Grey’s AnatomyThe series has captured the imagination of audiences since its March 2005 debut. But sometimes, what happened behind-the scenes of the series was more dramatic that what took place in the fictional hallways at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
“I do my best and we all do our best. It’s actually, the journey of it has been quite interesting because obviously we’ve had our ups and downs behind the scenes,” series star Ellen PompeoOn Late Night with Seth MeyersNovember 2017.
She added: “It’s been a very interesting journey. … It started out one way and right now where we are in such a different place from where we started.”
After reports that the medical drama was first reported in October 2006, the news made headlines. Isaiah Washington,Who played Dr. Preston Burke used a homophobic slur while on set. The series gained popularity over the next 10 years. Fans began to search for the truth about the cast shake-ups that saw some characters killed off and others being replaced.
After the release of September 2021, drama from the set was again in the news. Lynette Rice’s How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy. One of the points of contention explored was the cast’s relationships with Patrick Dempsey.
“There were times where Ellen was frustrated with Patrick and she would get angry that he wasn’t working as much,” producer Jeannine RenshawThe book recalls these events. “She was very big on having things be fair. She just didn’t like that Patrick would complain that ‘I’m here too late’ or ‘I’ve been here too long’ when she had twice as many scenes in the episode as he did. When I brought it up to Patrick, I would say, ‘Look around you. These people have been here since 6:30 a.m.’ He would go, ‘Oh, yeah.’ He would get it. It’s just that actors tend to see things from their own perspective. He’s like a kid.”
The actor behind Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd was allegedly the cause of some “HR issues” too, according to producer James D. Parriott.
“It wasn’t sexual in any way. He sort of was terrorizing the set,” he claimed of the actor. “Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him. He had a hold on the set, where he knew that he could stop production or scare people. We had sessions with the studio, network, and studio. He seemed to be done with the show. He didn’t like the inconvenience of coming in every day and working. He and Shonda [Rhimes] were at each other’s throats.”
Scroll through to see the full timeline of behind-the-scenes drama at ABC:
