Lisa B. Guitierrez 
Ellen Pompeo has no issues with recognition nowadays — few people out there have not heard of Grey’s Anatomy which shot her up into stardom.
However, things were not always so pretty for her, and there used to be a time when she was actually disappointed with the prospect of starring in a TV show.
Pompeo has recently decided to open up about her rise to fame and the things she had to go through in order to get to where she is, and she admitted that in the beginning, she had her eyes set on a movie career and not a TV one.
She was so serious about this that she actually gave a disappointed response to her agent when he brought Grey’s Anatomy to her desk.
Back then, the idea of being stuck for several years in a TV production seemed absurd to Pompeo, who wanted to try her hand at a better opportunity for attaining stardom. Or at least, one she saw as better herself, as she clearly had no idea what to expect from Grey’s Anatomy. Although to be fair, very few people probably did.
Her career is currently going pretty well, and her name is known across the industry, but according to Pompeo, she would not have been able to do it without her mentor, Shonda Rhimes, who helped guide her in the right direction, and encouraged her to try her hand at TV acting.
It is strange to think that her career — and entire life — would likely be in a completely different place at the moment if she had followed her gut instinct about Grey’s Anatomy and chased her opportunities elsewhere.
Also, a big part of her essay for the Hollywood Reporter focused on the pay gap problem that the entertainment industry is currently facing.
Pompeo shared how much she had to fight to become an actress who makes $20 million per year with her hit drama series.
In doing this, she shed some light on her relationship with her former co-star, Patrick Dempsey.