Ellen Pompeo says she fought for a salary difference in ‘Gray’s Anatomy’

One of ABC’s leading “Grey’s Anatomy” stars, Ellen Pompeo, 55, faced a behind -the -scenes problem that affects many women in the entertainment market: the salary difference from actors. In a recent interview, she told about the internal dispute she waged with the direction of the production about the gains of the castmate, Patrick Dempsey, 59.

She agreed that Dempsey was the name of the most visibility at the beginning of the series, released in 2005, but regretted the lack of appreciation of her protagonism. “He really was a bigger star than me at that time. No one knew who I was. Everyone knew who he was, so he deserved that money. But being the namesake of ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ ‘, he deserved the same salary,” he told Podcast Call Her Daddy.

Ellen also stressed that she never questioned the value of the work of the scene partner, but gradually she was involved in the fight for fairer wages for the actresses. “I felt the need to represent other female figures in the job market,” he explained.

Finally, she concluded: “I see exactly how much ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ yields to ABC/Disney. I can see the number. It’s my face, it’s my voice. I’ve worked a lot promoting the series around the world in the last 20 years. I’m the Disney Princess of this franchise,” he said.

Despite being the protagonist of the title, Ellen Pompeo decided to leave the cast after 19 seasons, but returned as the medical Meredith for participation in the following years. Currently, the series has 21 seasons and the 22nd is in production.