What's Beef! Ellen Pompeo Had A Verbal War With Denzel Washington
Grey's Anatomy Star Reveals Fight with Denzel Washington
Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo just revealed that behind the scenes of the 2016 Grey's episode The Sound of Silence, she and Oscar winner Denzel Washington were not exactly getting along. Washington came on to direct an episode, largely because his wife was a fan of the seventeen year soap opera. Suffice it to say, he and Pomeo had some creative differences.
After commanding the title role for, what was at the time, a little over a decade, Pompeo had her own style when it came to recording scenes. She aired on the side of improvisation - not rewriting everything, but if a powerful, in the moment thought arrived, she would take it. Washington was not party to this same line of thinking.
On her podcast Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo, the actress recalled that she was performing an emotional scene and improvised a line, "Look at me when you apologize - look at me!" The Training Day actor did not take kindly to the improvisation. The iconic TV doctor said Denzel began yelling, ""He was like, 'I'm the director. Don't you tell him what to do.'" To which she volcanically replied, "Listen, motherf***er, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling? You barely even know where the bathroom is."
...so things were going great.
In professional jousts like these it's hard to figure out whose side you're on, and, honestly, I'm not sure. Denzel Washington is an absolute icon. Google movie star and you get Denzel Washington. (Please don't really do that. Instead, continue reading this article!) He's a household name. He has won multiple Academy Awards. He is a diligent and practiced performer. "If I am a cup maker, I'm interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it." This cup maker mentality shines through in all of his work. Would it have been best for Pompeo to trust him with the scene?
On the other hand, Ellen Pompeo IS Grey's Anatomy. She had in 2016, quite literally, been the star of the show for 16 years. Her performance got her five People's Choice Award Nominations and three wins. She clearly knows what she's doing in a very comprehensive way. This is her turf. She knows the character, the lay of the land, the ebb and the flow. Her eleven years at the show greatly outnumber Denzel Washington's one episode. Would you rather have a famous brain surgeon test eyesight or an eye doctor sixteen years into a career? Also, Washington may be an A-Lister, but...does he know where the bathroom is?
It's an impossible call. No beef, however, remains between the two stars. On her podcast, Pompeo expressed that Denzel Washington is someone she has, "the utmost respect for as an actor and a director." We love celebrity tea that has a happy ending!
