`Director insisted I do it'
Ellen Pompeo recalls dangerous Grey's Anatomy stunt
Ellen Pompeo was left with little choice but to step in to shoot a “dangerous” Grey's Anatomy scene years ago after her stunt double was knocked out.
The star was asked to reshoot a bomb explosion scene in the series' second season after her stunt expert hit her head so hard she needed emergency medical treatment. Even though Pompeo didn't feel comfortable doing so, she agreed.
The actress, who plays lead character Dr. Meredith Grey on the hit drama, revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets on Twitter after a fan shared a clip from the 2006 episode As We Know It, which was rebroadcast last week.
The instalment featured a man who walked into the hospital with a bomb inside of him, with Grey forced to hold onto the patient to prevent the weapon from exploding. However, the subsequent detonation killed a bomb squad member, played by Kyle Chandler, and caused Grey to be thrown backwards and onto the ground at great force.
The fan captioned the short video: “All I'm going to be able to think about is how hard @EllenPompeo hit her head on that floor.”
Pompeo spotted the tweet and spilled all in response: “That was actually a stunt double that got a concussion and had to go (to) the ER.
“Well of course the director insisted I do it after the professional got hurt of course they would ask me to do it and of course being the people pleaser I was ... I said yes knowing they would use the take where she hit her head anyway because that looks so dramatic.”
Pompeo admitted she felt “uncomfortable” shooting the stunt but didn't think she was in a position to say no.
She continued: “The lesson here ladies is this ... don't do things that make you uncomfortable because you're afraid people will see you as difficult. Trust me they are going to see you as difficult no matter what you do!”