Sarah Drew talked about the reduced role of Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 while promoting her new movie, Reindeer Games Homecoming, on Lifetime.
Pompeo will only appear in eight episodes of the more-than-20-episode Grey’s Anatomy Season 19. So, what can Drew, who used to play the role of April Kepner in the medical drama, say about it?
Sarah Drew Discusses Ellen Pompeo’s Reduced Role in Grey’s Anatomy Season 19
Pompeo has been part of the series since it began in 2005. She has been a major part of it for 19 seasons, being on the air for 17 years.
With that said, Drew understands that Pompeo has been working “so hard in this role for so long.”
“It makes sense that she wants to take a breather and pursue some other things—and still keep her foot in the door,” she told UsWeekly. “I think that’s great for [Pompeo]. I wish her the best.”
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Pompeo will only appear in eight episodes so that she can do other projects, like the new limited series on Hulu that she will both star and produce, per ScreenRant.
New interns will be introduced to fill the void she left, played by the stars Adelaide Kane, Harry Shum Jr., Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis.
Sarah Drew’s Role in Grey’s Anatomy
Drew’s April used to have an on-again-off-again relationship with Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams).
However, her role was written out of the show during the 14th season. She returned for one-off episodes in Seasons 17 and 18, with the latter revealing that she and Jackson got back together off-screen.
So, will there be a chance for her to reprise her role in the series? Drew told Us that she would love to revisit her role.
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“It’s always fun to check in with her and see how she’s doing,” she said. “I love putting the scrubs on. That was really fun.”
Jackson and April went to Boston to learn how to get parity in healthcare for underserved communities.
Drew found this part of the story interesting that could be played out in a potential spinoff or a new arc.
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“The two of them fight for medical justice could be a very, very cool thing,” she continued.
It’s also possible to feature how April and Jackson got together off-screen.
“I’d like to kind of go back in time to see them get back together,” Drew added. “We got that little, tiny piece where the audience was informed that they had come back together, but I’d like to see that happen. I’d like to see the push and pull and the will they won’t they.”
For more Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 news, stay tuned to EpicStream!