Ellen Pompeo discusses possibility of coronavirus-themed 'Grey's Anatomy' episode
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Thanks to her role as Dr. Meredith Grey on "Grey's Anatomy," Ellen Pompeo's been tasked with filming scenes that are sometimes inspired by real-life events.
Now the actress is opening up about the possibility of the show covering the coronavirus pandemic in some capacity in a future episode.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 50-year-old actress, who at times could be mistaken for an actual doctor due to her longevity on the show, applauded medical workers on the front lines amid the global health crisis last month.
"This is just from me and my family to all of you to say thank you, we appreciate you, we love you. Stay safe. Nurses rock. Doctors rock and anyone who works in a hospital or the healthcare industry, you rock," Pompeo said in a video posted to her Instagram account in mid-March.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Derek Shepherd and Dr. Meredith Grey. (Ron Tom ABC via Getty Images)
The actress recently conducted an interview with Variety, where she echoed those same sentiments and shed some light on what's to come for the series after its filming was suspended and the current 16th season was cut short.
"I thought about it," Pompeo revealed when asked if the coronavirus would spawn a new storyline for the series. "Obviously, we don't want to get too political here, but I was just watching the news and I saw a clip of Barack Obama in 2014, saying that a pandemic was inevitable and that we should be prepared for it."
The actress continued to note that "Republicans were not granting [Obama] the budget" at the time, and she's since realized that the United States was "not prepared."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}www.foxnews.com/health/talking-coronavirus-with-your-kids
"Some people dropped the ball for sure," she continued. "It's disappointing."
Although a coronavirus-themed episode has yet to be established, Pompeo's character has played a vital role in past episodes that shine a light on flaws in America's healthcare system.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the past, "Grey's Anatomy" shone a light on undocumented citizens not having health insurance with an episode featuring a young child that was in need of emergency surgery and couldn't afford it.
Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy.' (Getty)
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More recently, the show touched on human trafficking, with a plot inspired by Giacomo Gianniotti.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's really important stuff. I'm proud that we have such a platform to be able to tell these stories in an entertaining way, but subliminally drop in messages and bring issues to light that we think we need to be had more light shone on them."