Yahoo Movies Sarah Drew Supports Ellen Pompeo Scaling Back Role on Grey's Anatomy : 'I Wish Her the Best'
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Sarah Drew is excited for the next chapter of Ellen Pompeo's career.
The 41-year-old actress opened up about Pompeo's decision to scale back her role on Grey's Anatomy for season 19.
"I mean, she has been killing it for so many years, building that show up from the ground up," Drew told Entertainment Tonight at Variety's Power of Women event. "Of course she wants to go off and do other incredible things."
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RELATED: Ellen Pompeo to Appear in Only 8 Eps of Grey's Anatomy Season 19 as She Signs On for New Hulu Series
Pompeo, 52, is set to appear in eight episodes in the upcoming season while continuing to be an executive producer on the long-running ABC medical drama.
"I know that when I'm behind the camera and part of the creative process and producing and writing and directing, I am activated on all cylinders, on every level," Drew said of Pompeo. "And acting, you know, I get to dive into some piece of it, but getting to do all of the stuff it's so exciting, it's such an exhilarating ride."
"So yeah, I wish her the best. I think it's gonna be awesome," she added.
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Last month, Kevin McKidd also spoke out about Pompeo's decision to reduce her presence on Grey's Anatomy.
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"Ellen has been the captain of this ship all these years, and she's about to start producing, so she needed to make room in her schedule for that," McKidd, 49, told E! News' Daily Pop at the time.
"The fact that she's not leaving the show and is just gonna scale it back a bit — what I think is beautiful about it is that it shows her love for the show still," he added.
RELATED: Patrick Dempsey Wants to Work with Ellen Pompeo Again for One Simple Reason: 'The Chemistry'
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Pompeo has anchored the hit ABC medical drama for the past 17 years, including stepping into a producer role in 2017. For season 19, which premieres in October, Pompeo will appear in only eight episodes, per Deadline.
The news of her lessened role on Grey's came as the actress announced that will be executive producing and starring in a new Hulu limited series adaptation of the 2009 film Orphan.
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Season 19 of Grey's Anatomy premieres Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
