‘DENZEL WENT HAM’

‘This Is My Show’: Ellen Pompeo Says She Fought Denzel on ‘Grey’s’ Set

Washington had told Pompeo to stick to the written dialogue after she ad-libbed a line, she revealed on her podcast.

Ellen Pompeo says she once yelled at Denzel Washington, “Listen, motherf--ker, this is my show” on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. Although Pompeo is the titular star of the show, Washington was a guest director during the show’s 12th season, helming the 2016 episode “The Sound of Silence.” Pompeo recalled on her podcast Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo that she had ad-libbed a line: “I was like, ‘Look at me when you apologize. Look at me.’ And that wasn’t in the dialogue. And Denzel went ham on my ass. He was like, ‘I’m the director. Don’t you tell him what to do.’ I was like, ‘Listen, motherf--ker, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling?’” Pompeo went on to say she had the “utmost respect for [Washington] as an actor and director” and that the two enjoyed a good working relationship outside the exchange over the ad lib.