Ellen Pompeo Calls Out Magazine for Lack of Inclusive Crew During Video Interview

Pompeo was being interviewed by Net-A-Porter when she noticed the film crew was all white.
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Pompeo in Net-A-Porter's 'The Big Television Debate'
Net-A-Porter/YouTube

Ellen Pompeo took a stand in an on camera interview for Net-A-Porter, calling out the publication during an actress roundtable interview. The “Grey’s Anatomy” star appeared in the video interview opposite Gina Rodriguez, Gabrielle Union, and Emma Roberts. When the conversation turned to representation in front of and behind the camera, Pompeo took a moment to address the elephant in the room and advocate for more inclusive sets of all shapes and sizes.

“This day has been incredible, and there’s a ton of women in the room. But I don’t see enough color,” Pompeo said about the Net-A-Porter set. “I didn’t see enough color when I walked in the room today.”

“I had a meeting with a director of another endorsement project that I’m doing where I said, ‘You know, when I show up on set, I would like to see the crew look like the world that I walk around in everyday,'” the actress continued. “I think it’s up to all productions to make sure that your crew looks like the world we see. As Caucasian people, it’s our job. It’s our task. It’s our responsibility to make sure we speak up in every single room we walk into [and say] this is not ok and that we can all do better. It’s our job. We’ve created the problem.”

Pompeo has been one of the most outspoken actresses when it comes to advocating for inclusive film and television sets and gender parity. The actress made headlines earlier this year for coming forward about her fight to get the salary she deserved after leading “Grey’s Anatomy” for over 14 seasons. Following her comments about the Net-A-Porter set, Pompeo’s co-interviews saluted her with a cheers.

“Grey’s Anatomy” is currently in its 15th season on ABC. Watch the Net-A-Porter video interview in its entirety below. Pompeo’s comment begins around the 16-minute mark.

Daily Headlines
Daily Headlines covering Film, TV and more.

By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

PMC Logo
IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.