Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo speak about the growing fanbase ofGrey ’s Anatomyand how a whole Modern propagation , some of whom were n’t expect when the show started in 2005 , have fallen in love with their fictitious character .
Grey’s Anatomyis one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. In 2023, the show wrapped Season 19 and has aired 400 episodes and counting.
SinceGrey’s Anatomyhas been around for so long, it has literally been part of countless TV fans' lives — from people who tuned in when the pilot aired in 2005 to newer fans who have found the show thanks to streaming.
In fact, over the years, theGrey’sactors have talked about the great fan interactions they’ve had, even long after they’ve departed the belovedShonda Rhimes–created series.
Recently,Ellen PompeoandKatherine Heiglreunited forVariety’s Actors on Actors series, 13 years afterKatherine’s exit fromGrey’s Anatomy, and they talked about the lasting power of the show.
During the convo, Ellen and Katherine discussed being recognized asMeredith Greyand Izzie Stevens, and it still blows their minds when younger fans come up to them and explain how muchGrey’s Anatomymeans to them.
This led to Katherine telling a great story about when she was recognized by a 17-year-old fan right after she had givenbirthto her son Joshua in 2017.
“This man comes up to me and goes, ‘Excuse me. I’m so sorry, but my daughter is such…you know, she’s kind of freaking out over here. Would you mind talking to her for a minute?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, of course. Sure. Sure. Come on over, honey,'” Katherine told Ellen.
She continued, saying, “And she goes, ‘Are you…do you knowGrey’s Anatomy?’ And I was like, ‘I do. Yeah.’ And she goes, ‘Do you know Izzie Stevens?!’ And I go, ‘Yes. I do.'”
And then, like delivering a brilliantly written punchline in a script, Katherine tells Ellen, “And she goes, ‘Are you her mother?'”
Ellen starts laughing hysterically — and so do the people on set if you listen closely — and it’s just a really funny moment between the duo.
And just because I knew the unhinged amount of knowledge I keep in my brain aboutGrey’swould come in handy some day, Izzie’s mom was played by Sharon Lawrence in Season 5, when she visited Izzie after she was diagnosed with cancer.
Katherine concluded her story, saying, “Thankfully that hasn’t happened again, but it’s 17-year-olds and 15-year-olds, and seriously, kids that were not born when we started the show coming up and going, ‘Oh my god. Are you the girl onGrey’s Anatomy?’ It’s shocking and wonderful, and lovely and adorable that they love it so much.”
Earlier in their conversation, Ellen also shared that her oldest daughter, Stella, who is now 13 years old, has seen the show, and Ellen even watched some of it with her.
“In sixth grade,” Ellen said about when Stella started watching the show. “Which I thought was a bit crazy, knowing what was in those first seasons especially. I was like, ‘Oh, in sixth grade…they’ve all seen…’ And she was like, ‘Mom, I’m the only one who hasn’t seen it. It’s a little embarrassing and weird.'”
Ellen said she initially thought it would be “so amazing” that she and Stella would get to watch it together, but then it was “episode after episode after episode” and she joked that she didn’t have “the stamina” to keep up.
“I filmed all these episodes. I did it. I can’t now go back and watch it again,” Ellen said. “I mean, I watched a lot of them and what’s interesting is I had not really watched a lot ofGrey’sbecause we were always working.”
Listen, all I’m saying is I would listen to Ellen doing one of those rewatch podcasts where she sits and spills all the tea about working onGrey’s Anatomy— or, Ellen, at least give me a tell-all book someday.
This whole conversation between Ellen and Katherine was so great for any long-timeGrey’s Anatomyfan, so I highly recommend watching their full Actors on Actors interview below:
Variety / Viayoutu.be
