Denzel Washington Says He Doesn’t Remember Ellen Pompeo’s Account Of Their Clash
Denzel Washington apparently has no recollection of getting into a heated argument with Ellen Pompeo when he directed an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
On her podcast, Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo, the hospital drama show's star said she and the legendary actor quarreled onset of the episode that aired back in 2016. According to her, after improvising a line that wasn't in the script, Washington became angry and stopped rolling.
"That wasn't in the dialogue, and Denzel went ham on my a**,' He was like, 'I'm the director. Don't you tell him what to do,'" said Pompeo during the September 2021 podcast episode. "I was like, 'Listen, motherf*****, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling? You barely even know where the bathroom is."
Pompeo also suggested that Washington only "did the show because his wife is a big fan" and "saw it as a good exercise to just come in and direct something quick."
And that wasn't the end of it.
The actress, who plays Meredith Grey on the show, then added: "Denzel's a movie star, right? He doesn't know s*** about directing TV."
The comments about Washington caused backlash on Twitter for Pompeo, whom they labeled "disrespectful" for her reaction to the veteran screen star all these years later.
Now, Denzel Washington is responding. During a newly-published interview with Variety, he said "No, no" when asked if he recalled the spat and claims he doesn't even recall the day in question. The news outlet then says Washington then added with a "slight grin" that "it's all good."
Even with the alleged disagreement, Pompeo, during the September podcast episode, also noted she has the "utmost respect" for Washington as both an actor and director and that he's "just one of the best ever to do it."
