Why Ellen Pompeo Couldn't Stomach A Grey's Anatomy Rewatch With Her Daughter
If you're an avid "Grey's Anatomy" fan, then you're probably always down for a rewatch of the hit medical drama. But don't count the stunning Ellen Pompeo as part of the camp that is ready to sit through the series' many, many juicy seasons again at a moment's notice. Pompeo, who plays protagonist Dr. Meredith Grey, has a little bit of a love-hate relationship with the show that made her into a household name.
She just didn't realize it until she sat down for a "Grey's" marathon with one of her daughters. Let's just say the thought of sitting through episode after episode did not have Pompeo, whose character is always ready to bust a move, dancing with joy. The actor shares three children — Stella, Sienna, and Eli — with her music producer husband, Chris Ivery.
And, although Pompeo is usually pretty tight-lipped about her family, preferring to keep her private life to herself, she opened up about one particular moment with her eldest daughter that made her realize she's not quite ready for a full-on "Grey's" rewatch — at least not anytime soon. To be fair, Pompeo already lived through the exhausting schedule once.
Rewatching Grey's was overwhelming for Pompeo
Ellen Pompeo shared the hilarious reason why she couldn't handle a rewatch of "Grey's Anatomy" during an interview with Variety. The TV star was seated across from her "Grey's Anatomy" co-star, Katherine Heigl, who played fan-favorite Dr. Izzie Stevens on the long-running show. During their chat, the actors, who are both mothers, discussed their children's reactions to "Grey's Anatomy." While Heigl admitted that she hadn't yet watched the series with her daughter, Pompeo allowed Stella to watch the sometimes hot and heavy show.
Everyone in her daughter's sixth-grade class had the chance to watch "Grey's," leaving Stella in the dark. But the teenager was keen to experience it, as Pompeo recalled. "She was like, 'Mom, I'm the only one who hasn't seen it,'" she told Heigl. "So, I said okay. In the summer, she started watching it. And at first, I was like, 'Oh, this is so amazing, and we're going to watch it together.'"
But the plans the actor made with her daughter didn't go as she hoped. As their marathon got underway, she quickly realized that watching back every scene from "Grey's" was a tiresome task. "It was episode after episode after episode, and I was like, 'I don't have the stamina for this!'" Pompeo acknowledged. "I filmed all these episodes; I can't now go back and watch it again."
Her daughter learned how iconic Meredith was
Even if her "Grey's Anatomy" marathon with her daughter was a bumpy ride, Ellen Pompeo did manage to connect with her teenager over the show in a different way. It all came down to Meredith Grey herself. While speaking to Katherine Heigl for Variety, Pompeo brought up when she overheard Stella and her friends talking about a "pick me girl," the slang term for a woman who attempts to differentiate herself from other women to gain attention from men.
Pompeo found this bit of information hilarious. "I'm like, 'What's a pick me girl?' They were like, 'You know, girls who are like, 'Pick me, choose me!'" Pompeo laughed, "And I'm like, 'Hello?! Do you know who invented the 'pick me girl?'" She was, of course, referring to the iconic scene from Season 2 of "Grey's Anatomy" where Meredith quite literally begs her love interest, Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd, to "pick her."
Whenever Pompeo feels a nostalgia hit and wants to dive back into "Grey's Anatomy" reruns with her kiddos, she has the perfect place to kick back and watch. While filming a tour of her absolutely gorgeous California home, Pompeo showed off the custom-made bed in her bedroom. The giant piece of furniture was designed with movie nights and family sleepovers in mind, as it was made to perfectly accommodate Pompeo, her husband, and their three children all at once. "My husband wanted a custom-made bed so that all the kids, we could all sleep in here together on the weekends," she revealed to Architectural Digest.