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Ellen Pompeo details fight with Denzel Washington on set of Grey’s Anatomy: ‘This is my show’

“So we didn‘t get through it without a fight, but you know, that’s actors for you, passionate and fiery.“


Daniel Neira
Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 3:06 PM EDT

Ellen Pompeo is looking back at some of her most memorable moments on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, including an argument she had with Hollywood star Denzel Washington.

The actor made his debut as director on the popular show in 2015 during season 12, however things got a little out of control, as it was revealed by Ellen on the latest episode of her podcast Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo.

The actress went on to tell the story while having her former co-star Patrick Dempsey as a special guest on the podcast. And while Ellen says Denzel was “amazing,” she wanted to tell her audience the moment when the actor “went nuts” on her.

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"   Season Nine© GettyImages

The situation happened when Ellen’s character, Dr. Meredith Grey, was having a conversation with a patient who wanted to apologize to her, explaining that the actor portraying the patient “made this choice to speak very softly.”

Ellen revealed that she had to improvise her dialogue, with Meredith responding to the patient “‘Look at me when you apologize. Look at me,” causing Denzel to stop the scene and tell Ellen “I’m the director. Don‘t you tell him what to do.”

59th New York Film Festival Opening Night Screening Of The Tragedy Of Macbeth   Press Conference© GettyImages

And it seems the actress didn’t like what happened, as she said “Listen, motherf‑‑‑er, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling?” adding, “‘You barely know where the bathroom is.”

Ellen went on to say that she respects Denzel as a director, describing it as an amazing experience. “So we didn‘t get through it without a fight, but you know, that’s actors for you, passionate and fiery, and that‘s where you get the magic, and that’s where you get the good stuff,” she shared.