Ellen Pompeo may have had an emotional farewell when she departed Grey’s Anatomy after nearly 20 years, but her co-star Kevin McKidd believes she’ll be back.
The actress, who had portrayed Dr Meredith Grey – the psychiatrist at the core of the series until halfway through the 19th season – since 2005, said a heartfelt farewell to her admirers around the world in November last year.
‘Through it all….none of it …would have been possible without the best fans in the world,’ the 53-year-old said in her statement. ‘You all are RIDERS and you all have made the ride so fun and ICONIC!! I love you madly and appreciate you right back.’
Following Ellen’s exit episode, which broadcast in February this year (and was her final showing as a series regular before the season finale in May), Metro.co.uk spoke with Kevin McKidd, 49, about his longstanding co-star’s leaving.
The actor, who is best known for his role as Dr. Owen Hunt on the Shonda Rhimes show and is presently acting as the lead in the ITV drama Six Four, acknowledged that saying farewell to Ellen was a “weird moment.”
‘Ellen’s been on the show since the pilot. Ellen’s character was in the very first shot of the show 19 seasons ago,’ he said.
He did, however, add that he believes it is ‘right’ for the performer to take some time away to explore new ventures.
‘It’s the right thing for her, and I’m really happy for Ellen. I really support her going off to do more of a variety of things. She has put in the time on the show and some,’ he stated.
While some admirers may have thought this would be Meredith’s final appearance, Kevin believes she will return in the future.
‘I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Meredith Grey on the show. I just think she’s on a big sabbatical right now. That’s the way I see it, as opposed to a goodbye, if that makes sense,’ he shared.
‘I’m just really happy for Ellen. She’s getting to really spread her wings and do some other things, and she’s still very much on the show. She’s a producer on the show, she’s done the voiceover. I’m sure she’ll be back at certain points, so it really isn’t a total goodbye.’
When Ellen announced her departure in November of last year, she stressed to fans that the programme “must go on”… before concluding, ‘I’ll definitely be back to visit.’
Nonetheless, some fans thought her final show was unfit for a character with as much history as Meredith, calling it a ‘underwhelming’ installment.
Ellen was one of the few surviving original cast members, with Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, and Patrick Demspey having previously departed the show.
Six Four, Kevin’s most recent production, is based on Hideo Yokoyama’s novel of the same name and tracks his character, police detective Chris O’Neill, as his daughter goes missing.
The Scottish actor stated how much it meant to him to be back in Scotland shooting, including reuniting with staff members he first encountered while working on the 1996 film Trainspotting.
‘The Scottish crews are some of those talented, loveliest passionate people I know, and Scottish writers are some of the best in the world,’ he said.
‘Many of these actors I’ve worked with before over the years, some I hadn’t. The whole thing just felt like a huge joy for me, a real blessing to get to do that. It felt like a homecoming,’
Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Disney Plus in the UK.
Source My Celebrity Life.