Ellen Pompeo made her directorial debut on last night’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” after 13 seasons of portraying the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. And it seems as though her boss, “Grey’s” creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes, was an instrumental part of Pompeo’s decision to finally take that step.
“Shonda Rhimes is definitely walking the walk. I can’t really say enough about her leadership skills and the way she’s running the company [Shondaland] and how far she’s come,” Pompeo told Variety. “Her evolution as a leader has been very inspiring to watch. Obviously when we started, she didn’t have any employees and it was her first show and she never had a show before. So with respect to breaking down boundaries and creating an environment for people in-house to learn and create and grow is something that she definitely talks the talk and walks the walk.”
“I don’t know if one show can change the stats and if one show is enough to move the needle with respect to the whole television business, but certainly, our numbers are much more impressive than I’m sure any other show,” Pompeo continued. “I doubt there’s another show that hires as many women as we do — which is so weird to me because women are such amazing multi-taskers. Directing is multi-tasking. It’s baffling to me!”
As we’ve mentioned before, Pompeo isn’t the only Shondaland player to step behind the camera. “Scandal: Gladiator Wanted,” an offshoot web series of Rhimes’ crazy-popular ABC soap, was created and directed by “Scandal” actress Darby Stanchfield.
“Shondaland is all about supporting people to grow and expand their talents,” Stanchfield explained. “Less than 10 percent of all TV directors are women and Shonda is not one to shy away from making television look like the real world; she has a very clear vision and is generous and pragmatic about empowering others.” “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Chandra Wilson and Debbie Allen have also helmed episodes of Shondaland series. They portray Dr. Miranda Bailey and Dr. Catherine Avery on “Grey’s,” respectively.
With Rhimes’ track record of supporting new directors, we’re confident that other Shondaland actresses will be stepping behind the camera for the first time soon. And we have a feeling that Pompeo will be helming more episodes of “Grey’s” in the future. According to Variety, Pompeo won ABC the coveted 18–49 ratings demographic on Thursday. Her episode, “Be Still, My Soul,” netted 7.9 million viewers.
Pompeo is also a producer as well as an actress and director. Her production company, Calamity Jane, has an overall deal with ABC, and is where Pompeo first considered directing. Calamity Jane “was one of the only women doing what all the guys did,” Pompeo has said about her inspiration for the company’s name. “Production and producing in a very male-dominated field, and I feel like Calamity Jane out there — trying to ride with the big boys.”
