#Grey’s Anatomy season 17: Why Ellen Pompeo has stayed on board

Ellen Pompeo is one of just three current Grey’s Anatomy series regulars who have been there from the start — but will she stick around beyond season 17? With some actors recently signing on through season 19, you have to wonder if she will extend her own deal. We don’t have an answer to that just yet, but we can go ahead and tell you why she has stayed a part of the ABC institution to date. We think she enjoys the job, but it also has a lot to do with the financial benefits of being on the show.

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Speaking in a new interview on Jemele Hill’s Unbothered podcast (via TVLine), Pompeo made it clear that maybe at a different point in her life, she may have had a different mindset to staying on the show long-term:

“If I started the show when I was younger, [like] 25, I probably would have dipped out when I was 31, 32, when my six-year contract was up … [Yet,] I knew coming up on 40, it’s like, I don’t want to be out there chasing [film roles]… begging. I’d rather just see this as the blessing that it is.

“… A healthy home life was more important than career. I didn’t grow up with a particularly happy childhood… I have this great husband and these three beautiful children, so to have a happy home life was really something I needed to complete, to close the hole in my heart. And so I made a decision to make money, and not chase creative acting roles.”

This is a unique perspective that you don’t often here, and it’s something that is greatly appreciated. It’s also a reminder that everyone out there courts happiness in their own way; while Ellen finds joy in her home life and the benefits of doing this show, others may need a wider array of roles to feel complete. Different perspectives are always worth having on this subject.

We hope that we get at least another couple of seasons of Grey’s Anatomy beyond this current one, but in general, our feeling is that the show really should end whenever Ellen feels done playing Meredith Grey. There’s no real need to push it beyond that.

Related News – Check out more news on Grey’s Anatomy and the future

How long do you want to see Ellen Pompeo on Grey’s Anatomy?

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