hy can’t I just be the lead of the show the way Annalise [Keating] and Olivia [Pope] can?” Pompeo said
Ellen Pompeo doesn’t think “Grey’s Anatomy” needs McDreamy, a.k.a. Dr. Derek Shepherd, and is offended that fans believe the show can’t carry on without him after his death.
Season 11 of the ABC show killed off Shepherd after a horrific car accident, and backlash erupted on social media as fans were sad to see a fan favorite go after 11 years. The love story between Meredith Grey (Pompeo) and McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) was over — but Pompeo said that doesn’t mean the show is over, too.
“Let’s keep it really real for a second and say this is really difficult for my ego,” Pompeo told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s okay! We all have one!”
Also Read: Shonda Rhimes on Patrick Dempsey's 'Grey's Anatomy' Exit: 'Derek Had to Die'
Pompeo compared Dr. Grey to that of Viola Davis‘ “How to Get Away with Murder” character Annalise Keating and Kerry Washington‘s “Scandal” character Olivia Pope, both central figures on ABC’s popular Shondaland and #TGIT dramas.
“It’s like, Annalise Keating carries the show, Olivia Pope carries the show, but somehow, Meredith Grey needs someone,” Pompeo said. “Why can’t I just be the lead of the show the way Annalise and Olivia can? Why can’t I be on that poster by myself?”
And the shows’ creator, Shonda Rhimes, agreed, and referenced a moment in which Sandra Oh‘s character, Cristina, tells Meredith that Derek had not been “the sun.”
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