Ellen Pompeo is defending her decision to speak out against the “toxic” environment she faced on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.
The actress revealed last week (ends June 7, 2019) that she worked closely with creator Shonda Rhimes to change how the production was run after starring in the hit medical drama for over a decade.
“After Season 10, we had some big shifts in front of the camera, behind the camera,” she told Variety.
“It became my goal to have an experience there that I could be happy and proud about, because we had so much turmoil for 10 years. My mission became, ‘This can’t be fantastic to the public and a disaster behind the scenes’. Shonda Rhimes and I decided to rewrite the ending of this story. That’s what’s kept me (here).”
During the show’s run, which began in 2004, Pompeo’s castmate Katherine Heigl quit, while Isaiah Washington was forced to apologize and seek counseling after verbally attacking gay co-star T.J. Knight.
But on Saturday (June 8, 2019), the 49-year-old took to Twitter to reassure fans of the show that she wasn’t singling out any cast members, revealing everyone involved in the series played a part in what occurred behind the scenes.
“Hey! Anyone having feelings over Variety piece. It’s not worth getting yourself upset over not singling anyone out..,” her first tweet read. “As a show we all had a part to play in the environment me included..as many workplaces do.. ”
She also urged her followers to focus on the positive outcome of her fight to make the show a better place to work.
“We changed that story,” she added. “That’s the story we all have the power to change!”
