Ellen Pompeo continues to rake in the cash as a consultant (and occasional guest star) for Grey’s Anatomy — with very little screen time required as part of her deal — and the other cast members are increasingly resentful, sources exclusively tell Closer.
After starring in the medical drama series full-time since the show premiered in 2005, the 54-year-old scaled back during the show’s last two seasons. However, she remains an executive producer on the show and continues her signature voiceovers.
“The problem continues to be Ellen’s insistence on staying heavily involved in the series, mostly off camera but occasionally in jarring and isolated guest appearances that only pull focus from the younger actors who are doing the heavy lifting and putting in the 16-hour workdays to actually make this drama work,” an insider reveals.
When Grey’s debuted in 2005, Ellen starred alongside Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T. R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey. However, most of the original cast moved on, and new doctors have been in and out of Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital.
“Give them some breathing room and the show can take flight again,” the source says of the newer cast members. “Instead, you have Ellen hanging around picking at the carcass of this franchise while it’s still profitable. It’s not a good look but what can you do?”
At her peak, Ellen made a stunning $575,000 per episode, and it was estimated that she brought in about $20 million or more per season.
“Ellen helped make this into a franchise but unlike virtually everybody else on the show, she hasn’t cultivated many opportunities outside of the Grey’s universe,” the source notes. “She wasn’t off making movies or TV pilots during her hiatus, she was vacationing and spending time with her family.”
The source adds, “Her entire career is built around this show, so even when she ‘left’ two years ago, she never really quit. It’s her obsession, her life’s work. And her failure to do any other significant movie or TV work only incentivizes her to keep holding on to the biggest hit she’s ever been involved in.”
According to the insider, Ellen’s team should have “encouraged her to diversify” her acting résumé. They add, “Pre-Grey’s, Ellen even had a promising movie career. Everybody loved her in Old School in 2003 when she held her own opposite Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell. But once she plugged into Grey’s and it became this massive hit, there was no going back and Ellen got super rich off it. But how about giving the younger actors a real chance — and maybe going off and proving you can make hits on your own steam?”
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