Ellen Pompeo, who's starred as Meredith Grey on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” for 14 seasons, has signed a $20 million-a-year contract for the next two seasons, making her the highest-paid dramatic actress on TV.
Pompeo spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the deal because she wanted to let other actresses know they can get equal pay with male actors in Hollywood.
Pompeo will be paid $575,000 per episode for seasons 15 and 16 of “Grey’s Anatomy,” a seven-figure signing bonus, and two equity points that are estimated to be worth $6 million to $7 million on top of the deal. She also will have backend equity and producing credits on the spinoff series starting this spring, and has several other series in consideration at ABC and Amazon.
“I’m 48 now, so I’ve finally gotten to the place where I’m OK asking for what I deserve, which is something that comes only with age,” Pompeo told THR. She said that in the past, the show’s dealmakers had tried to use co-star Patrick Dempsey against her and that they had refused to pay her more than Dempsey even though she plays the show’s title character. She called Dempsey’s leaving the show in 2015 a “defining moment” for her and said she “had a nice chuckle” about the show’s ratings spiking after he left.
Pompeo also credited show creator Shonda Rhimes for giving her the confidence to ask for the amount she thought she was worth, THR reported. Rhimes recently signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix and has left “Grey’s” to pursue other projects.
Twitter users praised the interview for its frankness, which is rarely seen in Hollywood.