Ellen Pompeo Has 'No Desire' To Keep Acting After Grey’s Anatomy Ends!

Ellen Pompeo fans better hope Grey’s Anatomy continues for a long time because once the show ends, so does the star’s acting career!

While speaking with Laura Brown on the Ladies First podcast, the 51-year-old detailed what her future does and doesn’t hold after the long-running medical drama wraps for good. The series was recently renewed for an 18th season and there’s no word yet on if that will be the last — but judging by her commentary, the end could be near!

Getting candid, Pompeo shared:

“I’m not saying I’ll never act again, I very well may, but I’m not super excited about continuing my acting career. I’m more entrepreneurial at this stage. I’m excited about investing in businesses, and starting business. That’s an area of growth that I’m excited about, using my brain in a different way.”

There’s also another unique reason she’s considering leaving her acting career in the dust: she’s a grown-ass woman who doesn’t want to deal with the wacky schedules of a film set!

“The acting I feel like, even though I haven’t done a million different roles, I feel like I’ve done it. Sitting around in trailers, traveling around, shooting this in Atlanta, shooting that in Vancouver. I have no desire to go sit in trailers at 11 o’clock at night and wait to shoot scenes and have ADs knock on my door and tell me when I can eat lunch. You know, it’s for the young at heart. It’s for the youth!”

LOLz!! We see why the romanticism of the entertainment industry would fade over time! And while she may not have performed in “a million different roles,” the producer has appeared in 24 different TV shows and films and nearly 400 episodes of Grey’s! So we’d say she’s built a very impressive resume!

Luckily, the Daredevil alum isn’t being forced to retire early like she once feared. Instead, she’s making this decision for herself and the desire to pursue other passions. Chatting about how she once worried she had become too “typecast” after playing Meredith Grey for so long, the Massachusetts native divulged:

“When I was in my 30s, I absolutely saw myself as in a box. That’s why I stayed on the show, because I said, ‘Holy s**t. By the time I can negotiate my contract again and get out of this I’m going to be almost 40 years old. I am super typecast in this role. I am 40, so I’m never going to work again.’ Even 15 years ago, the thought of being 40 was, like, you’re over as an actress.”

With age comes new wisdom and Ellen now realizes all that worrying was for nothing, musing:

“Now that I’m 50, I don’t see myself that way at all. I think of myself that I can do whatever I want, or I can do nothing at all, quite honestly.”

She sure can — especially after being one of the highest-paid actors on TV since 2017! The momma of three earned her time to do whatever the f**k she wants!

But just because her face might not appear on the small screen as often doesn’t mean Ellen won’t continue creating content. Later this month, she starts production on her first podcast, Tell Me. Describing the new project, she shared:

“[I thought], ‘Let me go out there and do something I’ve never done before and try something completely different for absolutely no other reason than to try something different because I haven’t for so long.’ If it fails, it fails, but at least I’m trying something new.”

Oh, and there’s more good news in the works, too:

“I have a couple of really exciting things that I’m working on that I’m not quite ready to speak about yet, but I’m definitely working on my next chapters so to speak.”

Wow! Already working on the next chapter?! Grey’s Anatomy fans better get ready to dance it out because Dr. Grey might be putting down the scalpel sooner than they’d like…

Reactions, Perezcious readers?! Surprised Ellen would call it quits after making a name for herself on Grey’s? Or do you think it’s time to try something new? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!

[Image via FayesVision/WENN & ABC/YouTube]