Ellen Pompeo’s First Post-Grey’s Anatomy Lead Role Couldn’t Be More Different Than Meredith

Ellen Pompeo is easily recognizable around the world for playing Grey’s Anatomy ’s protagonist Meredith Grey, but her first role after scaling back her involvement in the medical drama couldn’t have been more different from Meredith. Pompeo officially left the show as a series regular in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, still doing the episodes’ voiceovers, but the storylines focusing on Meredith Grey are still are the medical drama’s forefront, and that couldn’t have been more evident than in her Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s role change that made Meredith’s Alzheimer’s research a key story.

Before Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo appeared in various films and TV shows, including 2002’s Catch Me If You Can and 2003’s Daredevil. However, landing the protagonist role in a network TV show like Grey’s Anatomy effectively made it impossible to pursue any other project. Through the years, Pompeo became involved in different ways in Grey’s Anatomy, directing two episodes in Grey’s Anatomy seasons 13 and 14, and officially becoming an executive producer on the medical drama from 2022. The reduced role on Grey’s Anatomy nonetheless lets Pompeo branch out, as proven by her upcoming Hulu true crime drama.

Pompeo’s First Lead Role After Grey’s Anatomy Is In A True Crime Drama

Pompeo Will Portray Kristine Barnett In Hulu’s Good American Family

Ellen Pompeo plays Kristine Barnett in Hulu’s upcoming limited series, Good American Family. A true crime drama adapting a story grabbing the headlines in September 2019, Good American Family is based on Kristine and Michael Barnett’s (Mark Duplass) story. Good American Family will follow the Barnetts’ adoption of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian child with a rare form of dwarfism, before bringing up their accusations against her of being an adult, their getting her an apartment and moving to Canada with their biological children. Good American Family is reported to switch between the Barnetts and Natalia Grace’s perspectives throughout the show.

Pompeo produces the eight-part true crime drama besides starring in the lead role. On the choice to be part of the retelling of this particular story, Pompeo admits to Vanity Fair to have been under “a tremendous amount of pressure,” wondering why “would anyone believe that [she] could do anything other than playing Meredith Grey,” including herself. While revealing to have thought taking that project would be “a land mine,” Pompeo eventually motivated the choice to go through with it because she had “a lot to prove here,” especially as she wanted to do something completely different from Grey’s Anatomy.

How Good American Family’s Kristine Barnett Is Different From Grey’s Anatomy’s Meredith

Pompeo’s Role In Good American Family Is Much Darker Than Meredith Grey

Pompeo commented on portraying Kristine Barnett in Good American Family by saying that it was important for her “to play someone who is not necessarily the most likeable person,” going as further as saying she went to very dark places when shooting the scenes where her character starts doubting her adopted daughter is really a child. Pompeo also admits to going to co-showrunners and executive producers Katie Robbins and Sarah Sutherland to ask about what motivated her character, showing a willingness to approach the matter with nuance instead of judging her character.

Due to the nature of the true crime drama’s story, it’s indubitable for Good American Family to be much darker than Grey’s Anatomy. Meredith made plenty of questionable choices on Grey’s Anatomy, but she is doubtlessly the hero of the medical drama, and her battles on the show truly reflect that, whether she protects patients if they’re covered by insurance or not or challenges Catherine Fox by publishing her Alzheimer’s research’s results freely. The differences between Pompeo’s role in Good American Family and Grey’s Anatomy thus make her upcoming true crime drama even more interesting to watch.

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