then gone out to search for other things”.
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“Everyone ages, and it’s OK”, she stresses.
