Ellen Pompeo opens up about Patrick Dempsey's exit from 'Grey'

Ellen Pompeo may be the highest paid female drama star on prime time but she says the change did not take place overnight as she once asked and failed to get USD 5,000 more than her former co-star Patrick Dempsey.
Dempsey's exit from the show in the 11th season, however, turned out to be a turning point for Pompeo.
"They could always use him as leverage against me 'We don't need you; we have Patrick'which they did for years. I don't know if they also did that to him, because he and I never discussed our deals.
There were many times where I reached out about joining together to negotiate, but he was never interested in that. At one point, I asked for USD 5,000 more than him just on principle, because the show is Grey's Anatomy and I'm Meredith Grey. They wouldn't give it to me," Pompeo told The Hollywood Reporter.

The actor said she thought about walking out but she did not as she thought it was her show and Meredith Grey a great part.
Now Pompeo has a new deal, which extends her presence in front of the camera on Grey's Anatomy for at least two more years through season 16 though ABC is yet to renew the series.

She is also getting a producer's role on the long-running medical drama and its spinoff.
The new contract, which includes backend equity points on the show, will net Pompeo USD 20 million a year.
Talking about Dempsey's dramatic exit from the show, Pompeo said it turned out to be a ratings victory.

"So, what does it look like when he leaves the show? First, it looks like a ratings spike, and I had a nice chuckle about that. But the truth is, the ink wasn't even dry on his exit papers before they rushed in a new guy," Pompeo revealed.
The actor said it did not take much time before the network people rushed to fill Dempsey's spot.
"I was on vacation in Sicily, decompressingit was a long working relationship and it was a tumultuous end and I needed a moment to just chill with some rosand they're calling me, going, 'What do you think of this guy?' 'What do you think of this guy?' And they're sending pictures. I was like, 'Are you people f**king nuts? Why do you feel that you have to replace this person?'"

"I couldn't believe how fast the studio and the network felt like they had to get a penis in there. We brought in Martin Henderson, but they didn't love the storyline, so that ended.